cranberry vanilla coffee cake
I sometimes call these cakes “dinner party cakes” because as it turns out, it’s all people usually want for dessert after a big meal. In fact, you might find that the space between becoming a frequent or occasional dinner party guest is entirely filled with gusts of cinnamon-sugar, streusel or perhaps a vanilla bean and whole cranberries. (Yes, the obsession continues.)
I made this cranberry-vanilla one (an inspiration I was not alone in) for my friend Jocelyn’s tree-trimming party on Monday night. It was really easy… or, well, it should have been but the batter came out really thick (as I hear it did for others, too) and I found it quite annoying to spread, especially over the chopped cranberry filling. But, I completely forgave it when I tried the cake — which was light, fragrant with just enough tartness — and I think you will too.
Coffee Cakes/Dinner Party Cakes, previously: Big Crumb Coffee Cake, Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake, Caramel Walnut Upside Down Banana Cake, Dimply Plum Cake, Cherry Cornmeal Upside Down, Almond Cake with Strawberry Rhubarb Compote, Lemon Yogurt Anything Cake and Pineapple Upside Down Cake [Is it time for a new Topic Index or what?]
One year ago: Apple Cranberry Crisp
Two years ago: French Onion Soup
Cranberry Vanilla Coffee Cake
Gourmet, December 2008
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries (6 ounces)
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened, divided
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
Confectioners sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Generously butter a 9- by 2-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with a round of parchment paper and butter parchment.
Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a food processor with tip of a paring knife (reserve pod for another use if desired). Add sugar and pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl.
Pulse cranberries with 1/2 cup vanilla sugar in processor until finely chopped (do not purée).
Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat together 1 stick butter and 1 cup vanilla sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down side and bottom of bowl. Reduce speed to low and mix in flour mixture and milk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour, until just combined.
Spread half of batter in pan, then spoon cranberries over it, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge. Spoon small bits of the remaining batter over the top of the cranberries and smooth them with as gentle of a hand as possible.
Blend remaining 1/4 cup vanilla sugar with remaining tablespoon each of butter and flour using your fingertips. Crumble over top of cake.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted into cake (not into cranberry filling) comes out clean and side begins to pull away from pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 30 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely, crumb side up.
Do ahead: Coffee cake can be made 1 day ahead and kept, tightly wrapped, at room temperature.
Deb,
This sounds just YUMMY!!! I wish I was there to have a piece. Perhaps I’ll try for xmas breakfast over traditional sour cream coffee cake with walnuts. But, I may have to add walnuts to this one.
*Swoon* is all I gotta say. Walnuts…. yessssss…….
Your friends are sure lucky to have a friend like you!
I LOVE coffee cakes, they are the best. My favorite ones to bake every Friday, without feeling too guilty about having a cake and eating it too because it’s not so rich with whipped cream or tons of buttercream or lotsa chocolate. A perfect cake for Saturday morning, or afternoon, or evening ;) with a nice cup of coffee, or tea.
The cake I baked today didn’t come out right, and I have cranberries from Thanksgiving!!! so this recipe is in perfect timing for me.
Gonna make it tomorrow (and throw the other one in the trash?)
It looks so perfect! You’re absolutely correct. I could never eat a pound of buttercream frosting after a dinner.
Deb, I think you’ll have to try my favorite cranberry coffee cake … sometime (I know what it’s like to have a backlog, mine is huge). It’s the Cranberry Streusel Cake from Fine Cooking #54. I love it, it’s great, perfect for anytime. Coffee cake to me means anytime cake–dessert, breakfast, snack, etc. A layer cake just doesn’t cut it that way.
Btw, cranberries are a great obsession.
i saw this recipe. there’s an older one from gourmet that i normally use and bake in a loaf pan. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cranberry-Coffeecake-107775
This sounds sooo good – even for breakfast. Tomorrow maybe? :)
This will be perfect for the holiday party at the office next week. Brilliant timing, thank you so much!
Looks great! I make a cake that looks virtually the same but it has a raspberry jam filling instead. I like the idea of tart cranberries though. Nice.
Oh, btw, I like the tip you posted yourself on Lottie and Doof about the piping bag — I might keep one on hand with one of those biiig frosting tips in case the batter proves too much for my patience.
Cranberry. Coffee cake. Vanilla bean.
‘Nuff said.
You may be obsessed with cranberries, but I’m obsessed with the streusel. Yum!
Wow..this is a beautiful coffee cake. Your pictures show the crumb beautifully. They’re big and airy, loose and so moist looking. I really like the idea of a cranberry relish as the filling. This is perfect for the holidays, not too sweet nor too rich.yet still something to appease the sweet tooth. Thanks, Deb.
Sounds delicious and not too fussy.
