This cranberry orange coffee cake is drizzled with an orange glaze and filled with a cinnamon streusel. Cozy and citrusy, it’s perfect for the holidays as a breakfast treat or a dessert.
Your holiday season breakfast is here!
Cranberry orange coffee cake captures all the bright, festive flavors of the season. The cake is tender and buttery, scented with fresh orange zest, dotted with juicy cranberries and finished with a cinnamon streusel swirl and a silky orange glaze. It’s a beautiful cake for holiday mornings or a special dessert after dinner.
Let’s be honest: coffee cake is dessert that works for breakfast. This version has fruit—fresh oranges and cranberries—so it feels seasonally appropriate and a little more wholesome. The bright citrus and tart berries balance the sweet, buttery cake perfectly.
Everyone in my family loves cranberry orange baked goods. It’s our go-to holiday fruit pairing for everything from muffins to cookies, and this coffee cake is no exception. The cranberries look like jewel-like pops within the cake, and the cinnamon streusel woven throughout adds a warm, comforting contrast.
This recipe is adapted from the blood orange coffee cake I shared a few years ago, with fresh cranberries folded into the batter. It’s easy to make ahead, satisfying, and filling—great for serving a crowd during the holidays.
I love grating fresh orange zest into the sugar so the citrus oils infuse the cake. The result is a bright, vibrant orange flavor throughout. The tartness of the cranberries complements that citrus note beautifully and adds texture and color.
The orange glaze is the finishing touch: freshly squeezed orange juice mixed with powdered sugar and a touch of vanilla creates a glossy drizzle that soaks into the top of the cake and adds extra brightness and sweetness.
This cake is ideal for Christmas morning or New Year’s brunch. It travels well, makes a thoughtful holiday gift to share, and doubles as dessert. Serve warm or at room temperature with coffee for a cozy, celebratory moment.
It’s also beautiful.
Now go bake everyone’s new favorite cake!
Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake
Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake
8
people
30 mins
55 mins
35 mins
2 hrs
Ingredients
STREUSEL
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
CAKE
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (full-fat or 2%)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
ORANGE GLAZE
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan; using butter and flour rather than spray helps release the cake cleanly.
STREUSEL
- Whisk together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, cocoa, espresso powder and salt. Add the cold butter pieces and work them into the flour with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand and small pea-sized crumbs form.
CAKE
- Mix the sugar and orange zest together, rubbing to release the oils and distribute the zest evenly into the sugar.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the orange-scented sugar and beat 4–5 minutes until fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly after each. Mix in the vanilla, then beat in the yogurt.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Spoon half the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle with about two-thirds of the streusel. Add the remaining batter, then swirl the remaining streusel through the top with a knife.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45–55 minutes (some ovens require the full 55 minutes).
- Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Allow the cake to set before glazing to avoid breaking it while warm.
- Once fully cool, drizzle the cake with the orange glaze and let it set about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
ORANGE GLAZE
- Whisk together the orange juice, vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth and pourable. Adjust thickness with more powdered sugar or a splash of juice as needed.
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Fluffy deliciousness.