Brown Butter Orange Cinnamon Coffee Cake

This Brown Butter Orange Cinnamon Coffee Cake is moist, delicious, and filled with warm cinnamon and fresh orange flavor. 

Delicious Brown Butter Orange Cinnamon Coffee Cake

A warm slice of coffee cake in the morning, with a hot cup of coffee, sounds like perfection – am I right? The only thing that could be better is if we elevate that coffee cake with delicious orange and toasty brown butter.

We tested this Brown Butter Orange Cinnamon Coffee Cake over and over again, until it was perfect, and this recipe is the result! There are swirls of warm cinnamon, the flavor of juicy fresh orange, and a delicious vanilla orange icing to finish it off.

If you’re looking for a recipe that’s perfect to serve at a holiday brunch, then this is it!

Watch How to Make This Brown Butter Orange Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Reader Favorite Coffee Cake Recipes

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Coffee Cake Ingredients

Butter: we’re going to start this cake off by making some delicious brown butter which gives the coffee cake plenty of toasty, nutty flavor. If you need a bit more instruction on making brown butter, this post on how to make brown butter will give you more details and our favorite brown butter recipes!

Greek Yogurt: we’re using plain, whole milk Greek yogurt to keep this cake moist.

Almond Milk: you’ll need just a bit of almond milk to help thin the batter.

Vanilla Extract: to ensure there is plenty of vanilla flavor in the cake we’re using plenty of vanilla extract.

Sugar: a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar adds the perfect flavor.

Flour: regular all-purpose flour is all you need. I’ve included substitution ideas below if you need them!

Cinnamon: there’s plenty of cinnamon in every layer of this coffee cake for the best flavor.

Ingredient Swaps

• Greek Yogurt – if you prefer, you can swap the greek yogurt for sour cream in this recipe.
• Brown Sugar – replace the brown sugar with coconut sugar if you prefer.
• Flour – need to keep this recipe gluten free? swap the all-purpose flour for gluten free flour instead. My favorite gluten free flour replacement to use is Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour. It always work well for me as a 1 to 1 swap for all-purpose flour. Please note, that you cannot substitute almond flour, coconut flour, or cassava flour 1:1 in this recipe.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

mixing bowl

MEASURING CUPS

MEASURING SPOONS

whisk

silicone spatula

parchment paper

8×8 baking dish

How to Make This Coffee Cake Recipe

Step One: Add the diced butter to a small skillet or pot. Heat the skillet to medium heat. The butter will start to melt as the skillet heats up.Allow the butter to bubble and “cook” until it begins to change from a bright yellow color to a golden brown color. Continually stir the butter as you see the foam start to dissipate and brown bits begin to form in the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir the butter until it is a golden brown color and has a nutty aroma. Remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a heat safe dish to let cool.

Step Two: Add the dark brown sugar, all purpose flour, ground cinnamon, and orange zest to a small bowl and stir until well combined.

Step Three: Add the melted butter, brown sugar, all purpose flour, cinnamon, and salt to a small mixing bowl. Stir together until well combined and a crumble forms. Set aside.

Step Four: Add the melted and cooled brown butter, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and almond milk to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined.

Step Five: To another mixing bowl, add the all purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk together until well combined.

Step Six: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until you have a thick batter.

Step Seven: Transfer half the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Next, sprinkle the cinnamon orange layer even over the batter. Next, pour the remaining batter over the cinnamon layer and smooth into an even layer. Next, sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the coffee cake.

Step Eight: Bake the coffee cake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. If using a ceramic baking dish the cake may take a bit longer to bake.

Step Nine: Add the confectioner’s sugar, orange juice, vanilla extract, and orange zest to a mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined and smooth.

Step Ten: Let the coffee cake cool for 15-20 minutes before drizzling the icing over the cake while warm. Slice into 9 squares and enjoy!

The Perfect Vanilla Orange Icing

One of my personal favorite parts of this coffee cake is the delicious vanilla orange icing you drizzle on top once the cake is out off the oven. It really helps to drive home that orange flavor in the cake and it’s really simple to make.

What You Need:

• powdered sugar – you’ll need this to make the base of the icing.
• milk or non-dairy milk – I always have a little almond milk on hand so I usually use that! Plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk or regular milk will both work fine!
• orange zest – trust me on this one – take the time to add a little fresh orange zest to your icing.
• vanilla extract – we’re adding just the right touch of vanilla flavor to the icing with a bit of vanilla extract!

To make the icing: Add the confectioner’s sugar, almond milk, orange zest, and vanilla extract to a small mixing bowl. Whisk all of the ingredients together until everything is well combined and smooth.

Drizzle the icing over the coffee cake after it’s cooled for just a bit but while it’s still warm.

How to Serve

• Go the traditional route and serve this cake with a hot cup of coffee or your favorite iced drink like this iced honey cinnamon latte.
• This cake would be the perfect addition your holiday brunch. Serve it alongside this sausage breakfast casserole.
• Make a batch of perfectly cooked oven bacon and serve it with a warm slice of coffee cake.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Store the coffee cake, wrapped tightly, or in an air-tight container, on the counter for 2-3 days. If you would like it to last longer, you can wrap the coffee cake tightly and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Freezing: If you prefer, you can freeze the coffee cake. First, slice the cake into even slices and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Then, transfer the cake to a freezer safe storage bag. Store the sliced cake for up to three months. If you are freezing, I recommend waiting to put the icing on the cake until after it is thawed.

Reheat: You can reheat a slice of the coffee cake in a 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes until warmed through. I like to wrap the cake in a bit of aluminum foil before placing in the oven to reheat. You can also place a slice in the microwave fro 15-30 seconds at a time until it is warmed through.

More Delicious Recipes

• The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
• Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
• Apple Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Icing
• Brown Butter Sweet Potato Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

I hope you give this Coffee Cake a try! It’s full of cinnamon-orange flavor and so delicious! If you do give this recipe a try, let me know!

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Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eat