This perfectly moist and tender cranberry coffee cake is topped with a buttery cinnamon streusel that will make your whole house smell amazing! It's ready in about an hour and is sure to impress your guests this holiday season!
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I've been testing this recipe for weeks to get it just right. After many taste tests, I'm excited to share this final version with you just in time for Thanksgiving! This has quickly become one of my favorite coffee cakes right next to my blueberry sour cream coffee cake! I hope you love it just as much 🤗
My friends at Lifeway helped bring this recipe to life with the addition of their kefir. The combination of sour cream and kefir creates an incredibly soft crumb, while fresh cranberries add bursts of tartness throughout. Don't tell my kefir pancakes this, but I think this might just be my favorite thing to make with kefir now 🤭
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fresh cranberries add beautiful pops of color and tart flavor to this sour cream coffee cake.
- The brown sugar streusel topping adds the most delicious sweet crunch like on my cinnamon crumb muffins.
- It makes an amazing holiday dessert or Christmas morning brunch treat!
- It freezes well so you can bake it ahead of time and enjoy it weeks later!
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this fluffy cranberry coffee cake:
Ingredient Notes:
- Fresh cranberries add tart bursts of flavor and festive color. These can be tricky to find in grocery stores from December through August, so feel free to use frozen cranberries if needed (but don't thaw them)!
- Lifeway Organic Plain Lowfat Kefir helps create the most tender crumb, and its slight tang complements the cranberries so well.
- Sour cream works with the kefir to keep the cake super moist.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of orange zest to the batter for a festive cranberry orange coffee cake!
- Make a simple powdered sugar glaze (like on my almond cookies) or a cream cheese frosting (maybe from my red velvet donuts) to drizzle over the top.
- Can't find Lifeway kefir? That's okay! You can replace this with buttermilk or slightly watered-down plain Greek yogurt.
- Add a handful of chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel for extra crunch.
- Prefer other fruits? Use your favorite berries in place of the cranberries.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Cranberry Coffee Cake
Quick Recipe Video
Step-by-Step Instructions
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
Make the cinnamon streusel topping by combining flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter until it resembles wet sand. Set aside.
Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, and kefir until well combined.
Dry Ingredients
Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients carefully until the dry streaks disappear. Be sure not to over-mix!
Add Cranberries
Toss your cranberries with ½ tablespoon of flour (this prevents them from sinking), then gently fold them into the batter.
Fill the Pan
Spread the cake batter into a parchment-lined 9x9 inch metal pan.
Top with Streusel
Sprinkle the cinnamon streusel over the batter and bake at 350°F until a toothpick comes out clean (about 55-65 minutes).
Expert Baking Tips
- Room-temperature ingredients are crucial for a smooth, well-mixed batter. Measure out your butter, eggs, sour cream, and kefir and let them sit on the counter for about an hour before baking.
- Don't skip coating the cranberries in flour! This simple step prevents them from sinking to the bottom of your cake.
- The toothpick test is key - baking time may vary depending on your oven. Insert it in the center - it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Line your pan with parchment paper folded over the sides. When the cake is done baking, let it cool for about 20 minutes before lifting it out of the pan and onto a cooling rack.
Common Questions
Yes! No need to thaw them first - just toss them with the flour while still frozen.
Check lifewaykefir.com to find it near you. If it isn't in stock, feel free to use buttermilk in its place!
Make sure you're coating them in flour before adding to the batter. Also, your batter might be too thin - make sure you're measuring ingredients correctly.
This is typically from over-measuring flour, baking it too long, or baking at too high a temperature. I recommend weighing ingredients with a food scale and keeping a thermometer in your oven!
Absolutely! It stays fresh for a couple of days and freezes well.
Storage
Room Temperature
Store the cooled cranberry coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions
Let the cake cool completely, slice it, and then freeze for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container. Let it thaw at room temperature before you're ready to dig in!
Did you try this recipe?
Let us know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Thank you!
-Kayla
📖 Recipe
Easy Cranberry Coffee Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 9x9-inch metal cake pan lined with parchment paper
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Spatula
- Electric mixer recommended
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar packed
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter measured then melted
Cranberry Coffee Cake
- 12 tablespoons (168 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120 g) sour cream room temperature
- ⅔ cup (157.73 ml) Lifeway Organic Plain Lowfat Kefir room temperature
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1⅓ cups (133.33 g) cranberries fresh or frozen (unthawed); coated in ½ tablespoon of flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square metal pan and then line it with parchment paper (folded over the edges).
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Mix in the melted butter and until it resembles wet sand. Set aside.
Cranberry Coffee Cake
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (I recommend using an electric mixer).
- Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream, and kefir really well.
- Fold the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the wet ingredients just until the dry streaks disappear.
- Place the cranberries in a medium bowl with ½ tablespoon of flour. Shake it around so the cranberries are coated in flour.
- Gently fold the floured cranberries into the batter just until evenly distributed.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan and then sprinkle the streusel topping over it.
- Bake on the oven's middle rack until a toothpick comes out clean (about 55-65 minutes).
- Let the cake cool in the pan for about 20 minutes and then lift it out and transfer it to a cooling rack.
- Slice the cooled cranberry coffee cake and enjoy! See notes below for optional icing.
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Video
Notes
- ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar
- 1½ tablespoons milk
- ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
Kayla Burton says
This is my new favorite coffee cake! I hope you love it as much as I do 🙂