Cranberry Breakfast Cake

My Cranberry Breakfast Cake is an easy one bowl snack that can be made with fresh cranberries or frozen, but don’t let the simplicity fool you, the sweet/tart cranberries pack a flavorful punch!  It’s what you’re bringing to every occasion on your social calendar this season.

I highly recommend making this cranberry breakfast cake with the first cranberries you spot at the supermarket.

Hey guys!  Popping in today to share a fun snack cake with you, it’s the sort of thing you’re definitely going to want to whip up on repeat this season ~ on crisp fall weekend mornings and for all your holiday brunches.  Every time I bake with cranberries I fall in love all over again, they have the brightest flavor of any berry.  Did you know that when you bake them they lose all that sharp astringency you get with raw cranberries?  They do a complete 180 in the oven and it’s magical.

Raw cranberries baked up in this coffee cake have a lovely raspberry-like flavor ~ don’t be afraid of them!

This easy one bowl cranberry cake is based on my super popular Rhubarb Breakfast Cake which so many of you have made and loved.

I’ve always drooled over my friend Mary’s Cranberry Christmas Cake, and it inspired me to create my own.  We share a passion for fresh cranberries, and I get just as excited for the start of the season as I do with high summer tomatoes or corn.  Any day now you’re going to see fresh cranberries in your supermarket, and I beg you not to wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy them.  Grab as many bags as you can fit in your cart, and just like that, you’ve got your holiday baking responsibilities sorted.  It’s a good feeling 🙂

Want to know a secret?  I use almond and vanilla extracts in the batter, it’s a combination I can’t get enough of.

I love that you get a little bit of both flavors, and the combo has its own unique effect.  The next time you bake, give it a try.

How to freeze cranberries

Cranberries freeze easier than almost any other fruit ~ they will last the year in your freezer and come out looking just like the day they went in! 

• The easiest way, and the way I do it, is to stack the bags of fresh cranberries, just as they come from the store, in the back of my freezer where they’ll stay nice and cold and perfect for up to a year.
• If you feel the need to wash your berries, do it before you freeze them.  Make sure they are completely dry before filling zip lock freezer bags or storage containers.

The minute fresh cranberries make it to market I stash a bunch of bags in the back of my freezer, I have a whole section dedicated to it, and I especially love being able to bake with them through the long winter months after the holidays.

The holidays may come and go, but my cranberry cravings stick around all winter long.

How to use frozen cranberries

Since fresh cranberries aren’t available just yet in my store, I used last year’s berries for today’s cake, straight from the freezer.  

• For most recipes all you need to do is remove the frozen berries and use them from frozen, no need to thaw.  They make a perfect substitute in any recipe that features berries, for instance.

I topped this cranberry breakfast cake with a shower of sparkling sugar ~ this stuff glitters like diamonds!

It’s unlike any other sugar.  I sprinkle some on before and after baking for extra glitz and the little bit of added sweet crunch is fabulous on this cake.

What is sparkling sugar?

• sparkling sugar, aka extra coarse or decorating sugar, is a coarse grained white sugar, specially made to decorate baked treats because it doesn’t disappear or melt during baking.  Use it when you want some serious glitter on your cakes, cupcakes, and cookies.
• I think sparkling sugar is the perfect garnish for cookies because it gives a great decorative look without being uncomfortably coarse to eat.

Other ways to use sparkling sugar

Aside from sprinkling it onto the tops of cakes like this cranberry cake, there are lots of other ways to make use of this sparkly magic…

• Roll the edges of slice and bake cookies before baking.
• Top sugar cookies before baking.
• Sprinkle on scones before baking.
• Add to frosted or glazed surfaces while they’re still wet.

Let me know if you make this cake, I’m dying to hear what you think!

• tag me on Instagram @theviewfromgreatisland

• let me know on facebook

• comment below, I read every one, and answer questions asap 🙂

More cranberry recipes to love ~

• Cranberry Gingersnap Pie ~ this is a showstopper that belongs on your holiday dessert table, period.
• Cranberry Walnut Shortbread Bars ~ one of my personal favorite recipes, it combines homemade cranberry curd, walnuts, and shortbread ~ what’s not to love?
• Better Than Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bread ~ I love Starbucks, don’t get me wrong, but nothing compares to home baked cranberry bread.  Nothing.
• Crock Pot Cranberry Apple Butter ~ this one is as irresistible as it is gorgeous, and you haven’t lived until you’ve slathered some on a hot biscuit.  Put it out on the Thanksgiving table and watch it disappear.