This moist, fluffy cranberry coffee cake is bursting with fresh cranberries and finished with a buttery crumble topping for the ultimate holiday treat. Enjoy a slice with your morning coffee on a brisk day!
Nothing beats a slice of warm coffee cake and this cranberry coffee cake is an excellent way to use up those extra holiday cranberries. This easy-to-make dessert makes the perfect holiday dessert or breakfast!
Check out our old-fashioned buttermilk pie or cardamom butter cookies recipes for more delicious holiday desserts!
Table of Contents
Important Ingredient and Substitution Notes
The detailed ingredient list with measurements is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Flour. All-purpose flour works best for a fluffy, tender coffee cake.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens the cake while light brown and granulated sugar are used for the crumble topping. You may also use dark brown sugar for the crumble topping.
- Cranberries. Fresh cranberries add a burst of fresh, fruity tartness. You may also substitute fresh blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries.
- Butter. I recommend unsalted butter in most of my baking recipes so we can control the amount of salt. If using salted butter, omit any additional salt in the recipe.
- Vanilla extract. Use good-quality pure vanilla extract for the best flavor and not vanilla flavoring.
- Sour cream. Sour cream adds delicious subtle tanginess and moisture. You may substitute Greek yogurt or ¾ cup of buttermilk. See how sour cream adds delicious moisture to our sock it to me cake!
- Cream cheese. We use cream cheese for a sweet and tangy finishing glaze. If you aren't a cream cheese fan, you may use a regular powdered sugar glaze like the one in our spiced sweet potato bread with pecans recipe.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1. In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt with a fork until combined. Drizzle in the melted butter, mix until moistened and crumbly, and set aside.
Step 2. In a separate small mixing bowl toss the fresh cranberries with 2 tablespoons of flour and set aside.
Step 3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Step 4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in the sour cream.
Step 5. Mix in the flour just until no more dry flour is visible. Fold in the cranberries.
Step 6. Spread the batter into an even layer in a 9-inch springform pan lined with parchment paper and sprayed with baking spray. Top the batter evenly with the crumble topping.
Step 7. Bake the coffee cake in an oven preheated to 350°F for 55 to 65 minutes until golden brown and set in the center.
Step 8. Cool the coffee cake completely. Whisk the cream cheese glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle it over the cooled coffee cake. Slice and enjoy!
Variations
Coffee cake is such a delicious blank canvas of a dessert. You can add several flavors and mix-ins to create something totally unique. Switch things up with some of these fun variation ideas:
- Blueberry. Don't miss our blueberry cornbread with maple butter recipe!
- Pineapple
- Eggnog
- Chocolate. Chocolate lovers, check out our chocolate chess pie recipe next!
- Lemon
- Caramel
Recipe FAQs
Do not skip tossing the cranberries with flour. Coating the cranberries in flour helps keep them from sinking to the bottom when baking.
What differentiates coffee cake from regular cake is the topping. A buttery, crumbly topping is what gives coffee cake its signature texture.
Yes. Freeze leftover coffee cake on a plate or baking sheet then wrap the frozen cake in plastic wrap and store in freezer bags.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
Cranberry coffee cake can be made a day or two in advance and stored at room temperature until ready to serve. Leftover coffee cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Pro Tips for the Best Cranberry Coffee Cake
- Measure your flour properly. Measure flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife or using a kitchen scale. Never dip your measuring cup into the container of flour. This packs the cup and adds too much flour to the batter, giving you a dry, dense cake.
- For a tender and moist cake, mix in the flour just until no more dry flour is visible. Overmixing causes more gluten formation and results in a tough and dense cake.
- Line the edge of the pan with parchment paper. This helps the cake release without getting stuck to the sides. Also, spray the entire pan with baking spray.
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📖 Recipe
Cranberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar - or dark brown
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter - melted and cooled
Cranberries
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coffee Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter - softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream - room temperature
Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounces cream cheese - softened
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 - 4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Drizzle in the melted butter, mix with a fork until moistened and crumbly, and set aside.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, toss the fresh cranberries with 2 tablespoons of flour and set aside.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the size of a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray all over with baking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high (6-8 on a stand mixer) for 2 to 3 minutes until light and creamy. Add the sugar and beat an additional 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract on medium. Lastly, mix in the sour cream on medium.
- Mix in the flour just until no more dry flour is visible. Start on low speed and increase to medium. Do not overmix. Fold in the cranberries with a silicone spatula.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Top the batter evenly with the crumble topping.
- Baked a coffee cake in the preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes until golden brown and sit in the center. When the cake is done, a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with no wet better. Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pan, remove the edge of the springform pan, and transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, melted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until combined. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of milk. Add more milk as needed until the glaze is smooth and can easily be drizzled. Drizzle the glaze over the cold coffee cake, slice, and enjoy!
Notes
- Do not skip tossing the cranberries with flour. Coating the cranberries in flour helps keep them from sinking to the bottom when baking.
- Measure flour by spooning it into your measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife or using a kitchen scale. Never dip your measuring cup into the container of flour. This packs the cup and adds too much flour to the batter, giving you a dry, dense cake.
- For a tender and moist cake, mix in the flour just until no more dry flour is visible. Overmixing causes more gluten formation and results in a tough and dense cake.
- Cranberry coffee cake can be made a day or two in advance and stored at room temperature until ready to serve. Leftover coffee cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Nic
A lovely holiday coffee cake!