Gluten-Free Cranberry Coffee Cake
This zesty orange cranberry coffee cake has the most DELICIOUS flavor! Tender cake with notes of orange and vanilla pair with sweet, tart cranberry sauce and a buttery cinnamon crumb topping you'll LOVE.
Print
Pin
Servings: 9 -16 servings
Ingredients
FOR THE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE (IF MAKING YOUR OWN)
- 1 (12-ounce) Bag Fresh Cranberries (3 cups)* (340 grams), rinsed
- ¾ cup Granulated Sugar (200 grams)
- ¾ cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Fresh Orange Zest
- ¼ cup Fresh Orange Juice (from the same orange!)
- Pinch Cinnamon (less than 1/8 teaspoon)
- Pinch Salt (less than 1/8 teaspoon)
FOR THE CINNAMON STREUSEL TOPPING
- ½ cup Butter, Melted and Cooled (113 grams/8 TBSP)
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour* (120 grams)
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar (150 grams)
- 3/4-1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
FOR THE ORANGE CRANBERRY COFFEE CAKE
- ½ cup Butter, Softened (113 grams/8 TBSP)
- Zest of 1 Orange (about 2 tsp. zest)
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar (200 grams)
- 3 Large Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour* (240 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Sour Cream (227 grams/8 oz.)
- 1 cup Cranberry Sauce (see notes)
Instructions
- FIRST, MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE. If you're making cranberry sauce just for this, make the cranberry sauce in advance, so you can cool it before adding it to the cake. In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 water, 1 tsp. orange zest, 1/4 cup orange juice, pinch cinnamon, and pinch salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to break up the cranberries. Cook 8-10 min, or until thickened and reduced so you have about 2 cups of sauce. Cool sauce to room temperature or chill before using for the cake. (Cranberry sauce will keep fresh 3-4 days in the fridge, or can be frozen up to 2 months)
- PREHEAT & PREP. To start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a metal 8x8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING. In a medium bowl, combine cooled melted butter, gluten-free flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a fork until evenly combined. At first, it may look too wet. Don't panic! Just let it sit while you make the cake batter, and the flour will absorb liquid from the crumb.
- MAKE ORANGE SUGAR. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, combine granulated sugar and orange zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with clean fingers until it's light orange and fragrant.
- COMBINE WET INGREDIENTS. Add softened butter to the bowl and cream with a paddle attachment (or handheld mixer) on medium speed 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- ADD DRY INGREDIENTS. Add gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until JUST combined.
- MIX IN SOUR CREAM. Scrape down the bowl one more time, then mix in the sour cream until the batter is smooth and even.
- LAYER. Pour 1/2 of the cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth into an even layer. Top with 1 cup cranberry sauce and smooth the cranberry sauce into an even layer, leaving a slight border around the edge. Top cranberry sauce with the second half of the batter and smooth into an even layer, making sure to seal the edges well. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the crumb topping.
- BAKE. Next, bake the coffee cake in preheated oven for 55-60 min, or until the crumb topping is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs (no wet batter!). The cake should spring back when gently pressed.
- COOL, GARNISH & SLICE. Let the cake cool on a wire rack at least 30-45 min before cutting into slices. Garnish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, then cut into 9 large squares, 12 medium rectangles, or 16 small squares and enjoy. Store leftover coffee cake in an airtight container or cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store 1-2 days at room temperature or 3-4 days in the fridge.
Notes
- Use The Right Cranberry Sauce! Whether you use homemade cranberry sauce or canned cranberry sauce, make sure it's got a thick, jam-like consistency. Do NOT use jellied cranberry sauce for this recipe, or it'll just melt into the cake. Look for whole berry cranberry sauce or make the homemade cranberry sauce we shared above, for best results.
- Gluten-Free Flour. I highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour blend for this gluten-free cranberry coffee cake. If you use another 1:1 flour blend (like Bob's Red Mill), make sure it contains xanthan gum. Do not substitute oat flour, almond flour, or coconut flour, or other gluten-free flours into this recipe.
- Your Pan Material Matters! I highly recommend an 8x8 light colored metal baking pan for this recipe. An aluminum pan will conduct heat evenly and gently. If you use a glass pan or ceramic pan, your cranberry-orange coffee cake will take longer to bake.
- Make-Ahead Tips. This is a great recipe for making in advance, which makes it a perfect Christmas brunch or breakfast recipe. The fully-baked and cooled coffee cake will keep well overnight to serve the next morning. Or, you can keep the batter, cranberry sauce, and streusel topping in different containers overnight, then assemble and bake in the morning!
Video
Find the recipe:
sweetsandthankyou.com/cranberry-coffee-cake/