Cranberry Coffee Cake

This cranberry coffee cake with a crunchy spiced oatmeal streusel and orange glaze is perfect for the holidays. If you are planning a holiday brunch or hosting family, this easy coffee cake recipe can be made ahead of time.

If you love the orange berry combo, add our cranberry orange scones to your baking plans.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love an Orange Cranberry Coffee Cake
• What You'll Need
• How To Make Cranberry Coffee Cake
• Storing and Freezing
• BruCrew Tips
• More Coffee Cake Recipes
• Recipe

I love baking coffee cakes. It's the perfect treat because you can serve it for breakfast or dessert. This soft cranberry coffee cake has a delicious combo of sweet and tart berries and a spiced oatmeal crumble. Basically, everything you want in a cozy pastry.

This year, I was looking for a way to use up extra bags of cranberries. So I decided to give my apple butter coffee cake a festive twist. Since oranges and cranberries work well together, I added orange zest to the cake and an orange glaze on top.

Everyone will think you bought it at a bakery, but it will be our little secret. However your kitchen will smell like Christmas morning as it bakes, so I think they will know.

What You'll Need

This easy cranberry coffee cake recipe calls for basic pantry ingredients plus cranberries and oranges. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full, printable recipe with measurements.

• Cranberry Sauce: For the best flavor, make my whole berry cranberry sauce. If you need to save time, buy a 15-ounce can from the grocery store.
• Unsalted Butter: Softened to room temperature. Microwave for a few seconds if you forget to take it out beforehand.
• Granulated Sugar: Using all white sugar sweetens the batter and makes the butter smooth.
• Large Eggs: Add Moisture and a rich flavor to the batter.
• Vanilla Extract: You can substitute half of the vanilla with almond extract.
• Baking Powder: Adds lift to the cake batter. Make sure the powder is fresh and not expired.
• Warm Spices: I used cinnamon and cardamom to give the coffee cake a fall flavor.
• All Purpose Flour: Make sure you are familiar with measuring flour so you don't add too much. A kitchen scale is a great way to measure accurately.
• Navel Oranges: I used two large oranges for fresh juice and zest.
• Crisp Topping: Oats, flour, sugar, spices, and melted butter make the most amazing crumble that bakes up golden and crunchy.
• Orange Glaze: Powdered sugar and orange juice create a sweet citrus drizzle.

How To Make Cranberry Coffee Cake

Follow our steps below to make this easy cranberry coffee cake with orange glaze:

1. Cook the cranberry mixture. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small pot, then cook over medium-high heat until it boils. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Let it cool before using.
2. Make the cinnamon streusel. Mix the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Use your hands to clump the mixture together into bigger crumbs.
3. Prepare the cake batter. Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Beat the eggs, vanilla, and orange zest into the creamed mixture. Then slowly add the remaining ingredients to the wet ingredients.
4. Assemble the layers. Use a spatula to spread the cake batter in a prepared pan. Spread the cooled cranberry filling over the top of the batter, and sprinkle with the streusel topping.
5. Bake. Place the pan in a preheated oven and bake for around 23 minutes. Remove and let cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Add a sweet glaze. Whisk the powdered sugar and orange juice in a bowl. Spoon the glaze into a plastic bag, cut off one corner, then drizzle it over the cooled cake.

Storing and Freezing

The freshly baked cranberry cake bars can be kept in a loosely sealed container at room temperature for three days. To keep them fresher for longer, store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Want to enjoy them later? Wrap each square in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag. Freeze 1-2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

More Coffee Cake Recipes

• Easy Coffee Cake
• Pumpkin Coffee Cake
• Banana Toffee Cake
• Strawberry Lemon Snack Cake
• Cherry Zucchini Coffee Cake

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