The Best Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe

Whether you travel for Thanksgiving or have house guests, this yummy Cranberry Coffee Cake is a delightful treat to serve or bring with you on Thanksgiving. In our family, traditional Thanksgiving deserts are centered around pies of all flavors, so this cranberry coffee cake is a nice change and just perfect for breakfast or brunch when you have house guests. Living four hours away from family, it was common to have guests for several days on Thanksgiving weekend. This meant that I had to plan Thanksgiving dinner as well as breakfasts, lunches and dinners for two or three days following Thanksgiving. This sweet and tart cranberry coffee cake is just perfect for a Thanksgiving morning coffee break or a breakfast treat during the weekend.

Use Fresh Cranberries

Fresh cranberries are harvested in the fall, and are easy to find around Thanksgiving time. I usually buy a couple of packages so that I can use one for this cranberry coffee cake and the other to make fresh cranberry sauce. However, if you want to save time or if fresh cranberries aren't readily available, this recipe also works well with whole canned cranberry sauce.

Ingredients for the Cranberry Coffee Cake Batter

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Ingredients for the Fresh Cranberry Filling:

• 1 package whole cranberries, washed and sorted to remove any discolored berries or bits of leaves and stems.
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water (add more water if it starts sticking.)

Cranberry Filling*: First cook together the fresh cranberries, sugar and water until the cranberries are soft. Let mixture cool while you make the cake batter.

Cake Batter: Cream softened butter, eggs and sugar together. Add almond extract, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix well with electric mixer. Add sour cream and flour and mix well. The batter will be quite thick.

Spray a non-stick tube pan or bundt pan with non-stick spray. Place half the batter in the greased pan. Spoon half the cooked cranberries over it, then spread the remaining batter on top. Top with the rest of the cranberries.

Topping: Sprinkle 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts on top of the last layer of batter.

Bake: Set oven at 350°F and bake for about 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

*Note: 1 can of whole cranberry sauce may be substituted for cooked raw cranberries. Open the can and stir to soften the mixture before spooning it onto the cake batter.

**Note: Unfortunately, at the time this was written, I didn't have a photograph of the Cranberry Coffee Cake. I will post one soon!

Cranberries are a great source of antioxidants which help prevent cancer and other diseases. They are high in fiber, potassium and Vitamin C. There are about 22 calories in a half cup of berries.

I always associate cranberries with Thanksgiving because cranberry sauce is always found on our Thanksgiving table. The tart cranberries have a holiday look, and the bright red berries will add color and sparkle to muffins, cakes and cookies. Try adding a handful to your apple pie filling for a change of pace. Dried cranberries are becoming much more popular, and can be added to cookies or other baked goods instead of raisins. Our family loves the chewy tart flavor of the dried berries, and we like dried cranberries sprinkled on a green salad, pasta salad or eaten as a snack.

However you prefer you cranberries, I'm sure that once you try this Cranberry Coffee Cake, it will become one of your favorite ways of eating them.

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Copyright ©2011 Stephanie Henkel