Cranberry coffeecake is one of my favorite holiday breakfasts. Everyone often gets up at a different time, so it’s nice to have something I can make in time for the early birds that will still be fresh for the later risers. I think I must have tried six or seven recipes over the years, with multiple tweaks of each. I took the best parts of these and combined them into one delicious coffeecake. It’s pretty easy to assemble, especially if you have a food processor to chop the cranberries. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool before drizzling on the glaze! I didn’t wait long enough, which is why you can’t really see the glaze in the photo, but it sure tasted yummy!

I’ve tried this recipe with orange extract and with orange oil, and much prefer the oil. The extract is a little harsher; the oil gives a smoother, deeper flavor. If your local market doesn’t carry it, you can get some from King Arthur. 

You’ll find a printer-friendly version of the recipe at the bottom of this page.

Topping Ingredients:

⅓ cup sugar

⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

⅛ tsp salt

¼ cup chopped walnuts

⅛ tsp finely grated orange zest

Cake Ingredients:

about 8 oz fresh cranberries

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp pure orange oil (not extract)

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

Glaze Ingredients:

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 tsp heavy cream

Preparation:

1.) Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugars, cinnamon, salt, and zest for the topping. Stir in the walnuts. Set aside.

2.) Rinse and pick over the cranberries, then place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the berries are uniformly finely chopped. Measure out 1 cup; set aside.

3.) In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until well combined.

4.) Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the vanilla extract and orange oil.

5.) In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder,  baking soda, and salt.

6.) Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, stirring gently to combine. Next, add about a third of the sour cream; stir. Continue alternating and gently stirring until everything is incorporated and smooth. Be careful not to over-beat.

7.) Dollop the batter into the prepared baking dish. Gently spread to fill out the dish. It isn’t necessary for the batter to be completely even, and you want to handle it as little as possible.

8.) Sprinkle the chopped cranberries over the batter and press them in gently.

9.) Sprinkle the topping mixture over the cranberries.

10.) Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It’s fine if there’s a little topping clinging to the toothpick, but there shouldn’t be any wet batter on it.

11.) Place the coffee cake on a wire rack to cool for half an hour. Whisk together the glaze ingredients, then drizzle over the cooled coffee cake. Cut into squares and serve right from the dish.