I know, I know — blood orange coffee cake!
I have a serious thing for blood oranges. I also have a major coffee cake habit. After making a cranberry sauce coffee cake recently, I was craving another — enter this blood orange coffee cake.
Part of the appeal? That vibrant pink glaze. Honestly, the color alone keeps me coming back for more.
I don’t usually reach for orange-flavored desserts first, but blood oranges have a sweeter, more complex profile than navels. Zest or juice, they bring a brightness that pairs so well with buttery cake and a spiced streusel.
And yes — the pink glaze wins me over every time.
This recipe is adapted from Joy’s sour cream coffee cake. I swap Greek yogurt for sour cream because I always have yogurt on hand, and it works beautifully. I baked mine in a 10-inch bundt pan — bundts have their quirks, but they look adorable and are perfect for this cake.
Short version: I keep making this cake because it tastes great and looks gorgeous. If you’re a fan of pretty brunch desserts, this one delivers both.
Visually, it’s so pink — and that’s the point. But beyond the color, the flavor combination is thoughtful: bright blood orange, buttery cake, and a cinnamon-cocoa streusel with a touch of espresso powder.
Clarification about “coffee cake”: it’s not coffee-flavored cake in the sense of brewed coffee in the batter. The name refers to a cake meant to enjoy with coffee. That said, I do add a little instant espresso powder to the streusel for depth — it pairs wonderfully with orange and cocoa.
Confession: I scraped the glazed drips off the board with a spatula and added them to my slice. No regrets.
I have one more blood orange recipe planned this year because I can’t stop using them. For now, enjoy this cake — it’s the best of the bunch until the next best shows up.
Blood Orange Coffee Cake
Blood Orange Coffee Cake
Yield:
1
(10 cup) bundt cake, serves 6 to 8
2 hrs
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Ingredients
Streusel
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%)
Blood Orange Glaze
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan — butter and flour is key; avoid cooking spray.
Streusel
- Whisk together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, cocoa, espresso powder and salt. Add butter pieces and, using your hands, mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand or tiny crumbs.
Cake
- Rub the sugar and orange zest together until fragrant and well combined.
- In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the zested sugar and beat 4 to 5 minutes until fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add vanilla, then beat in the yogurt.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined. Spoon half the batter into the prepared bundt pan, sprinkle with two-thirds of the streusel, add the remaining batter, then swirl the remaining streusel into the top with a knife. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean. My cake needed the full 55 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wait until fully cool before glazing to avoid melting the glaze and damaging the cake.
- Once cool, drizzle the blood orange glaze over the cake, let it set about 30 minutes, then slice and serve.
Blood Orange Glaze
- Whisk together blood orange juice, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth and pourable. Adjust powdered sugar or juice to reach the desired thickness.
Notes
Breakfast
American
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But see? PINK!