I completely agree with you about coffee cakes. They’re my preference too. I saw this one in Gourmet and bookmarked it. I’m glad to hear that tastes as wonderful as it looks, and yours does look great!
oh my gosh, i have this on my menu for family brunch on sunday morning! i can only hope mine looks and tastes like yours.
OO this looks so amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! sounds perfect for christmas morning because i will inevitably be woken up at 5 in the morning to open presents. does it taste better warmed or cooled. if warmed is better how could you reheat it?
Love that this cake makes it’s own jam filling while it’s baking. So efficient:-)
what a festive cake. Looks so moist and yummy. Well done !!!
It’s funny that the less-impressive looking (not that your cranberry coffee cake is not beautiful) cakes are often the tastier. This cakes sounds perfect for the season!
What an original and scrumptious cake!
Looks delicious.
Thanks, michaela, for the link to your fave. cranberry coffee cake too.
Deb, how do you think it would freeze if I made it ahead for Christmas morning?
This sounds so delicious. I am going to feature this on my afternoon tea site.
I would second Michael’s recommendation on the older recipe (which I’ve always done 1 1/2 times and baked in a springform pan). I noticed, though, that this recipe is nearly identical except for the addition of the vanilla bean/vanilla sugar (which certainly could do no harm!).
Bless you, Deb! I was going to make this cake today and am glad I saw your post first so I’d know to watch out for the thick batter. It’s also good to know that it’s as delicious as it looked in the mag. :)
Oh this looks delicious. Is it too sweet for brunch?
this looks delicious! i must try this! great recipe!
I heart cranberries. Cranberry (vanilla) coffee cake: a delicious way to extend cranberry eating beyond Thanksgiving leftovers.
I LOVE coffee cake… This looks fabulous!
The topping on that cake looks delicious! I love everything and anything cranberry. This would make a great Christmas breakfast…
hi,
just discovered your blog recently and am becoming an addict…..
question please: how much is a stick of butter? 100/200 grams?
thank u
A perfect coffee cake for the holiday season! Looks delicious.
I made this this morning with a little 2 year old helper. It was recieved with rave reviews by my family. My housemate said, “It’s like the best part of the muffin… but better.” Thanks for sharing.
Hi popi — 1 stick of butter is 113 grams.
cranberry and vanilla sounds like a lovely combination for coffee cake. as always, the photos are mouthwatering! yum!
Why are they called coffee cakes? I’ve only just realised that the coffee cakes eaten in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels are not cakes flavoured with coffee, as I always assumed, they are this.
Educate me please. Define a coffee cake for me and tell me why it has its name.
The cranberry sauce in the middle offers a wonderful punch of color in the picture.
Bani, I didn’t look this up or anything, so I preface this by saying I could be TOTALLY off here, but I believe it’s called “coffee cake” because it’s traditionally eaten with coffee, mostly in the mornings, but as we all know, it’s good anytime. It’s not super-sweet, dripping with frosting or icing (good in its own right, but not here), and tends to be a little bit less moist than traditional layer cakes. That’s not to say it’s “dry” by any means, but just crumbly enough to be perfectly washed down with a sip of coffee.
Hope I haven’t made a fool of myself with this definition, but that’s how I’ve always understood the diff to be between “regular” cakes & coffee cakes. Anyone else?
not that this doesn’t look good (it actually looks amazing), but I’ve got a question about the brownie mosaic cheesecake. specifically, does it keep long-ish (about 3 hrs) without refrigeration, and is it considerably idiotproof?
Now I’m hungry for a piece of this beautiful cake and a cup of tea. Great timing, looks perfect for the Holidays.
I’m grateful for the definition of “coffee cake” which sounds about right after all my googling, because I wasn’t clear what this cake’s texture would be like and how sweet it was going to be.
One of your best to date, if not the best – as far as my taste goes, anyway. I am constantly thinking that you have outdone yourself – and then you go an do it again!
I just read this recipe and was going to make it as well! Now I know it’s good.
I definitely agree with you in saying that simple is best! :) You can eat more of it and it doesn’t overwhelm you.
The most cake I’ve ever eaten in one sitting was 3/4 of a standard loaf-sized orange and date wholemeal cake – And next time I’m reducing the sweetness by emitting the dates!
Hope you had a good weekend!
Once again, a triumph of a cake! Magnificent. It’s all everyone says it is and more. Thank you for finally making me use those vanilla beans I bought at Costco! But Deb, what is the deal with turning the cake out of the pan? I made mine in a springform so as not to disturb the holy and sacred streusel!
I made this cake the other day too! It really is tasty.
I loved the real vanilla bean in it, and the tartness of the cranberries. Your shots are beautiful, makes me want to eat it all over again!
Echoing Susie…I believe these were made to be served with coffee at what were called “coffee klatches” (not sure of spelling), a common social activity in the 60’s and 70’s involving what we now call stay-at-home moms. They were probably like playdates where the moms all hung out in the living room and drank coffee and ate these cakes which go great with coffee and didn’t take the hostess a whole lot of work to put together.
