Orange Sunshine Coffee Cake

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Magazines are one of my (many – fresh flowers, Anthro mugs, candles, pens) downfalls. I love them and really have a hard time saying no when I see a pretty cover. So imagine my happiness when I see two of my favorite things rolled into one. King Arthur Flour and a gorgeous new magazine call Sift. It is beautiful, has great recipes, and really well written stories. I was flipping through, saw this Orange Sunshine Coffee Cake and the next morning they were made. They are everything I love – cinnamon rolls AND orange. These were amazing, and everyone in my house loved them. FYI, that doesn’t happen often.

This dough is really beautiful, soft and buttery. I think that it might the base of many, many more coffee cakes in the future. I made this the day before and covered it with plastic wrap. The next morning I let it do the second rise on the counter. It took longer because it was cold from the fridge, but turned out perfectly.

(King Arthur has no idea who I am. I just love them and go there as much as I can. It’s where all my baking dreams come true.)

Dough:

• ½ cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
• 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 egg

Filling:

• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon clearjel or flour
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoon orange zest
• 3 Tablespoons orange juice

Icing:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons orange juice

To make the dough, warm the milk in a small saucepan. Add the butter and heat until it melts.

Pour into the bowl of a mixer.

Add yeast, 1 cup flour, sugar and cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Once you see some bubbles, add orange juice and egg.

Add the remaining flour until a smooth dough forms, you might not need all of it. Knead on medium for 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

To make the filling mix together sugar, clearjel, cinnamon, zest, and orange juice.

To assemble, deflate the dough and let rest for 5 minutes.

Roll into a rectangle about 12” x 18”. I like to keep a yard stick just for baking for this reason. I had Home Depot cut me a few different sizes.

Spread the filling evenly leaving one side with a ½ inch border. Roll up and pinch the seams shut.

Place the dough on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Pull the ends together to form a ring. Pinch together to seal.

Cut ¾ inch slits all the way around. Lay the rings on their side and overlap them. Or twist to alternating sides.

Cover the cake with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes or until puffy.

After 20 minutes of rising time, preheat the oven to 375°. When the dough has doubled bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

When the cake is cooling, whisk together sugar and orange juice. Drizzle over cake.

This recipe is adapted from Sift Magazine.