Can you imagine anything much better than the warm scent of cranberries, oranges and cardamom wafting through your house? Forget the scented candles or potpourri! You can’t eat those. Indulge yourself with a slice of homemade coffee cake instead. How long it takes: less than hour total Equipment you’ll need: 9 x 13 inch baking dish or pan, electric mixer, mixing bowl Servings: 15 Both my mom and my grandma liked to make this coffee cake with blueberries. I’m guessing the recipe may have come from the trusty red Betty Crocker cookbook they both relied on. Every time I make this recipe, it brings me back to Sunday afternoons at my grandma’s house. I love this basic coffee cake recipe because it’s perfectly sweet, perfectly moist, and so easy to make. I love to create new takes on it; this peach coffee cake is still one of my faves but I’m loving this cranberry version, too. The first time I baked this cranberry cake, I sent out a group text inviting our neighbors to swing by for a piece of coffee cake. I knew I would probably end up eating the whole coffee cake myself if I didn’t share it. I’m so glad I did (share it, that is). An impromptu hour getting to know new friends on a sunny Sunday afternoon transpired quickly after sending out the text. Serendipity …. Cake brings people together and that’s a good thing, right? There are way too many things going on in our world that cause dissension and strife. Why not spread a little love and good cheer by sharing a warm coffee cake, along with friendly conversation?
About This Recipe
As I mentioned, this is a basic coffee cake recipe. You can use the same recipe to make a variety of coffee cakes by adding different fruits or spices. It’s a one bowl recipe. You’ll need an electric hand mixer, too. It makes a large cake (9 x 13 inches) so there’s plenty to share. I like to sprinkle the batter with a coarse sugar (turbinado) which retains just a bit of crunchy sweetness when the cake has baked. It’s sort of a cheater’s streusel. Feel free to make real streusel for a topping or merely sprinkle the baked cake with confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar).
More About Cranberries
Make It Your Own
Add a streusel topping. The streusel for whole wheat banana muffins with streusel works perfectly on this coffee cake. You may want to try this coffee cake recipe with streusel. It has a layer of streusel inside the cake and another layer on top. So good!Substitute blueberries, raspberries, or cherries for the cranberries, if you want.Don’t happen to have cardamom? Cinnamon is a good alternative.
Storage Tips
Once the coffee cake is completely cool, cover it with foil or plastic wrap. It will keep at room temperature for 3 days. If you want to store it longer than that, refrigerate it for up to a week. In fact, fresh cranberries are super easy to freeze yourself. When they’re plentiful, buy extra and put them into a freezer bag, label, and put into the freezer. They’ll keep for 10 to 12 months. Make sure you wash them before you use them or wash them before you freeze them. Either way is fine. You can use frozen cranberries right from the freezer. There’s no need to thaw them first. I love the addition of tart cranberries to cranberry pecan pie. The combination of sweet and tart is irresistible! Have you ever tried a clafoutis? It’s an easy-to-make custard-like dessert that isn’t overly rich. Claufoutis are traditionally made with cherries but I changed it up a bit with this cranberry clafoutis recipe. Soon I’ll be making these holiday recipes using cranberries: baked brie with cranberries and bourbon pecans, cranberry salsa, Brussels sprouts with cranberries and walnuts, and orange cranberry sauce with cardamom. Have you ever tried sugared/candied cranberries? So cool! We always serve cranberry margaritas or cranberry gin and tonics around the holidays. You’ll want to save a few cranberries for those, too. Coffee cake can be frozen for two to three months. Wrap it well in foil or place in a freezer safe container. Quick-Start Guide!