This one looks great!
I did the coffee cake today while the meat loaf and potato gratin were baking in the oven. Just before the snow, sleet, and freezing rain. A perfect day for baking. We ate it….with coffee…..while watching the finale of Survivor. I have been on a fresh cranberry binge here lately. This was no exception to the yumminess of cranberries. mmmmm, I do love myself for baking such a good thing. Thank you again for sharing such great recipes.
mmm. that looks fantastic! I’m going to have to try that.
Fabulous cake! I’m making this tonight.
Deb – just wanted to let you know of the happiness you’re bringing up in Toronto. My best group of friends got together yesterday for our annual ‘drink wine, bake holiday cookies, laugh and lovingly insult each other’ day and it was ALL smitten kitchen recipes (doubled/tripled). The non-smitten readers were enthralled with your commentary on the recipes (” ‘I only made a half batch and regretted it ever since?’ I LOVE this woman!”) and the Austrian Shortbread, Lemon Bars, Chocolate Toffee cookies and peanut butter cookies all turned out PERFECTLY. Thanks for all your work and recipes.
for a slight variation on this delicious theme, try this one from Cooking Light:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222573
i’ve made it several times, and it’s always a big hit.
Hi! I came across Bake or Break’s Sweet & Salty Chocolate cake a couple weeks ago and read that you were also going to post about this cake. I just wanted to let you know that I have been patiently waiting for your post lol Checking daily, hoping that it will be there. I love your blog and am so eager to read your take on this recipe. My hubby’s birthday is next week and he wants this cake.
Thanks for sharing all your cooking/baking experiences with us. I always look forward to reading your blog!
I just started reading this blog right before Thanksgiving. I just had to tell you how wonderful and gorgeous it is. It’s my new favorite, must see place. You do such a wonderful job. I have made several of the recipes and just wanted to let you know how much I love SmittenKitchen!
I’m new to your website and I think I popped in at just the right time. This coffeecake looks amazing. I will be trying it within the week. Thanks!
Your feelings about coffeecakes remind me of why I like bundt cakes so much. This looks terrific.
Yum! It was divine. And I was so happy after everyone left when I found there was still one small extra piece left…..for ME! You’re totally awesome and your rock every party I have ever had. No one remembers how much beer they drank or where it came from, or what songs we dance to. It’s always remember the party you had when Debbie made “…….”.
XOXOXO
This looks great; on my new list.
Any reason it shouldn’t work split into muffin tins and layered with the cranberry mixture individually, rather than as a big cake?
Thanks.
You know, Stephen, I wondered that as well! I might try it that way next time.
I notice you’re using a dark metal pan. How do you like it? I’ve always thought lighter pans were better for cakes. I’m wondering if I should switch???
PS: The cake looks mouthwatering, even on a full stomach. ;D
I had never given it any thought. I’ve had these Crate & Barrel cake pans for years and they’ve worked for hundreds of cake layers!
Fantastic cake- made it this afternoon and my kids have just eaten a vast amount of it after their dinner- just hope there’s a piece left for my poor husband when he gets home!
Thank you for your definitions! I’m feeling more enlightened now. :D
This cake looks delicious!I’ll have to try this soon! Oh my, so many sweets I want to make.
i love it!!! just one typo where it says “pulse cranberries with 1/2 c. vanilla sugar.” i think its supposed to say 1 1/2 c vanilla sugar, no???
It’s correct. This recipe is tricky like that! The vanilla sugar you make at the outset is used three times: 1 cup is creamed with butter in the actual cake, 1/2 cup is ground with cranberries for the filling and 1/4 cup is used in that light, crunchy topping. Hope that makes it less confusing (ha).
Can I use vanilla extract in lieu of vanilla beans? I imagine I could find the beans someplace around here but it’d be a major search (I do not live in a major metropolis) and I really want to make this for brunch on Christmas morning.
I just put this in the oven to add to a breakfast tray (muffins, scones, biscotti, and this) to take to the teachers/staff at my kids’ school tomorrow morning. My only regret is that I won’t get to try it myself! But since it only used half a bag of cranberries, I think I’ll have to make another one for myself and the family this weekend. It smells amazing!
It’s in the oven right now, and it’s lookin fabulous.
Oh — and I had to use extract. Beans would have required a trip to Whole Foods and WF happens to be right by the two biggest malls in Louisville, KY, and I was unwilling to risk my life for the sake of vanilla beans! I’ve actually never used a vanilla bean. Is it worth the expense? And does anyone have an insider tip on how to get them for less than 3 bucks per bean?
I made this last week. It’s incredibly good. You can see the flecks of vanilla bean in the cake. The only thing…I had to use more than half the batter to cover the bottom of the pan. So my dollops on the top were somewhat lacking. However, it still turned out great. And Laura…IMO, vanilla beans are definitely worth the expense. Not for everything, but for lots of things. Store wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge and they won’t dry out.
