This cranberry coffee cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, with fresh cranberries pairing beautifully with the tender, orange-infused cake.
I tried it a few weeks ago and have been dying to share it with you guys.
The cake is super buttery and tender, and the pops of fruit make it look as good as it tastes.
Add a lightly spiced streusel topping and sweet citrusy glaze, and it’s hard to stop and one slice!
Why You’ll Love This Cranberry Coffee Cake
Festive Flair: This vibrant Christmas cake is studded with ruby-red cranberries and topped with cinnamon-spiced streusel! Its festive appearance brings a touch of holiday cheer to any occasion.
Make-Ahead Friendly: The orange glaze on top helps lock in moisture and prevents drying out. Plus, it features sour cream and buttermilk, so it’s crazy moist!
Great for Gifting: Coffee cakes are delightfully giftable. Simply package it in a pretty box or wrap it in cellophane. It makes a visually appealing, thoughtful, and delicious gift for anyone in your life.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base for both the streusel and the cake, providing structure.
- Granulated & Brown Sugar: Sweetens both the streusel and the cake for a balanced flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon: Adds a warm, spicy note to the streusel, but it’s optional, so feel free to skip it.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors in both the streusel and the cake.
- Unsalted Butter: Used in the streusel for richness and in the cake for a tender crumb.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Help the cake rise to a light and fluffy texture.
- Sour Cream & Buttermilk: Add moisture and a subtle tang to the cake.
- Vanilla Extract: Infuses the cake with a warm, sweet aroma.
- Orange Zest & Orange Juice: Brighten the cake and the glaze, respectively, with fresh citrus flavor.
- Eggs: Binds the cake batter while adding richness.
- Cranberries: Provides bursts of tartness to balance the sweetness of the cake. Use fresh or frozen.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the optional glaze, adding a smooth finish.
How to Make Cranberry Coffee Cake
Since this is a homemade cake recipe, it has several steps. That’s somewhat unavoidable when baking from scratch.
But if you measure accurately and stick to the recipe, it should turn out fine.
1. PREP: Grease and line a 9×9-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. MIX: Combine the streusel topping ingredients until it looks like wet sand. It should clump together when pinched. Refrigerate.
3. COMBINE: Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix the buttermilk, sour cream, and vanilla in a measuring glass. Set aside.
4. BEAT: Cream the butter, sugars, and orange zest until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs on low speed, then alternate adding the dry and buttermilk, mixing by hand. Add the cranberries with the last batch of flour.
5. BAKE: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and top with the streusel. Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
6. GLAZE: While the cake cools, mix the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake. Serve and enjoy.
Tips For the Best Cranberry Coffee Cake
From scratch Christmas desserts used to seem so intimidating to me.
If you feel the same way, hopefully, a few more tips will put your mind at ease.
- Line the pan. Greasing the pan should be enough to get your cake out in one piece. But parchment makes things much easier – and makes clean up easy!
- Use room-temp ingredients. This goes for the butter, eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream. Your batter will be much smoother if they’ve all warmed to room temperature.
- Be gently with the cranberries. Toss them in the last of the flour so they don’t sink, then very gently fold them into the batter. And remember, if you use frozen, don’t thaw them.
- Select suitable substitutions. Fresh berries are best, but frozen ones will work too. As for the sour cream, full-fat Greek yogurt makes a good substitute.
- Add nuts to the streusel. Finely crush your favorite nuts and mix them with the other streusel ingredients.
- Split the fruit. If you like the pops of red on top, hold a handful of cranberries back and nestle them in the streusel before baking.
- Try it with other fruits. I love cranberries because they’re so festive. But this recipe also works well with raspberries or blueberries. You can also use a lemon glaze instead of orange.
How to Store
I never have leftovers if I make this cake for a family or work function.
But if I make it just for my house, I occasionally do. Luckily, they store quite well.
To Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
To Freeze: Let the cake cool. Then, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
More Coffee Cake Recipes You’ll Love
Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake
Coffee Cake Banana Bread
Coffee Cake Muffins
Coffee Cake Cookies
Cranberry Coffee Cake
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kcalThis cranberry coffee cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, with fresh cranberries pairing beautifully with the tender, orange-infused cake.
Ingredients
- For the Streusel
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold
- For the Cake
2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
zest of 1 orange
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup fresh or frozen (not thawed) cranberries
- For the Optional Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a 9×9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the streusel topping: Whisk the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Add the butter and work it into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingers until it holds in clumps when pinched. Cover and chill until needed.
- Make the cake: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a measuring glass, mix the sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth. Set both aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugars, and orange zest with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and blend in the eggs.
- Stir 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet by hand with a spatula. Mix in half of the buttermilk, followed by another 1/3 of the dry and then the last of the buttermilk. Stir until just combined after each addition.
- Toss the cranberries into the last batch of flour until evenly coated. Add to the batter and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the baking pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
- Make the glaze: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake and leave to set.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, and enjoy!
Notes
- Use room-temperature ingredients for easy mixing.
- If using frozen berries, do not thaw them first. Just add them to the dry like you would fresh.
- Add crushed nuts or sliced almonds to the streusel for extra crunch.
