Cranberry Crumb Cake

By Samantha Seneviratne

Cranberry Crumb Cake
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
1¼ hours, plus cooling
Rating
4(711)
Comments
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With their pleasant tang and gorgeous color, cranberries take this brunch staple to the next level. Here, they're nestled in a sour cream cake batter that's topped with a butter crumb, and cook down to add the perfect burst of sour. You can use fresh cranberries or berries that have been frozen and thawed, but note that the cooking time will vary depending on which you use. Lastly, while cranberries make this cake especially nice for fall and winter, blueberries, raspberries or blackberries would be excellent in the summer.

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Ingredients

Yield:24 servings

    For the Cake

    • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan
    • 2½cups/320 grams all-purpose flour
    • 1½teaspoons baking powder
    • ¾teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½teaspoon baking soda
    • 1¼cups/250 grams granulated sugar
    • 1tablespoon freshly grated orange zest (from 1 or 2 oranges)
    • 2large eggs, at room temperature
    • 2teaspoons pure vanilla extract
    • 1cup/240 milliliters full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
    • 3cups/340 grams fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries

    For the Crumble

    • 1½cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
    • 1cup packed/220 grams light or dark brown sugar
    • 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

219 calories; 10 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 158 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter the parchment. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, beat the granulated sugar, butter and orange zest with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add in the vanilla. Beat in half of the dry ingredients at low speed, then the sour cream, and then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing just until no dry spots remain (do not overmix). Fold in 1 cup of the cranberries.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it out into an even layer using an offset spatula. Top with the remaining cranberries.

  4. Step 4

    Prepare the crumble: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and mix it in with a fork until evenly moistened.

  5. Step 5

    Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the top, squeezing into various-size clumps. Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. If you are using fresh cranberries, start checking the cake around 45 minutes. If you are using frozen cranberries, this could take 55 to 60 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Transfer the cake in the pan to a rack to cool completely (about 3 hours). Using the parchment overhang, carefully lift the cake and transfer to a cutting board to cut and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
711 user ratings
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Comments

tg

Re:buttering the parchment paper. My answer would simply be for insurance so that nothing sticks. I always do it since it’s so simple. Just butter the entire pan, place the parchment in, press into place and then flip it over. Now both sides are buttered.

MMS

Why do so many recipes direct you to butter parchment paper? Having tried it both ways I find no difference, except for the extra time it takes to smear the butter on the paper. Can someone explain what I may be missing when I ignore this direction?

CatPerson

Your intro to the recipe calls for fresh or "berries that have been frozen and thawed" but your recipe ingredients call for "unthawed frozen cranberries". Which is it, please?

Lyudmila

What temperature to bake?

CindyB

Great recipe for a coffee cake for the Christmas season. It was easy to whip up and it was delicious. Five stars!!

Naomi

I used a full 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries and rubbed the orange zest with the sugar before adding the butter. Topping with sifted powdered sugar adds to the presentation too. The crumb felt sturdy but it wasn’t dry. Overall, this was a hit! I’ll be making it again but may experiment with cake flour.

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