This Cranberry Coffee Cake has a brown sugar streusel that’s a crumbly and sweet contrast to the tangy cranberry jam that tops this super moist coffee cake. Made with fresh cranberries, dried cherries and orange, it’s mere minutes to make. A perfect dessert for holiday dinner guests!
Cranberry Coffee Cake
I made this 4 times to get it where I wanted to post and share with you guys. There are always taste testings going on here and some are flops, and others make the cut. I love the cherry and cranberry combination, and with orange, it sets it all off nicely. To counter the tang I added honey and found it a wonderful spread on toast, too. This recipe makes a little more of the cranberry jam that’s needed, so you can test it out yourself. I think it’d be nice with cream cheese and a bagel too come to think of it. 🙂
This coffee cake is light and airy and holds up to the toppings without feeling heavy. Made moist by using eggs and yogurt, I decided the cream cheese route wasn’t going to happen. In one try it was in the cake itself while another attempt had the cream cheese whipped in with the cranberry topping. The baking just wasn’t coming out how I had anticipated so back to the drawing board… and store again.
On the last version of this Cranberry Coffee Cake I opted for a brown sugar streusel instead of using white sugar and I was set.
After it baked and was how I wanted it, on the rack it went to cool.
Just for a little festive look I topped this with fresh cranberries and a dusting of powdered sugar. This is optional of course, but I think it looks pretty. For other breakfast or dessert cakes check out my Lemon Rosemary Cake, Pineapple Cashew Coffee Cake, or my Chocolate Almond Tea Cake. Enjoy!
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Cranberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Crancherry Sauce
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- large orange zest and juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup dried cherries chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp honey
Cake
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch spring form pan.
- Crancherry Sauce: In a saucepan over medium heat cook the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and zest until the fruit begins to break down. Stir in cherries and turn to low until reduced to a thick jam like consistency. Set aside to cool.
- Topping: In a small bowl, stir the flour and sugar together to blend. Add the butter and mix until crumbly. Set aside.
- Cake: In a medium bowl or electric mixer, stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Add the eggs, yogurt and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Spread 1 cup of the cranberry sauce on top evenly. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for other use. Sprinkle the topping over cranberry mixture.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes and remove the from the spring form pan.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Nutrition
Hi Kevin,
Could this recipe be used to make muffins?
Thanks
Mary
Yes I believe you could, but I have not tried it myself – yet! Here is a great article to assist from Cooks Illustrated Mary.
Made this luscious Cranberry Coffee Cake for the first time, and was a real hit! Family loved it and we all want seconds! Thanks for a great recipe!
this is the best cranberry coffee cake ever. i followed the directions exactly and the results were finger-licking good. thank you.
I am so glad it turned out for you! Thank you for leaving a comment!
Hi Kevin – I just found this recipe and would like to make it. Can you please just confirm that it needs no butter or oil? Thank you!
Just in the topping Jo.
Hi, I cannot get this recipe to work, and have tried twice. The cake filling bubbles over the top of the filling and the center take a LONG time to firm up. Any ideas? I am using whole milk plain yogurt, and have tried 5% previously with the same results.
Could it be altitude issues? What size eggs are you using? Possibly longer time to bake? I’m not sure, it comes out every time for me and I actually made this about 2 months ago for a visiting friend. Sorry this has been you experience Susan.
Made this cake as a hostess gift and shipped two out west to friends. Excellent recipe, especially the cranberry jam….turned out perfect and I followed the recipe exactly…I recently stumbled upon your blog and enjoy your posts!
Excellent, so glad you found me!
Wow! Looking delicious. Thanks for your post!
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment here Kathryn. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I do!
These ladies are adorable! Love the idea of making a cake in a casserole dish! Thanks for sharing!
Not quite sure what you meant Michael, but thanks for stopping by!
Made this for a group a few days ago. It was delicious! Due to the needs of one person, I made it using an all-purpose gluten free flour blend using two Tbsp less than recipe amount. It worked perfectly! Will make again this weekend with regular flour.
Love it! Thanks so much for the update Connie. A friend of mine is coming over Monday and I’ll give her this news, she’ll be so happy to know it!
Hi Kevin, made again with regular flour. It was a smashing success. Love your blog – it’s the only one I follow. Wishing you and Dave a wonderful Christmas, with all the joy and blessings of the season.
Fantastic, thanks for letting me know Connie. Really. Readers like you make doing this and brighten my day! Happy Holidays to you and yours! 🙂
Anything “cranberry” and anything made by you is welcome in my house, Kevin. This has all my favorite flavors (cranberries, orange, cherries) will be perfect for coffee next week when Chris and his wife get in for the holidays. Thanks for helping me to impress ;). Have a great weekend.
Thanks Sally, I’m hoping you enjoy it as much as we did. I love the holidays and the abundance of cranberry recipes to try. Well, let’s be real, it’s all about the food! 😉
I’m sure the tests were delicious too, but I admire your tenacity. GREG
Don’t want to be posting bad recipes, right? Thanks Greg!
So nice with the cranberry and coffee combination. Matched with an espresso, this is my kind of coffee break!
Agreed, it’s a good one and that streusel gets me every time!