We have just finished the Christmas season and fresh cranberries are still to be found in the local grocery stores. These tart red berries are not only festive in their bright colour, but, when baked, their texture is similar to that of sour cherries and can be a great addition to a lot of baking recipes. I made two variations of this coffee cake and both were highly praised. This is such a simple recipe and only requires a handful of ingredients. Make sure to gently rinse and dry your cranberries before you start baking. I just ran them under some water, drained them in a colander and then dabbed them with a tea towel. Create this coffee cake with SIX ingredients!
Ingredients:
3 large Eggs
2 cups of white granulated Sugar
1 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups fresh Cranberries
*PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
This recipe is made in three easy steps:
On high speed, beat the eggs and sugar together for at least two minutes. This is an important step as we are not using baking soda or baking powder and the more you beat the eggs, the lighter and fluffier this cake will be.
Add the vanilla and oil and continue to beat at medium/high speed for another minute until the mixture has thickened and is consistent.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and, using a rubber spatula, add the flour, gently folding into the mixture. Drop in the cranberries all at once and use the same technique to gently fold in the berries. This step does not require a lot of time and effort. Once the flour and the berries look evenly distributed, you’re ready to go!
Grease a standard round cake form or Bundt pan and distribute the batter evenly. I topped the coffee cake with a bit of coarse sugar for a little sparkle and crunch, but this is not necessary.
Bake on middle rack for 40-45 minutes. The top should be golden and lifting a bit and the inside will be quite moist from the berries. It’s not a dry cake and will have a moist, dense interior. The exterior is crispy and almost meringue-like. Allow the cake to cool thoroughly as the cranberries will soften and can easily smear and break when cut at this point. Serve as a lovely dessert or accompaniment with your afternoon coffee or tea. A little dollop of whipped cream is always a welcome addition to coffee cake…
I added some orange (you can also use lemon) zest to the second cake I baked. You can also replace the vanilla with almond extract for a more mature taste. The taste of almond works well with cranberries! My mother enjoyed the combination of almond/orange and cinnamon as well!
As always, enjoy! Lolita
Lolita Bakes! 