Cardamom-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe | Barbara Bakes (2024)

Published by Melissa on | Updated | 56 Comments

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Moist, delicious cardamom-orange coffee cake topped with an almond cinnamon sugar topping, baked in cute mini loaf pans so they’re easy to share and sturdy enough to mail to far away friends.

The Flying Brownieby Shirley Fan is an adorable cookbook with 100 recipes for homemade treats that are perfect for packing and shipping to friends and family. Each recipe includes tips on shipping and there’s a Care Packages 101 section to help you get your treats to your loved ones in just baked condition.

The publisher sent me a free copy of the cookbook to review and itcame just in time. I was baking Snickerdoodle bread to take to the Big Traveling Potluck and had to carry the bread on the airplane. I used the tips in the book, double wrapped it in plastic wrap, cushioned it with styrofoampeanuts, and put it in a sturdy box, and my bread arrived in perfect condition.

The first time I tried cardamom was when it was used in a Daring Bakers challenge, and I immediately fell in love with it. It has a very unique, spicy, almost citrusy flavor and pairs really well with citrus in baking. It’s native to India but is now used throughout the world in sweet and savory dishes.

Since I love cardamom in baked goods, theCardamom-Orange Coffee Cake recipe jumped out at me. I loved that I could make it with ingredients I always have on hand. The recipe didn’t disappoint. It was moist and tender with a great spicy, citrus flavor and the crunchy, sweet almond topping was the perfect way to dress it up.

If you’re looking for recipes and tips on shipping treats to your friends and family, I highly recommend this book.

Cardamom-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe | Barbara Bakes (4)

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4.49 from 83 votes

Cardamom-Orange Coffee Cake Loaf

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course: Quick Breads

Keyword: baking, Breakfast, food, recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 363kcal

Author: Barbara Schieving

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 tablespoons 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

Topping

  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350º. Grease and flour a 5×9-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper; set aside. I used two mini loaf pans (5 ¾ x 3 ¼ x 2 ¼)

  • In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt.

  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the sour cream and orange zest and mix for another minute or two, until incorporated. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

  • In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Scatter the topping over the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. (Bake mini loaves for 35 minutes.)

  • Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a large zipper top plastic bag.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 338mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g

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Cardamom-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe | Barbara Bakes (5)

About Melissa & Barbara

As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply

  1. c vecc

    Cardamom-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe | Barbara Bakes (6)
    What a delightful combination of flavors❤️ A very nice balance. I used a PYREX loaf pan for baking so I should have lowered the temp a bit.
    I’ll be making this again for sure. Thanks for the recipe 👍👍

    Reply

  2. Cindy

    This had a nice flavor but was very dry. I wonder if anyone has tried an orange glaze/syrup with this?

    Reply

  3. Debbie Horrell

    Cardamom-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe | Barbara Bakes (7)
    So delicious! First time baking with Cardamom and it’s wonderful! Thank you!

    Reply

    • Melissa Griffiths

      So glad you liked it Debbie! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

      Reply

  4. Cinnamom in MN

    Fantastic. Made it tonight. Thanks for the recipe. I’m sure it will make me locally famous.

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      Thanks! I hope it does make you locally famous. Let me know 🙂

      Reply

  5. Rebecca

    LOVED this recipe! I did notice some folks saying it was a bit dry; I found it was a good idea to check for doneness well before the max. 50-minute bake time suggested so it didn’t bake to a dry state. The beautiful whisper of orange with the not-overpowering cardamom, along with not too much sweetness was such a perfect balance of flavors! I do wish there was some nutritional info on this!

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      Thank you for the great review Rebecca – beautifully described! I’ll update the post to include the computer-generated nutritional info.

      Reply

  6. Nanci

    I made the “cake” and we really liked it! I noticed how many mentioned that when they turned it out of the pan that the topping fell off. So I found a way to make it stay on Bon Appetit. I mixed the crumb topping with just a little softened butter and then took about half and egg white and mixed it together before spreading on the loaf. The egg white is the key. It did not fall off!

    • Barbara Schieving

      Glad you enjoyed the cake. Thanks for sharing your tip Nanci!

      Reply

  7. Susan

    Can you tell me what brand your bread pans are.

    Reply

  8. Barb

    I made the coffee cake his morning ,and it didn’t disappoint! So delicious!! I made the mini loaves and did have to bake them a little more than 35 minutes, Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

  9. faye Weiner

    Those pans are adorable! Are they on Amazon?

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      Hi Faye – I’ve had them for so long, I don’t think they’re available any longer. But Amazon does have these https://amzn.to/2yyw9H0 Mini Loaf Pans that I love.

