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.
Line a light-colored 8x8 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 Facts below are estimated for 9 large squares of cake using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust nutrition facts if cutting into 16 smaller slices, which will be around 250 calories per slice.