This Cranberry Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping is a classic breakfast or brunch option. Make it the day or night before and brighten up your morning with this lightly sweet, moist cake. Tangy sour cream mixes well with the tart taste of cranberries all blended together with a brown sugar streusel topping with a dash of cinnamon and a splash of warm vanilla.
This cake is great for get togethers or holiday weekends. Colorful, festive, and oh so delicious!
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Essential Ingredients
Cranberries: When buying fresh cranberries, you want to find berries that have a deep red color and are still nice and firm and shiny. Separate these from the berries that show signs of bruising, have a brown color, or are mushy. If you know you aren’t going to use all of your cranberries, they can be frozen for up to a year and still retain their freshness. When freezing them, use either a vacuum bag or get as much air as possible out of a zip-top freezer bag.
How To Make The Recipe
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.
3. In a separate, larger bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the unsalted butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract.
4. Alternately beat in the flour mixture and sour cream until well blended. Gently fold in the cranberries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
5. Now make the streusel: In a medium bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter (you can use a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers) and combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.
6. Bake the coffee cake for 50 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Remove the side of the pan and allow the cake to cool completely. Enjoy!
Storing The Recipe
You can store leftovers of this coffee cake in an airtight container on your counter at room temperature for 3 days. To prolong the freshness, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can freeze this coffee cake as well. Let the cake cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in a freezer safe container. This recipe will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Powdered sugar sprinkled over top is a finishing touch to this lovely cake.Use a full fat sour cream to create the best flavor and texture.
- Try this recipe out with blueberries, strawberries, or apples for variation.
- You can buy fresh cranberries when they’re in season and freeze them for future use.
Recipe FAQs
If you can’t get your hands on fresh cranberries you can use frozen. Let the frozen cranberries thaw completely and pat dry of any excess moisture. Then use as instructed below the same way you would with fresh berries.
This typically refers to a European practice of eating sweet cakes with coffee. While some European recipes do actually include coffee in their cake batter or in icing on the cakes, the American version sticks to fruit and cinnamon, like this recipe, and eliminates the coffee within the dessert. It is still generally served with coffee which is why it’s such a great option for breakfast or brunch!
Yes, try it with raspberries or blueberries, or a combination on the two.
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Cranberry Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ stick unsalted butter cold (¼ cup)
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Alternately beat in the flour mixture and sour cream until blended. Fold in the cranberries. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Make the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the walnuts. Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.
- Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the side of the pan and let cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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Laurie Albright says
How much sour cream is needed for this recipe?????? Sour cream is in your description and mentioned in directions but not in the list of ingredients.
K Kingsley says
hi Laurie, recipe has been updated, it's 1 cup sour cream. Thank you and enjoy!
Laurie Albright says
How much sour cream is needed for this recipe?????? Sour cream is in your description and mentioned in directions but not in the list of ingredients.
K Kingsley says
hi Laurie, recipe has been updated, it's 1 cup sour cream. Thank you and enjoy!