      Reply

  10. Wass

    Hi, the streusel topping is missing butter and that’s why the almonds fell off. Good recipe, love orange and cardamoms ??

    Reply

  11. Karen

    For those of you with a bread maker this comes out perfect on “Cake” or “Quick”( not rapid) setting.

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      Great tip – thanks for sharing Karen!

      Reply

  12. Melanie

    I thought this was scrumptious! Next time I make it, I think I’ll add some nuts to the batter, and maybe some candied orange. I loved the streusel mix, but a lot of it fell off when I took it out of the pan (but I probably used too much). Thanks for the great recipe. I put a link to on my site,

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      Thanks Melanie! Glad you enjoyed it. Definitely change it up to suit your tastes.

      Reply

  13. augusta

    wheres the coffee in this recipe??

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      Coffee cake rarely has coffee in it. Rather it is a cake served with coffee, generally for breakfast or a snack rather than dessert.

      Reply

    • Melanie

      lol

      Reply

  14. Debbie

    Not sure what happened with mine but it came out extremely dry….I was bummed out. Nice flavor but no moisture.

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      Hi Debbie – That is disappointing. Did you make any changes?

      Reply

  15. Wendy

    Loaf cakes and quick breads can be great care package goodies! They are so sturdy. The flavors in this one remind me of a cup of tea. 🙂 Barbara, does the cook book mention how long this loaf stays fresh? Some recipes stay yummy for ages and others seem to dry out by the next day. 🙂

    Reply

    • Barbara Schieving

      I’m not at home this week, but as I remember it said these loaves kept well for 5 days. I’ve found quick breads with sour cream in them just get better the next few days after baking. Great question. Thanks!

      Reply

  16. Sue {munchkin munchies}

    Besides sounding so yummy, the little loaves look adorable. The flavors sound wonderful…a good use for my cardamon:)

    Reply

  17. Jenni

    Gorgeous loaves! I simply love cardamom! These would be so fantastic! 🙂

    Reply

  18. jamie @ green beans & grapefruit

    I so dig cardamom in pastries, especially coffee cake. This sounds awesome!

    Reply

  19. Medeja

    What a nice soft coffee cake!

    Reply

  20. lilian @ chinese grandma

    ooh barbara, i love cardamom. can’t wait to try this recipe! and have it with some chai. =)

    Reply

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Cardamom-Orange Coffee Cake Recipe | Barbara Bakes (2024)

FAQs

Why is it coffee cake? ›

Sometimes cake, sometimes bread, maybe with coffee but always sweet, the only real defining trait of a coffee cake is that it is meant to be served alongside a cup of coffee. It's a treat that asks nothing of you other than to slow down and enjoy a nice hot mug of coffee and a bite of something sweet.

Which ingredient makes cake soft and fluffy? ›

Baking powder is mixed with the flour. When water is added to this flour to make dough, baking powder undergoes a chemical reaction during which carbon dioxide gas is produced. This carbon dioxide gas gets trapped into the dough and bubbles out which causes the cake to rise making it soft and spongy.

What is the secret of soft and fluffy cake? ›

Leavening agents, such as baking powder and baking soda, play a crucial role in making cakes rise and achieve a fluffy texture. These agents produce carbon dioxide gas when combined with liquid and heat, creating air pockets that lighten the batter.

What makes a cake mix light and fluffy? ›

For a lighter and more airy cake, use only egg whites (and save the egg yolks for crème brûlée). Remember, taking out the yolks decreases the amount fat in the cake, so make sure to replace it with 1 tablespoon melted butter for every yolk removed.

What makes a cake moist and fluffy? ›

10 WAYS TO MAKE CAKE MOIST
  1. USE THE CORRECT TEMPERATURE AND BAKING TIME. Consider lowering your oven temperature slightly when baking a cake. ...
  2. USE VEGETABLE OIL. ...
  3. USE BUTTERMILK INSTEAD OF MILK. ...
  4. ADD INSTANT PUDDING MIX. ...
  5. ADD MAYONNAISE. ...
  6. USE SIMPLE SYRUP OR GLAZE. ...
  7. USE CAKE FLOUR. ...
  8. DON'T OVERMIX.

Why is my cake dense and not light and fluffy? ›

One of the key factors that can lead to dense cakes is the incorrect ratio of ingredients. Baking is a science, and even a small deviation from the recipe can have a big impact on the final texture of your cake. Too much flour or not enough leavening agents like baking powder can result in a dense cake.

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