This orange gingerbread coffee cake is perfectly moist, full of sweet gingerbread spices and orange flavor. It’s topped with plenty of cinnamon crumbles and an optional Paleo white icing. Perfect to serve for a holiday brunch, dessert, or anytime! Gluten free, paleo, dairy free, refined sugar free.
Orange Gingerbread Coffee Cake is the perfect winter morning breakfast during the holidays! Coffee cake recipes are most definitely up there in my “top 3” things I love to bake. Classic coffee cake, coffee cake bread, even coffee cake muffins – you name it, I’ve baked it!
Honestly, when it comes to Paleo baking, I find coffee cakes to come out almost identical to their non-paleo counterparts.
I made an orange cranberry coffee cake last year that rocked my world. So much so that I also made orange almond poppy seed muffins and cranberry orange pecan muffins with a similar mix of ingredients, and loved them every bit as much.
In any case, coffee cakes are one my favorite things to bake because they happen to taste damn incredible, and this orange gingerbread one is no exception.
Ingredients in Orange Gingerbread Coffee Cake
The cake is sweetened with both coconut sugar and molasses, so all the flavors are balanced and nothing is overpowering.
Orange juice and orange zest along with gingersnap spice and cinnamon (or cinnamon, ginger, & allspice) give the cake the perfect combination of orange and gingerbread flavors.
I used both almond flour and tapioca flour to get a moist but not too dense texture, and topped everything with lots of cinnamon crumbles mixed with raisins, pecans and spices.
Because I was totally in that “go big or go home” mood when I made this coffee cake, I decided to add a coconut butter/honey drizzle that looks just like a white icing.
How to Make Coffee Cake
- First, make the raisin pecan crumble topping and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it.
- Next, make the cake batter. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, and combine the wet ingredients and coconut sugar in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, fold in the raisins, and pour the batter into a prepared cake pan.
- Then, assemble and bake the cake. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter and bake it in a 350 degree oven. Cool the cake on a wire rack.
- Make the Paleo icing, drizzle it over the coffee cake, then serve and enjoy!
How to Make Paleo Icing
This “icing” glaze is SO simple to make!
All you have to do is stir together melted coconut butter and honey. That’s it!
Drizzle the glaze over the coffee cake with a spoon and dig in!
The heat of the freshly baked coffee cake will melt the glaze into delectable little streams of honey butter that are beyond irresistible!
If you’re not a coconut fan, you can omit the icing without missing anything, BUT if you happen to like coconut, it definitely adds something special to the cake and takes 2 minutes to make.
How long will coffee cake keep?
This Paleo orange gingerbread coffee cake will stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge!
Wrap it in plastic wrap or place t in an airtight container for best results.
This orange gingerbread coffee cake would be perfect for just about any occasion over the holiday season, especially if you need to bring something special AND healthy to a gathering. Then again, you might just want to bake this one and keep it all to yourself – you’ll see why soon enough. Let’s bake!
Orange Gingerbread Coffee Cake {Paleo, GF, DF}
Orange Gingerbread Coffee Cake {Paleo, GF, DF}
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3 eggs room temp
- 1/4 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 butter)
- 6 Tbsp organic coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 1/2 tsp pure almond extract or vanilla if you prefer
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 6 Tbsp tapioca flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp Primal Palate gingersnap spice plus 1/2 tsp cinnamon OR
- 2 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp ginger + 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup raisins chopped if desired
Crumble Top:
- 1/4 cup grass fed butter or coconut oil cold, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 3 Tbsp organic coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup pecans chopped
- 2 Tbsp raisins
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- Pinch salt
Optional coconut butter glaze
- 3 Tbsp coconut butter melted**
- 1 1/2 tsp raw honey
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line an 8 or 9” cake pan with parchment paper*
Prepare the topping first:
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Combine all ingredients except for pecans and raisins in a mixing bowl, and blend the mixture with a pastry blender or fork until a thick, crumbly mixture forms (see photo)
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Add the chopped pecans and raisins and use the fork or pastry blender to evenly distribute. Chill this mixture in the refrigerator until ready to sprinkle on the cake.
Prepare the cake:
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Combine the dry ingredients (except for raisins) in a mixing bowl by gently whisking, set aside
-
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs with the orange juice and zest, coconut sugar, and molasses until well combined. Add the melted coconut oil or butter and almond extract and whisk until smooth.
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With a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet gently until just moistened and no flour spots show, then fold in the raisins.
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Pour batter into prepared cake pan, scraping the bowl to get it all in. Sprinkle the prepared (and chilled) crumb topping over the top of the batter evenly to cover.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes* or until center is set and a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean/with crumbs)
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Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack to nearly room temperature before slicing. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm. Add optional coconut butter glaze if desired for serving. Enjoy!
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*For a 9” cake pan baking time will be about 25 minutes (ovens vary) and for 8” the time will be a few minutes longer. Check for doneness at 25 minutes to avoid overbaking!
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**Coconut butter needs to be melted gently. You can melt in a glass bowl in the microwave in increments of 5-7 seconds, stirring between each one, or allow the jar to sit in hot water until creamy.
Recipe Notes
*For a 9” cake pan baking time will be about 25 minutes (ovens vary) and for 8” the time will be a few minutes longer. Check for doneness at 25 minutes to avoid overbaking! **Coconut butter needs to be melted gently. You can melt in a glass bowl in the microwave in increments of 5-7 seconds, stirring between each one, or allow the jar to sit in hot water until creamy.
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My Orange Gingerbread Coffee Cake:
Want More Paleo Holiday Baking Recipes? Try One of These!
Paleo Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake
Perfect Paleo Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Cranberry Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies {Paleo & Vegan}
Thick Chewy Snickerdoodles {Paleo & Vegan}
Almond Butter Blossom Cookies {Paleo & Vegan}
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YUM! This cake looks so good and so easy to make! I will definitely try this recipe soon ♥
Orange Gingerbread Coffee Cake is new and unique item, I can not control to eat this one, very delicious item this is, I will eat very soon this Item, Thank you so much for sharing this cake with us…
This is a really good, healthy alternative to traditional meatloaf. We loved it!
I feel that I am an ok cook however, you exceed my talents by ten folds. I absolutely love your recipes and thank you…!
Your website is becoming one of my go-to sites for great paleo recipes. This orange gingerbread coffee cake is great, I made it for Thanksgiving dinner dessert. I warm up a piece and top it with a dollop of dairy-free sour cream – delicious!
This recipe sounds really good! Thanks for sharing. I don’t seem to find the coffee in the ingredients list. Am I missing something?
Coffee cakes are called such because they are typically made to be eaten with a cup of coffee (hot tea is great, too!). They don’t actually contain coffee in the ingredients, though. Hope this answer was helpful!
Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.
Could this recipe be easily converted into muffins? If so, how would it be adjusted? I love all of your recipes and particularly enjoy muffins, so I’m curious if this recipe could also work as muffins. Thanks!