Cookin' with Moxie

Deciding to make a recipe that involves cranberries the weekend before Thanksgiving does pose it’s problems. I had to go to three stores to find cranberries! Believe me, this breakfast treat was well worth the driving around I had to do. It is my own fault for waiting until the last minute to pick my SRC recipe anyway…

I made this coffee cake for Secret Recipe Club this month. I was assigned Aimee’s blog, From Chapel Hill to Chickenville. Aimee is a mother of four adorable children and leads a beautiful home life. Cooking and entertaining is something she grew up around, just like me, so naturally she is a wonderful hostess and cook now.

I picked this recipe because of the season we’re in but mostly because I love anything sweet for breakfast. I’m a sucker for cinnamon and sugar streusel. In fact, I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to Breakfast Cakes (and Muffins and Donuts…). The topping which is layered on the inside and atop this cake counteracts the tartness of the cranberries perfectly. Plus the red specs add a wonderful pop of color in an otherwise ordinary cake. Have I mentioned that this cake was a breeze to put together? The hardest part was getting those darn little round cranberries to stay on my cutting board when I tried mincing them. They were flying all over my kitchen! I lost a few to my pug Ginger in the process but I think I had enough left on my cake. She got excited when one came her way but then was sadly disappointed.

If by some Act of God you have fresh cranberries left at your grocery store this week, please try this recipe. You will NOT be disappointed by this moist and rich breakfast cake!

Cranberry Coffee Cake (adapted by From Chapel Hill to Chickenville)

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk

Cinnamon Sugar Topping:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups minced fresh cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a stand mixer, beat butter until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Add both sugars and eggs, beat again. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry mixture to butter mix in small batches, alternating with buttermilk. Mix well.
2. In a small bowl, combine all the topping ingredients except for the cranberries. Grease or spray a 9″ x 13″ baking pan. Pour half of batter into bottom of pan. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar topping over batter and then half of the cranberries. Pour remaining batter over top and smooth out. Top with remaining cinnamon sugar topping and cranberries. Bake for 35-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when poked in center. Serve warm. Serves 12-16. * Can also be made the night before and stored covered in fridge until ready to bake.

Tutti Mangia!

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