The delightful scent of orange fills the air. It is released with a fine mist as the grater scrapes across the orange's surface. Rubbing the grated zest into sugar releases even more aroma. It's as if an orchard has suddenly grown in your kitchen. The fragrance is soon joined with that of cinnamon when coated nuts are chopped into bits. That heavenly earthy/citrus combination is adored by many. The flavors are captured and highlighted with an Orange Cinnamon Pecan Cake.
Citrus season, holidays, and game days collide. At least they do with this recipe. Back during the holidays I received a sample of cinnamon spiced pecans from Billie's Pecans. However they were put aside because I wanted to do something special with them. I knew exactly what it would be when the nuts theme for the inaugural Bundt Bakers event was announced. While the pecans themselves would be great for a holiday or game day snack, a cake made with them is even better. Utilizing orange because of it being in season is a bonus.
The cake has a treat at both ends. One end is crunchy from caramelized cinnamon sugar pecans. The other end is a super moist, even wet-like texture filled with a concentration of orange glaze. Choosing which to enjoy first or last is a difficult task. Start with the middle where the trio of flavors also reside and work your way to the ends.
For the inaugural edition of #BundtBakers, our theme and ingredient of choice is NUTS. We've got almonds and walnuts, pistachios and hazelnuts and lots of pecans! All baked into delicious Bundt cakes. Our host is Stacy of Food Lust People Love and she is also the creator and head of this wonderful new baking group. Take a look at the fabulous lineup of recipes from our talented bakers:
- Banana Nut Bread from Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen
- Chocolate Covered Almond Cake from Anne at From My Sweet Heart
- Chubby Hubby Mini Bundts from Kelly at Passion Kneaded
- Glazed Citrus Pistachio Bundt Cake from Laura at The Spiced Life
- Mocha Hazelnut Marble Bundt Cake from Felice at All That's Left Are the Crumbs
- Orange Cinnamon Pecan Cake from Renee at Magnolia Days
- Pecan Bundt Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing from Stacy at Food Lust People Love
- Pistachio Coffee Cardamom Cake from Deepti at Baking Yummies
- Powdered Sugar Pound Cake with Pecans from Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
- Rum Pecan Bundt from Tara at Noshing with the Nolands
What is your favorite citrus and nut combination? Does the smell make you smile as much as the flavor? It does for me especially with baking a cake. Next time I bake Citrus Cocktail Mini Bundt Cakes I think I'll add some mixed nuts just to have a plethora of lovely scents filling my home.
Orange Cinnamon Pecan Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- ½ cup finely chopped cinnamon pecans* or plain
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
- ⅔ cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 large eggs separated
- ¾ cup whole milk at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
For the glaze:
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan. Sprinkle cinnamon pecans in the pan.
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
- Use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar in a small bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, cream butter using an electric hand mixer on high speed.
- Gradually add orange-sugar to the butter and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Combine milk and orange juice in a measuring cup.
- Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternatively with the milk in two additions, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Stir in vanilla extract and ½ cup chopped pecans.
- In a separate bowl using clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.
- Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and spread evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out cake on to a wire rack and cool completely.*
- Transfer cake to a serving plate. Use a skewer to poke holes in the top of the cake. Slowly spoon glaze over cake.
For the glaze:
- Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat and stir constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is hot.
Notes
Recipe adapted from one in the Southern Living 1983 Annual Recipes cookbook (no longer in print).
What is Bundt Bakers? It's a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Bundt Bakers Pinterest board for incredible bundt cake recipes and inspiration.
How is the monthly theme determined? We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
Would you like to join in the fun? If you are a food blogger, just send an email to Stacy at [email protected] or ask to join our private Facebook group.
Disclosure: I received a sample of Billie's Cinnamon Spiced Pecans at no charge. I was under no obligation to post a review. All opinions are my own unless otherwise stated or contained within a guest post.
The vision of crunchy and wet at both ends is tantalizing Renee! These are gorgeous flavors together in a cake! And I love the initiative of this new group. Will try to join it at some point.
I hope you will join in this group Paula. You bake such lovely cakes.
Your evocative first paragraph always draws me right into your kitchen, Renee. I could happily sit right there all day, eating this aromatic cake!
I am so glad that we decided to keep baking Bundts together. It's such fun to see what everyone chooses to bake with the chosen ingredient.
I wish you could visit and for us to enjoy fun in the kitchen with cooking, baking, and sharing great food and conversation.
The flavors...the texture...the utter deliciousness. It's too much! 🙂
Oh no, it's not too much, it's just right.
Love the idea of adding the coated pecans to this. Sounds amazing! Beautiful too!
It's now a cake I'll make whenever I have sugared or cinnamon pecans. Or maybe it will be an excuse to make or get some of those pecans to bake this cake.
I would love a slice of that bundt right now please. I love that you added cinnamon pecans, what a great idea. Happy to be a #BundtBaker with you!!
Thanks Tara and nice to for you to be a Bundt Baker too.
This cake is gorgeous. And it sound so delicious. The spices, the nuts everything in it make for a delicious cake.
Oh that cake looks absolutely lovely. With such delicious ingredients, you are bound to get confused..which part of the cake should be tasted first?
Thanks and it was difficult to choose which end to take a bite of first.
Cinnamon pecans divine! I don't have a favourite citrus- nut pairing. Hmm. I don't even think I've had that combination before.
Thanks! You should try a citrus/nut pairing. They really do go well together.
Renee, your photos are just lovely - perfect styling. And those bundt flavors - yum! I love that you get crunchy from the pecans and moistness from the orange glaze, but I think I would have to try one big bite to get them all at once 🙂
Thank you so much Felice for your kind words. A big bite to get them all at once is a great idea.
Well, this looks fabulous - so I'm adding it to my new things to try file!
One question, on the glaze, should that be a half cup of orange juice?
Thank you for sharing the recipe and tips on it too!
Yes, it should be a half cup of orange juice. Thanks for pointing that out. I have corrected the recipe.
Oh Renee...first of all, your cake is so pretty! I love how the glaze gave it a couple of different shades! And I bet those pecans are fabulous! The way you've described this...it's aromatherapy! And then some! My citrus nut combo? I like pistachios and lemons, too! LOVE your cake! : )
Thanks Anne. I also liked the way the glaze made the cake look (and taste too). Pistachios and lemons is a great combo.
I love bundt cake and this one is astounding. I will be looking forward to more of these amazing creations from this talented group!
Thank you very much Viviana and I appreciate the compliment on my cake.
Undoubtedly a heavenly taste to accompany the gorgeous looking photos of your orange cinnamon delight! Yum!
Thank you so much Kim. You know I smile when you compliment my photos.
What a gorgeous cake! I need to do more baking with oranges and cinnamon.
I think a lot of people go right to lemon for baking with citrus. I like using other ones for something different. It seems to make it more special.
That sounds heavenly. Where's my pot of tea?
Your pot of tea is on its way (virtually).
Love that combination of flavors! And what a gorgeous cake!
Fabulous recipe, although this is the first I we have come across Cream of Tartar. Guess we learn something new everyday. Love the idea of fresh grated orange, even if we would have preferred the more aromatic, yet subtler Ceylon Cinnamon. The great photos were the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Actually, I think I'm going to try this with the bourbon glazed pecans from Boone Hall Farms in MT Pleasant SC
I love the idea of adding the coated pecans to this. Thanks!