Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

I saw Paula Deen make this coffee cake on the Today Show back in October, but haven't made it yet. It looks so good, and it was fun to see Paula shoving a big piece of it in Al Roker's mouth. Cute! And it just looks so darn easy and delicious.

I was thinking about something special to make for our Christmas morning breakfast this year. Initially I considered our family's Christmas Morning Rolls, but honestly I have mixed results. I decided to try these.

I'll report back after Christmas! I wish I knew if I could put this together ahead of time and just throw it in the oven when we wake up...any thoughts? I don't know if I'm brave enough to try it without some kind of backup plan in place.

What will you be having on Christmas morning?

This coffee cake is fabulous! So orangey and delicious. I didn't make it Christmas Eve for several reasons, the number one reason being I just didn't feel like it. It was pretty easy to throw together in the morning, and we ended up finishing with our gifts early enough to go to a brunch, so we took the cake with us. Everyone loved it.


Nutty orange coffee cake

from Paula Deen via The Today Show

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (pretty finely chopped)
• 2 teaspoons orange zest (didn't measure, used zest from about 1/2 an orange)
• Two 12-ounce cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count)
• One 8-ounce pkg cream cheese
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
• 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar (I didn't sift)
• 2 tablespoon fresh orange juice (I used juice from 1/2 an orange)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside.

Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of the Bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack).

Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling in any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter.

Combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.