I have the perfect summer weekend breakfast treat for you today! Made from homemade biscuits and full of bright citrus flavors, it also makes a great afternoon pick-me-up, or even a light dessert. And it’s easy to make and comes together fairly quickly, making it great for last-minute or unplanned guests.
I got the inspiration from Paula Deen’s Orange Coffee Cake, but I wanted to make it a little more homemade. Instead of canned biscuits, I decided to make homemade angel biscuits, which are essentially a yeasted buttermilk biscuit. They are a little flaky and a little bread-y, and I think they are perfect in this application.
I also wanted to update the flavor slightly. I’m personally not a huge fan of orange flavor, but I thought mixing it with grapefruit would be a nice twist. I really like the combination in this cake. The two flavors complement each other well, without either being overwhelmed by the other. And the citrus really brightens up a cake that could otherwise feel heavy and rich. I finished if off with a cream cheese glaze, flavored lightly with grapefruit juice, since I thought that would be a little more subtle than orange, but you could use either one.
You could definitely change up the flavor with whatever citrus you love, or have on hand. I personally love limes, and think that would make a great cake. Blood oranges would make a fantastic winter cake. And can you ever go wrong with Meyer lemons? Use just a single fruit, or mix a few together to find your perfect cake.
I really hope you give this recipe a try. If you’re intimidated by yeast dough this is a perfect place to start, since there isn’t a ton of kneading. And if you really don’t want to use yeast or wait the short rise time, you can use your favorite biscuit recipe and follow the rest of the directions with that dough. However you make it, I know you’ll love it!
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- 1 pkg rapid rise yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 1/2 tablespoons warm water 100-110 degrees F, lukewarm but not hot
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder heaping
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons butter cold
- 1/3 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/3 cup milk room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1.5 teaspoons orange zest
- 1.5 teaspoons grapefruit zest
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 ounce cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 teaspoons grapefruit juice or orange juice
Ingredients
Biscuits
Filling and Topping
Icing
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- Combine yeast, warm water, and 2 teaspoons sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Grate cold butter into flour mixture (see recipe notes for tips), and toss gently to combine well and coat all pieces with flour.
- Stir in yeast mixture, sour cream, and milk and mix well. Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until mixture is smooth and all flour is fully incorporated.
- Place into a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, approximately 30-45 minutes.
- While dough is rising, combine 1/2 cup sugar with orange and grapefruit zests and mix well. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.
- Once dough has risen, lightly punch down and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle with half of sugar and zest, then fold dough in half.
- Roll again lightly to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with 3-inch round cutter, pressing straight down without twisting. Try to get as many out of the first roll as possible. Ideally you should get 7 to 8 biscuits with the first roll. Lightly press together any scraps and cut additional biscuits. You should have 9 in total.
- Place one whole biscuit, one from the second batch of cutting, into the center of a greased 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Cut remaining 8 biscuits in half with a sharp knife, creating half circles. Place the 16 pieces around the center biscuit, slightly overlapping and with all cut sides facing the same way, like flower petals.
- Brush the top of the biscuits with the melted butter, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar and zest mixture.
- Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.
- While coffee cake is cooling, make icing. Whisk together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Add enough juice to make a thick icing that is just thin enough to be drizzled. Drizzle over cooled cake.
- When grating butter into flour mixture, use full stick (8 tablespoons). Unwrap most of the way, and while holding the wrapped end, grate in 7 tablespoons. Save remaining tablespoon for topping.
- Use any combination, or single flavor, of citrus zest and juice.