I took this cake to my hubby’s office party and it was a big hit. It tastes great–light and sweet and tart–and would have looked pretty good too, but my cake rose over the edges of my cake pan so I had to do a little finagling to make it look more presentable (cutting off the extra well-done edges and a little powder sugar make-up :)). I think next time I will try it in my spring-form pan to make it easier to get out of the pan.
I know it’s really too late to be helpful for this Christmas but I bought vanilla beans on ebay last year. I bought two different kinds and paid about $20 or so for a whole lot of beans. Like a pound or so.
Made this this weekend for my husband’s birthday breakfast. So, notes: A couple of pictures I saw seemed to show the lower layer being less tall, probably from the cranberries holding it down a little, so I used a bit more than half of the batter for the lower layer. And then when it was cut it was perfectly symmetrical. (I’m weird that way.) Also, it was great to have the warning about the batter being really thick – which mine was also. I ended up dropping the remaining batter from two teaspoons all over the cake, and then lightly smoothing. It’s a bear though to keep from rolling up off the filling; I found fingers worked better than a spoon or spatula. And of course you have to work quickly, because with that much baking powder the batter is really reactive and wants to puff up right away. Finally, I am not satisfied with the crumble. I think the proportions are off – too much sugar for too little flour/butter – and in my attempt I ended up with sugar, not being fully bound by the butter/flour, scattering everywhere when the cake was sliced. All that being said, the hubs loved it, and when he took the remainder into work the next day it vanished in seconds with a sound like locusts humming.
this is amazing!
so easy..it is delicious for anytime of day
and the smell! oh so heavenly
thank you
i love your site..
jen
hi deb, do you use the cranberry juice from the thawed cranberries in the recipe? i suspect yes because i did not and the cake came out dry…
thanks!
-Alyssa
Hi Alyssa — Good question, and I hadn’t considered that because I used fresh ones, although I’m sure including the juice could never hurt. There are other reasons that a cake can come out dry, of course — overbaking and such.
I’ve been a silent reader and admirer of your blog for months, and have tried many recipes, always with great success – the sour cream chocolate chip cake is just wonderful. I just made this one, and it was great, but it is already impossible to find fresh cranberries here. (I’m a Frenchwoman living in England.) I’m thinking of trying it soon with some homemade (really tart) lemon curd instead of cranberries and maybe some orange blossom water in the cake. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Many thanks for all your inspired posting!
Hello Deb:
Very nice blog, beautiful food photos … I made this cake twice and unfortunately it did not come out great … I love cranberies in baked goods very much and this cake seemed very nice to my taste. Top layer came out perfectly (crispy, nicely done) but bottom seemed to absorb the cranbery mixture and the taste was unsatisfactory, it had “wet chunky flour” taste.
Soon after, I made this cake again, but instead of 1 cranberry layer I did 2 – unfortutately same situation with bottom layer … Where did I go wrong with it – ?
I made it yesterday with raspberrys instead of cranberrys…..it was so good
I made this yesterday after going to 3 stores to find cranberries (Yay for whole foods!) It is very tasty, though I might use a bit less vanilla. Also, I used a spring form pan as it was the only one I had that was tall enough. It was great for de-panning the cake, but I had to put it on a cookie sheet because cranberry juice was leaking out the bottom!
Once again, I tried a recipe you featured, and loved it! As a big cranberry lover, I appreciate the use of real, non-dried cranberries. I baked mine in a 9.5in spring form pan (my 8inch round cake pan didn’t seem deep enough) and it turned out well. About an one inch circle in the absolute center wasn’t quite done (while an inch out from the center was very done – maybe my oven is being wacky), but it didn’t hurt the the cake from being tasty.
I came up with a bag of frozen cranberries I had forgotten about, so I made this cake this morning. I don’t know what came over me, spring fever or just plain crazy, but I forgot to add half the sugar (realized at the end when the crumb topping said “remaining 1/4 c.” and I had way more than that), and I completely, brainlessly forgot the eggs. And the biggest surprise? It still tasted good. the texture is more scone like than coffee cake, but I wouldn’t turn it down. But next time, I’ll try to remember the eggs.
There seem to be a lot of possibilites with this cake. I didn’t get a chance to read all the comments but if it wasn’t already mentioned, I might try it with bittersweet chocolate disks (70%) and bananas.
have tried tons of your recipes deb and till now they’ve all been fantastic – thanks a ton for that. quick question on this cake – can dried cranberries work as well or would i need to make some alterations in the other ingredients?
I have only made this with fresh cranberries, but I can’t think of any reason it wouldn’t be open to adaptation. Be sure to plump them well first and dial back the sugar significantly — dried cranberries are usually quite sweetened.