Cranberry Coffee Cake is the perfect bake when you want to use cranberry sauce! big chunks of almond crumble, a ribbon of sweet cranberries in the center, and an all-around moist, delicious cake!
Breakfast the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas. Review.
Ask a friend: calories don’t count on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, right?
This warm and comforting coffee cake with orange and cranberry cinnamon sauce is perfect for breakfast the next day. If you set aside a small amount of cranberry sauce for a sandwich, use the rest for homemade cranberry coffee cake.
The crunchy almonds on top and the orange zest in the middle harmonize perfectly with the cranberry sauce, and the huge clumps of crumbs on top of the cake will just shock you.
Your whole house will smell warm, cozy, and Christmasy. A warm cup of coffee or even a London Fog latte with this cake is really all you need!
Ingredients for coffee cake with leftover cranberry sauce:
- Unsalted butter: We use this butter for both crumb cake and coffee cake. To make a crinkle pie, you need to melt the butter so it’s easy to work with. The other stick of butter should be at room temperature so that it is soft enough to whip for the coffee cake.
- Whole-wheat flour: I usually use unbleached flour for all baked goods.
- Kosher salt: Sodium helps enhance the flavor of the sugar and all the other ingredients in this recipe. We use it in both the crumble and the coffee cake itself.
- Eggs: are used to add flavor, texture, and structure to the coffee cake in the form of egg whites. Remember that coffee cake is a little denser than regular cake, so an extra egg is added to the batter.
- Baking Soda: For this recipe, you will need both baking powder and baking soda. These ingredients react with the sour cream and milk we use and make the coffee cake rise.
- Sugar: You will need both brown sugar and granulated sugar for this recipe. The granulated sugar goes into the cake batter, and the crumb we sprinkle on the coffee cake is made from brown sugar and granulated sugar in a 50:50 ratio.
- Sour cream: gives the cake a nice, light touch. In the past, I have used plain yogurt or Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, which usually works very well. I recommend using good full-fat yogurt or higher-fat yogurt. Please do not use 0%!
- Milk: It helps thin out the batter a bit.
- Extracts: You will need both vanilla and almond extract for this cake. Don’t worry if you don’t like almond extract! We don’t use much of it in this recipe. If you are wary, you can omit the almond extract and just add another 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. This is my favorite almond extract; it smells so good!
- Leftover cranberry sauce: whether you make your own cranberry sauce or buy it in a can, you can recreate this recipe. You will need 1 cup of cranberry sauce for this cake. Note that cranberry sauce is not the same as cranberry jelly. Be sure to use a sauce that has a few whole berries in it to improve the consistency. Bonus: Did you know that cranberries are a veritable treasure trove of nutrients? They are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin E, and fiber.
Instructions for making a coffee cake with cranberry sour cream
- Prepare the crumb cake. Place the almonds, salt, flour, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and beat them with a fork. A fork is best because you can crumble them as soon as you add the melted butter, creating crumbs. Very large crumbs will form but don’t worry, once cooled, you can break them up if needed.
2. Preparation. First, preheat the oven. You’ll also need to spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. I usually line the pan with parchment paper, but this is optional. Set the pan aside for now.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt in a small bowl. Mix together and set aside until it’s time to add to the whipped butter mixture.
4. Prepare the dough. Beat the softened butter in a bowl until fluffy. Then add the powdered sugar and orange zest. Stir until the sugar and butter are combined. Add the eggs one at a time and wait until the first egg is mixed in before adding the next. Flavor the cake with almond extract and vanilla extract. Then add the dry ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and milk. Start with ⅓ of the dry ingredients, run the mixer, then add the sour cream, dry ingredients, milk, and finally the rest of the dry ingredients. I like to mix the batter by hand with a rubber spatula towards the end, so I don’t over-mix.
5. Prepare a cake. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the cranberry sauce all at once over the cake batter. Finally, spread the remaining cake batter over the cranberry sauce. Sprinkle the prepared crumbs over the cake and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Crumbs are fine, as long as there is no wet batter on the skewer. Let the springform pan cool on a wire rack.
Frequently asked questions about the recipe for Cranberry Coffee Cake.
Can I add frosting or jam to the coffee cake?
# You can add frosting at the end if you like. Combine 12 cups of powdered sugar and a few teaspoons of milk. Start with a teaspoon and add more if needed. You don’t want the powdered sugar to be too runny, so keep it simple and only add as much as you need. The bigger the frosting, the more it will drip off the coffee cake!
# How do you make a fantastic cranberry sauce?
Learn how to make homemade cranberry sauce here! You can flavor it with vanilla, fresh herbs, and many other ingredients. Find instructions for cooking it in a pot on the stove as well as cooking it on the slow stove!
# What is the shelf life of homemade cranberry sauce?
Leftover cranberry sauce can easily be stored in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days. So if you like, you can bake this pie even a week after Thanksgiving!
If you liked this recipe, you might also like this one:
- Brown Butter Coffee Cake with Cinnamon and Pecans
- Plum Cake with Olive Oil and Lemon in a Bowl
- Apple Cake with Cinnamon
- Old-fashioned coffee cake with fresh cream
- Warm and cozy gingerbread with creamy icing
Leftover Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake
prep time 20 MINUTES cook time 1 HOUR total time 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES
Cranberry Coffee Cake is perfect when you have leftover cranberry sauce! Giant slices of almond streusel, a ribbon of sweet cranberries in the center, and a soft, delicious cake all around!
Ingredients
Crumb topping:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup toasted slivered almonds
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup EACH: light brown sugar AND granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Cranberry pie:
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon of ALL: baking soda and kosher salt - 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
zest of one orange - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
1 cup leftover (or store-bought) cranberry sauce
Instructions
- COLOMBO: In a medium bowl, combine almonds, salt, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Stir with a fork. Stir with a fork while pouring in melted butter to break up any coarse crumbs. Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you prepare the dough.
- PREPARATION: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat it to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch springform mold with cooking spray; set aside.
- DRY: In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- ASSEMBLY: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and orange zest and continue beating for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting for each to combine with the other. Add the vanilla and almond extract; blend until smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Add the next ⅓ of the dry ingredients, then the sour cream, another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, then the milk, and finally the remaining dry ingredients. Do not overmix. The batter will become quite thick and this is fine.
- Baking: arrange half of the batter in the prepared baking dish. Spread the cranberry sauce and make it even. Place the remaining dough on top. Use an offset spatula sprayed with cooking spray to easily spread the dough. Sprinkle the surface with the prepared crumble. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the pie comes out almost clean. Cover the cake with aluminum foil if the top starts to brown too much. Crumbs are fine, but not mushy dough! Allow the cake to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before unmolding.
Notes
Storage: Store the leftover coffee cake in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out. Coffee cake naturally has a thicker consistency than other cakes, so it is best consumed within 1-3 days.
