Orange Juice Crumb Cake
The secret to the fluffiest crumb cake ever? Orange juice! This orange juice crumb cake is a must for your next brunch…try it with a cup of fresh mint tea!
Jump to:
- 🔎 Here’s a Quick Look at this recipe
- ❤️ Why we love this recipe
- 🤔 What is crumb cake?
- 🍊 Ingredients you need
- 📝 Ingredient notes
- 🥣 Ingredient substitutions
- 👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
- Recipe FAQs
- 🥣 Equipment we used for this recipe
- 😍 Other cake recipes we love!
- ⭐️ We want to know what you think!
- Orange Juice Crumb Cake
🔎 Here’s a Quick Look at this recipe
- What It Is: This Orange Juice Crumb Cake combines a fluffy cake base with a sweet, cinnamon-infused crumb topping, all enhanced by the subtle flavor of orange juice!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Servings: 24
- Calories: 331 per slice
- Cook Method: Oven Baking
- Good For: Brunch, Dessert, After School Snack and of course Mother’s Day!
Get even more quick info about this recipe on…
❤️ Why we love this recipe
I admit it freely: I have zero self-control when it comes to crumb cake. And usually that mainly applies to the crumb part: that gorgeous, sweet, crumbly-crunchy conglomeration of butter/sugar/cinnamon goodness, the thicker the better.
Up until now, the cake part was simply a vehicle to deliver the crumb part, and I have been known on more than one occasion to eat the crumb part and toss the cake part. Until now. Until I discovered the secret to delectable crumb cake fluffiness.
ORANGE JUICE. Why on earth it occurred to me that I should try making a crumb cake with it is beyond me, but I did. So I made a giant one.
And while I was at first totally focussed on the crumb topping part, I realized that the cake part was…fabulous. Light. Fluffy. Just a teeny tiny hint of orange flavor.
My crumb cake world ROCKED.
So if you have leftover orange juice, or you want your own crumb cake world to be an awesome place, or if you have a crowd coming for brunch, or all of the above, orange juice-up your crumb cake!
🤔 What is crumb cake?
Crumb cake is a tender, buttery yellow cake that is topped with a thick layer of cinnamon and brown sugar sugar streusel crumbs that are baked into the cake.
Crumb cake has as much topping as it does cake, and the crumb layer is made of large, soft crumbs, which makes it different from the thinner, crispier topping of a coffee cake.
🍊 Ingredients you need
📝 Ingredient notes
- Orange Juice: You can use any kind you have on hand, either with or without pulp. (We are very partial to Trader Joe’s OJ these days!)
- Butter: Either salted or unsalted is fine.
- Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is up to date (you can find the expiration date on the box)…it is the ingredients that gives this cake its fluffiness!
🥣 Ingredient substitutions
Missing something or want to swap in something different? Check out the links below to find ingredient substitution ideas. 👇🏻
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
👩🏻🍳 How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350°.
STEP 2: Spray a 13 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
STEP 3: Mix together 2 cups of flour, a cup of brown sugar, and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I like to use a whisk for this to make sure everything is nice and combined.
STEP 4: Add your flour mixture to a food processor. Add some cold chopped butter and process until it is nice and crumbly. Set aside.
STEP 5: Put a half a cup of soft butter, 2 cups of sugar, three eggs and a teaspoon of vanilla in a mixing bowl. Mix it up until it is well blended.
STEP 6: Mix together 4 cups of flour and 4 teaspoon teaspoons of baking powder.
STEP 7: Add the flour mixture and some orange juice alternately to the butter mixture until everything is well combined.
STEP 8: Pour the batter into your greased baking dish.
STEP 9: Top the batter with your crumb mixture, making sure it gets all the way to the sides. Bake it all up for an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Now all that’s left to do is let your crumb cake cool for a while (the waiting! so hard!) and then cut it up into however many pieces your heart desires. I go back and forth between little squares and little rectangles.
Recipe FAQs
You can! Obviously the kind with lots of pulp will add a little extra texture to your crumb cake (which is just fine!).
The main difference between crumb cake and coffee cake is the amount of sweet crumb topping. Crumb cake has a super thick layer of sugar and cinnamon streusel topping with large, buttery crumbs. Coffee cake has a lighter layer of crumb topping and there is usually more cake than topping. Both are equally wonderful (looking at you, cream cheese coffee cake!)
While this and all cakes are best on the day they are baked, this one can definitely be made a day ahead, and the leftovers (if there are any!) will last for several days. Make sure they are stored in an air tight container for maximum freshness.
Pop your question in the Comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
🥣 Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- KitchenAid Mixer: This champion mixer is the best of the best.
- 9 x 13 Casserole: This sturdy casserole is great for everything from blueberry cheesecake squares to cheesy cauliflower casserole!
- Food Processor: This all-star kitchen appliance is one of the very few that gets to live on our countertop 24/7.
- Pyrex Mixing Bowls: These classic sturdy bowls come in all different sizes and are great for everything from mixing ingredients to being casual serving bowls.
😍 Other cake recipes we love!
⭐️ We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section under the recipe card below.
Orange Juice Crumb Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold butter
For the cake
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 13×9 pan with cooking spray.
- Add 2 cups flour, brown sugar and cinnamon to food processor and pulse until combined. Cut butter into one inch pieces and add to processor. Process until crumbly. Set aside.
- Put 1/2 cup soft butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in mixing bowl. Mix until well blended.
- Mix together 4 cups flour and the baking powder. Add flour mixture and orange juice alternately to butter mixture until well combined.
- Pour batter into greased 13/9 inch baking dish. Top with crumb mixture.
- Bake for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely and cut into squares. Serve with ice cold orange juice!
Notes
- Orange Juice: You can use any kind you have on hand, either with or without pulp. (We are very partial to Trader Joe’s OJ these days!)
- Butter: Either salted or unsalted is fine.
- Baking Powder: Make sure your baking powder is up to date (you can find the expiration date on the box)…it is the ingredients that gives this cake its fluffiness!
When does the baking powder come in? Is it 4 tsps? I am guessing I mix it with the flour.
Susan, thank you so much for catching that! Yes, you mix it with the flour that is used for the cake batter, and I’ve added that direction to the recipe. Happy baking!
this is great! like you, i’m mostly in it for the crumb part, but adding orange juice is tempting enough to get me to want the whole piece!
That’s what happened to me! Yay crumb cake!
Oh gosh, this crumb cake looks absolutely AMAZING!!! I totally LOL’d when you mentioned the origin story. You’re SO right–great minds do think alike! ;) Love that you whipped up this simply divine crumb cake with an orange juice kick. It doesn’t get better than that! Hope you’re having an amazing weekend! :)
Hope you had a great weekend too, Demeter! Onward to Monday…sigh.
Crumb cake is one of my favorites! I can never resist that crumble topping. Love the orange addition!
Aren’t the crumbs irresistible?
Oh, man. I have ZERO self control around a thick layer of crumb topping, so this is calling my name. Holy YUM!
SAME!! :)
Fabulous recipe for us here in Phoenix this time of year, Kate, when the oranges are on our tress in abundance! I’ll make it this weekend.
Oh, the thought of orange trees everywhere – it must be heaven! Hope you liked it!
Yes, it is yummy! Kept grabbing little piece of it yesterday. I added the zest of one medium orange too. Serving it this morning to Greatness Circle, a group that meets at my home every Monday. Undoubtedly, there will be more ohs and has to come!
Well I love the idea of adding the zest – I will try that next time!