Hands down, here’s my favorite cranberry walnut coffee cake recipe.
What’s great about this cranberry walnut coffee cake is its delicious mix of flavors. The cranberries add a bright tartness to the sweet cake, and the toasted walnuts in the topping give it a smoky, nutty flavor, not to mention a nice crunch. Plus there’s a touch of orange zest in the batter to add a faint hint of citrus. It’s not only beautiful to look at, but it’s also scrumptious (and super easy to make)!
Cranberry Walnut Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
For the cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cup melted butter
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (zest from about 1/2 a normal-sized orange)
2 cups fresh cranberries
For the topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter – room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and get an 8″x8″ pan ready by greasing it up with butter.
I start with the topping, so it is ready to sprinkle as soon as the batter is mixed.
Mix the flour, granulated and brown sugar, and the salt together. Cut the butter into small chunks, and add it into the mix. You can cut it in with a knife, but I like to just work it with my fingers until it is it crumbly. Then you can add the walnuts (I crush most of them but add a handful of halves) and set aside and start the batter.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) to a mixing bowl and whisk together. In another bowl, add the eggs, melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and buttermilk.
Beat with an electric mixer on high for about a minute, or until it is thoroughly mixed.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix with a fork. Over-mixing can lead to a tougher cake, so just mix until the batter barely comes together.
Pour half the batter into the cake pan. Add the cranberries to the remaining batter, and pour the rest on top. This helps keep the cranberries from settling on the bottom.
Add the topping and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees, checking periodically with a toothpick (should come out clean).
And look how pretty it is when you cut into it (it’s even prettier in person). 🙂
I promise this will not last. It’s great for breakfast and also for dessert.
If you make it please let me know how you like it. Better yet, tell me how long it lasts. 🙂
What’s great about this coffee cake is the interesting mix of flavors. The cranberries add a bright tartness to the sweet cake, and the toasted walnuts in the topping give it a smoky, nutty flavor, not to mention a nice crunch. Plus there’s a touch of orange zest in the batter to add a faint hint of citrus. It’s not only beautiful to look at, it’s also scrumptious (and easy to make)!
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cup melted butter
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest (zest from about 1/2 a normal sized orange)
2 cups fresh cranberries
For the topping
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter – room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and get an 8″x 8″ pan ready by greasing it up with butter.
I start with the topping, so it is ready to sprinkle as soon as the batter is mixed. Mix the flour, granulated and brown sugar, and the salt together. Cut the butter into small chunks, and add it into the mix. You can cut it in with a knife, but I like to just work it with my fingers until it is it crumbly. Then you can add the walnuts (I crush most of them but add a handful of halves) and set aside and start the batter.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) to a mixing bowl and whisk together. In another bowl, add the eggs, melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and buttermilk. Beat with an electric mixer on high for about a minute, or until it is thoroughly mixed.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix with a fork. Over mixing can lead to a tougher cake, so just mix until the batter barely comes together.
Pour half the batter into the cake pan. Add the cranberries to the remaining batter, and pour the rest on top. This helps keep the cranberries from settling on the bottom.
Now use the topping to cover the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees, checking periodically with a toothpick (should come out clean).
That looks delicious and the bright red cranberries look so gorgeous in it! I can't wait to try, I love walnuts in just about anything.
Zanie N
wrote:
it looks delicious i will try it i think ma mum iz going to love it
Deb H
wrote:
I'm going to bake this for National Coffee Cake Day, April 7, to bring to work. I have frozen cranberries that were on clearance after Thanksgiving.
I haven't baked it yet, but I have one small criticism. The recipe scaler does not scale up the size of the pan. Whether choosing 1X, 2X or 3X the recipe, the size pan remains at 8"X8". I assume that doubling the recipe calls for an 8"X9" pan, but what size pan would the triple size recipe call for?
DavidL
wrote:
Hi Deb- I don't think there is one pan that will work for tripling the recipe. You can double the recipe and use a 9x13, triple the recipe and use one 13x9 and one 8x8, or quadruple the recipe and use two 9x13 pans. Let us know how it goes!
4 comments
Printabelle wrote:
That looks delicious and the bright red cranberries look so gorgeous in it! I can't wait to try, I love walnuts in just about anything.
Zanie N wrote:
it looks delicious i will try it i think ma mum iz going to love it
Deb H wrote:
I'm going to bake this for National Coffee Cake Day, April 7, to bring to work. I have frozen cranberries that were on clearance after Thanksgiving. I haven't baked it yet, but I have one small criticism. The recipe scaler does not scale up the size of the pan. Whether choosing 1X, 2X or 3X the recipe, the size pan remains at 8"X8". I assume that doubling the recipe calls for an 8"X9" pan, but what size pan would the triple size recipe call for?
DavidL wrote:
Hi Deb- I don't think there is one pan that will work for tripling the recipe. You can double the recipe and use a 9x13, triple the recipe and use one 13x9 and one 8x8, or quadruple the recipe and use two 9x13 pans. Let us know how it goes!
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