pat's Recipe

Cranberry or Cherry Coffee Cake

Category: Cakes

This cake can be baked in either a glass or metal baking pan.

Serves 8
Topping

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter , melted and cooled
1 cup pecans , almonds, or walnuts, chopped coarse

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
1 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
1 teaspoon grated orange zest


1. For the topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together in a medium bowl until the mixture resembles wet sand. Stir in the nuts.

2. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

3. For the cake: Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the buttermilk, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and melted butter together in a separate bowl until smooth. Gently fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula and stir until the batter looks smooth and well combined. Stir in dried cranberries or cherries and orange zest.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the batter. Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.