This pecan coffee cake is moist, sweet, with lots of orange and cinnamon flavor and a toasty pecan crumb top. It’s gluten-free, grain-free, with dairy-free options. A family favorite that is sure to become a hit in your house!
I’ve probably said it before, but I think coffee cake is at the top of my list of things to bake. I have totally fond memories of amazing bakery coffee cakes from childhood.
Making a healthier version of coffee cake that still tastes just as incredible as I remember it is a dream come true every time!
Which is why I’ve made a solid effort over the years to have the coffee cake recipes coming as often as possible. Without being TOO obnoxious about it.
Today’s version: Paleo Orange Pecan Coffee Cake. It’s an orange infused sweet, moist, pecan coffee cake with pecan crumb topping AND an orange icing.
Why this is the best grain-free coffee cake EVER:
I based this recipe off of my classic cinnamon coffee cake and cranberry orange coffee cake. I love how the orange flavor and warm spices complement each other and the toasty pecans make it extra special.
Since coffee cake is probably my favorite dessert to serve to guests at all occasions (well, brownies too!) I figured December is the perfect time for a new go-to recipe that absolutely everyone will love.
If you ever need to bring something – anywhere – for dessert or brunch, you can’t go wrong bringing one of my coffee cakes!
Coffee Cake vs. Crumb Cake
If you didn’t grow up making it like I did, you might be wondering – is there coffee in coffee cake? Nope! A coffee cake is usually served along with a cup of coffee – that’s where the name comes from.
There are so many different recipes for coffee cake out there and some have a crumb topping, but some don’t! Crumb cake is a type of coffee cake with German origins – think of the word “streusel”, which means crumb topping.
So the simple answer is all crumb cakes are coffee cakes, but not all coffee cakes are crumb cakes. You know what I mean? I top my coffee cakes with a Paleo version of streusel almost every time, but you’re free to omit it if you prefer!
Ingredients in Orange Pecan Coffee Cake
For the cake, we’re using a blend of blanched almond flour and tapioca flour to get the moist, tender texture I love.
The orange juice and orange zest, eggs, pure maple sugar, plus coconut oil helps make this coffee cake sweet, flavorful and moist. If you can’t locate pure maple sugar, you can always use coconut sugar instead.
I totally swear by this maple sugar that I purchase on Amazon. It also makes great powdered sugar for the icing, too! Then, we have spices, and pecans of course! Don’t worry, we’re loading up the topping with pecans too.
The Best Paleo Coffee Cake Recipe
- Start by mixing the Paleo crumb topping. Combine almond flour, butter, ghee, or coconut oil (for dairy-free) cinnamon and maple sugar with a fork until crumbly, and refrigerate.
- Next, make the cake. Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the dry ingredients, including the pecans, in another bowl and mix them into the wet ingredients. Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan and sprinkle the crumb topping overtop, then bake.
- Finally, when the cake is finished and cooling, make the Paleo icing. Drizzle it all over the top of the cake, then serve.
How to Make Paleo Icing
The icing can be made either with organic powdered sugar (technically not Paleo due to the cane sugar) or homemade Paleo powdered sugar. The Paleo version will be darker in color that the photos, but just as tasty – if not more so!
All you have to do is whisk your homemade Paleo powdered sugar together with orange juice. When it’s smooth, you’ll have the most incredible orange flavored glaze to drizzle all over your coffee cake.
How to Make Homemade Powdered Sugar
Making your own powdered sugar is as simple as putting a granulated sugar of choice in a food processor with a bit of tapioca powder. It blends just as well as store bought powdered sugar, for a Paleo icing that drizzles like a dream.
Simply process the sugar and tapioca until it reaches the consistency of a fine powder. That’s it!
How long does coffee cake stay fresh?
Your coffee cake should last for a couple of days out on your counter at room temperature, or 5 days in the fridge.
I recommend covering it with plastic wrap or placing it in an airtight container to keep it as fresh as possible.
Now that I’m completely craving coffee cake, it’s time for YOU to try out this recipe! I know you and your family will love it – let’s grab our ingredients, preheat our ovens and get ready for coffee cake bliss!
Orange Pecan Coffee Cake {Paleo, GF, DF}
Orange Pecan Coffee Cake {Paleo, GF, DF}
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice room temp
- 2 tsp grated orange zest (or from 1 large orange)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted and cooled, or melted ghee or butter
- 1/2 cup pure maple sugar or organic coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract almond would be tasty here too
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Pecan crumb topping:
- 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
- 6 Tbsp ghee or grass fed butter, or coconut oil, cold, cut into pieces
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup pure maple sugar or coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Drizzle:
- 2/3 cup organic powdered sugar or make your own paleo version*
- 3-4 tsp fresh orange juice or a bit more to get the right consistency
Instructions
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Prepare the crumb topping first. Place all ingredients in a medium bowls and blend using a pastry cutter until a crumbly consistency is achieved. I don’t recommend using a food processor for this topping. Once crumbly, refrigerate and set aside.
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a square baking pan or round cake pan with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange juice and zest, coconut oil, sugar, vanilla and/or almond extract; set aside.
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In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, salt, spices and pecans and stir into the wet mixture to form a batter.
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Transfer all the batter into the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the batter evenly, then bake in the preheated oven for 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out with crumbs only. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before drizzling with icing.
Icing:
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While cake cooks, combine the powdered sugar and orange juice until a smooth icing develops, adjusting orange juice as needed to get the right consistency. Drizzle over the partiallly-cooled cake and allow it to continue to cool until icing hardens. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
* To make your own paleo powdered sugar, combined 1 cup maple sugar (or coconut sugar) and 1 Tbsp tapioca flour in a food processor or high speed blender and blend until a powdery consistency is reached. Use just the amount of the resulting mixture specified in the recipe (2/3 cup) and save the rest for another use.
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo Coffee Cake Recipes? Try One of These!
Orange Gingerbread Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Muffins With Cinnamon Streusel
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In this coffee cake have you ever used flaxseed (egg substitute) instead of eggs?
This cake looks and sounds so comforting and delicious!
Perfect for Christmas morning! Everyone loved it!!
Delizioso! I used soy milk and coconut oil in this recipe and I made the paleo powdered sugar too, it is a hit! We all loved it and it is at the top of our list right now! Thank you for this! I will be posting a photo of my slice on Instagram and sharing the recipe- Buonissimo! XO
One of my favourite recipes on your site!
I add an extra 1/2 tbsp of grated orange peel because I love the orange flavour.
This looks so delicious and i would like to say thank you so much to you for this desktopicons awesome recipe and am also going to try this at my home.
Made this for our Mother’s Day brunch with my daughters and it was delicious!! Not a speck left!!!!!
My all-time favorite. I make this quite often and have it with a dollop of Coco Whip and a cup of tea. Yum!
Sounds delicious! Thrilled you’re enjoying it.
I love this coffee cake. How long will the paleo powder sugar last if you have any left over?
I make your recipes all the time – you’re my go-to blogger for breakfasts especially. Today I went to make this coffee cake and I didn’t let the coconut oil cool long enough so it cooked the eggs before I could combine everything. I was so bummed because I used the only orange I had for the juice so I couldn’t try again. Until I realized the only other juice I had was maraschino cherry juice. So I used 1/3 cup of that and the recipe is still delicious! Just thought I’d share in case anyone else made the same mistake I did. Thank you for always sharing the most delicious recipes!