If you find yourself with leftover cranberry sauce this holiday season, you’ve GOT to make this fluffy Pumpkin Cranberry Coffee Cake! This rockin’ recipe features soft cinnamon and pumpkin spiced cake topped with a zippy cranberry sauce and the most irresistible coffee cake crumbles.
A twist on my beloved Cranberry Sauce Muffins, this coffee cake is a super easy option for a post holiday brunch with your family and friends!
I am infamous for making too much cranberry sauce every Thanksgiving and Christmas, and have built up quite the arsenal of recipes to help use it up.
This deliciousness can be made with homemade *OR* store bought whole-berry or pureed cranberry sauce and looks oh so impressive despite being a pretty easy recipe to make!
I’ll link up my favorite homemade sauces below the recipe card if you need them as well as some of my go-to leftover cranberry sauce recipes if you have more to use up.
Grab your cranberry sauce and meet me in the kitchen!
Fluffy Pumpkin Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake
This recipe yields an 8×8 coffee cake and is great for when you have a cup of leftover cranberry sauce to use up.
You can cut it into 9 extra-large portions or 16 smaller coffee cakes.
I’ve included some FAQ and tips below the recipe card if you’re new to baking or need extra help. Feel free to leave me a comment if you need any additional assistance!
Fluffy Pumpkin Cranberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree (180 grams)
- ½ cup avocado oil or vegetable oil
- ½ cup milk (I use whole milk)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (180 grams)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp pumpkin spice blend (optional)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup whole berry or pureed cranberry sauce
CINNAMON COFFEE CAKE STREUSEL
- 4 TBSP unsalted butter (¼ cup) melted
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (80 grams)
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar (100 grams) packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Line a light-colored 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Set out milk, egg, and cranberry sauce to reach room temperature.
MAKE THE STREUSEL
- Do this step first to allow the streusel time to dry out a bit.
- Melt butter.
- In a small bowl combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
- Pour butter over streusel mixture and mix with a fork until it resembles small crumbs.
PREP CAKE BATTER
- Add wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl: ¾ cup pumpkin, 1 egg, ½ cup oil, ½ cup milk, and 1 and ½ tsp vanilla. Next add ¾ cup of granulated sugar and mix well with a metal whisk.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine 1 and ½ cups flour, 1 and ½ tsp cinnamon, ¾ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt in medium bowl. Mix to evenly distribute ingredients.
- Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir with metal whisk until ingredients are evenly incorporated but not overmixed. Batter will be thick with a few small lumps remaining.
- Transfer batter into prepared baking dish.
- Spread the batter into an even layer and dollop with spaced spoonfuls of cranberry sauce. Spread sauce into an even layer. It's okay if a little mixes with the batter. For a jammier coffee cake, feel free to add a little extra sauce.
- Sprinkle streusel mixture over the top in an even layer.
READY TO BAKE?
- Place baking pan on the center rack with oven preheated to 350℉.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness around the 40 minute mark, adjusting times as needed since ovens may vary. Insert a toothpick 2” from the side to check if cake batter has cooked through.
- If using a dark-colored baking pan, check for doneness 15 minutes earlier (Wiggle the pan to check if there is still a jiggly center and insert a knife or toothpick to test) and adjust bake times as needed for the faster-cooking pan.
- Allow coffee cake to cool in the pan. Flavors will be more pronounced once fully cooled. Slice into 9 or 16 portions and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
New to baking? Here are some Tips!
Weighing flour and sugar in grams can save on time and yields the most accurate results.
I keep a tiny digital kitchen scale in my junk drawer and it has totally revolutionized my baking.
If you aren’t the proud owner of a digital kitchen scale, go ahead and put one on your holiday wish list and use the fluff/spoon/scrape technique to measure the flour. First fluff the flour in the container to aerate then gently spoon the fluffed flour into the measuring cup. Use a knife to scrape the top level without packing the flour into the cup.
The material your 8×8 pan is made of will greatly impact baking time.
Glass baking dishes are not advised. Glass bakeware has poor heat conduction, making it slow to heat but, once hot, retains that heat for longer. This can result in uneven baking: By the time the interior is baked through, the exterior and edges are often overcooked.
A light colored aluminum baking dish or aluminized steel pan (silicone coated or regular) will take a little longer to bake while a darker nonstick pan (usually made of steel) may need a reduced baking time to prevent the edges from over-browning.
Light colored pans absorb less heat and, while they take a little longer to bake, are best for cakes and cookies because they result in even cooking and softer textures.
Q: What kind of cranberry sauce should I use?
Whole berry or blended cranberry sauce works great here. The only kind I would avoid is the jellied cranberry sauce that keeps the shape of the can. Both homemade or store-bought cranberry sauces can be used for these muffins.
I have both a Crockpot Cranberry Sauce and a Stove Top Cranberry Sauce if you need a recipe. This year I made mine in advance and froze it so I will have a nice big bowl for Thanksgiving as well as some extra to make these muffins on repeat. Yay!
Q: What kind of pumpkin should I use?
I have had the best results with Libby’s Pumpkin Puree as well as the store brand canned pumpkin from Target, Publix, and Kroger. Homemade or organic pumpkin purees have a higher water content and can alter baking recipes.
Q: Can I use something other than avocado oil?
Yes! Whichever mild-tasting oil that you typically use for baking will absolutely work here such as canola oil or vegetable oil.
Looking for some more leftover cranberry sauce recipes? Here are a few of my favorites!
I also love making my Cinnamon Walnut Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread to spread on crackers, bagels, croissants, sandwiches, and more! I totally need to update the post with photos when I make it this year. Love it so!
If you get a chance to try this Fluffy Pumpkin Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake recipe, let me know. Leave me a comment or review using the form below. I’m always so thankful to hear from you!
Questions & Reviews
One of the best coffee cakes I have ever tasted! I used whole wheat pastry flour and fresh cranberries. I followed the suggestion to check the doneness about 15 minutes early and took it out when it hit 200° internal temp. It had a great dense crumb to it and the balance of the tartness from the cranberries and the sweetness from the topping was perfect. I also love that you put the ingredient measures both at the top of the recipe and within the steps so that I don’t have to scroll back and forth when I’m using my phone.
Really yummy, and such an incredibly tender crumb! Thank you for sharing!
So super glad you enjoyed it, Debby!
The coffee cake streusel was legit. Love the consistency. This was great for breakfast.
Yay!!! Thanks Cece!
Looks great! I’m going to try it for sure! Does it freeze well? And have you ever swirled the cranberry sauce through the batter or is it best left spread on top?
Hi Donna! So excited for you to try it! I just developed this recipe in November so I haven’t had a chance to see how it freezes with the cranberry and streusel topping? My concern would be upon defrosting the cranberry sauce would make the streusel and cake a little soggy once it thaws. When baked up fresh and enjoyed fresh it is so so fantastic! Try it on top first, it is my favorite that way and has this great layered balance of flavors! Then if you want to swirl it throughout next time you can.