November has officially begun!
Ahhhhh. Fall. I looovvveee fall. The leaves, the sweaters, the dog walks. What’s not to like? And November is the perfect time to crack out those spices and enjoy some fall baking!
Describe this Cake to Me
Taste: This cake has a soft orange flavor, with swirls of fall spices blending together. I feel like people talk about spiced orange all the time, but then It’s only ever used in scones. And don’t get me wrong, I love spiced orange scones. But I just feel like there are better ways of using these awesome flavors. Anyway, on top of the light buttery cake, we have a layer of cranberries. The cranberry mixture is super simple so that it doesn’t distract from the natural cranberry flavor. And then on top of all of that we have a buttery, melt in your mouth crumble layer. This provides as a great contrast to the tart cranberry layer.
Texture: This cake has all of the textures you could ask for. The bottom layer is a moist cake with a light crumb. It has the tiniest bit of chew on the sides from where it caramelized in the oven. Then you have the cranberries which sort of pop in the oven and spread their tart flavor all throughout the cake. Then you have the crumble layer, which starts with a crunch and then melts in your mouth.
Ease: All of the components of this cake are super simple. The cake is a one bowl recipe and is super quick to whip up. Then for the cranberry layer, all you have to do is toss a few ingredients in with some fresh cranberries, and plop that on top of the cake batter. Finally, make a quick and simple four ingredient crumble and sprinkle it on top. Throw it in the oven and then magically you have a lovely fall coffee cake.
The Cake Layer
Let’s talk about the cake layer. It’s a light cake by itself, but gets a little denser when we add the cranberries. It has cozy fall spices in every bite, which mixes beautifully with the subtle orange flavor. It has a light crumb so it will melt in your mouth, and you will be left with nothing but the amazing autumnal flavors. Also, can we get a little appreciation for this cake? One bowl, ten minutes, fourteen ingredients. What more could you ask?
The Cranberry Layer
This layer is so simple you won’t even believe it. It’s just cranberries with a little sugar and orange zest. You just toss it together and plop it on top of the batter. We could just use cranberries plain, but I find adding the other two ingredients is really helpful in getting our flavors and textures right. The sugar helps the cranberries release juice, which then slightly soaks into the cake, giving even more even flavors. The orange zest, adds a nice acidity to it and helps bring out the orange flavor in the rest of the cake. Once we put the cranberries on the batter, I like to add the smallest sprinkle of sugar, just to give it an extra little pow. Here is the key. You HAVE to use fresh cranberries. I tried it with frozen cranberries but the excess liquid, even after thawing, was too much and made the cake wet and dense. Bleck. So what you need is fresh cranberries.
The Crumble Layer
This is in my opinion, the tastiest layer. I wouldn’t call this a coffee cake without this layer. It gives the cake more fall flavors from the cinnamon and brown sugar, and balances out the tartness of the cranberries with the butter. It’s super easy and fun to make to! All you do is whisk together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then you add salted butter an combine it with your hands to get a delicious soft crumble, which you can sprinkle right on top of those cranberries.
May I just recommend having this for breakfast in Thanksgiving morning? If you make it the day before, you can quickly heat it up in the oven and have a delicious fall coffee cake to have with breakfast. With all of the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving week, we need a tasty and quick recipe to FALL on. Get it? Sorry, I had to. Anyway, my point is that when beginning a day full of cooking, we need effortlessly good food to start the day with. And this coffee cake is just that.
Spiced Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a nine inch springform cake pan with butter. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together. Add the melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, orange juice, and orange zest. Whisk until combined and there are no more lumps. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set aside.
- Rinse out the same bowl you just used for the batter. To that bowl, add the cranberries, orange zest, and sugar. Toss to combine. Put the cranberries on top of the cake batter. Sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar if desired.
- Whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Add the butter, and using your hands, massage the butter into the other ingredients, until the mixture forms lumps and is evenly combined. You can use a spatula to do this but I find that hands work best. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the cranberries.
- Place the cake in the oven and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. The crumble will be slightly browned on top.
- Let the finished cake cool for at least 20 minutes. I recommend eating this warm, but it is just as good cold. See notes for reheating instructions. Cake stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Notes
Happy fall everyone!
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