Every Christmas, my mom’s parents fly out to spend the holiday with us. On the morning of December 24, all six of us pile into the car and drive half an hour to our favorite brunch restaurant to celebrate my grandparents’ anniversary. Yes, they were married on Christmas Eve!
There are only a handful of these restaurants, all in Northern California, but they make the best blueberry coffee cake you’ll ever find. Tall squares of tender sour cream cake, packed full of juicy berries, and topped with a thick layer of cinnamon sugar streusel. It’s a meal all by itself!
However, up until high school, I was completely convinced that I didn’t like fruit in my cake. Bananas were fine in muffins—but not berries—and cakes were supposed to be plain and topped with frosting. Besides, the restaurant sold super cute funny face pancakes complete with chocolate chip smiles… Which I ordered from the kids’ menu well past their 10-year-old cut-off date.
But one Christmas when my grandparents came to visit, I decided to be brave and select something from the regular menu instead. I opted for a simple ham and cheese omelette, and when the waiter asked which coffee cake I wanted, blueberry or cranberry, I actually replied with the latter, much to everyone’s surprise. Nobody ever chose their seasonal flavor… We’re a family of purists!
When the piece came, I cautiously took a bite. Then another. And another. Before everyone else finished their entrées, I had wiped the plate clean! Those tangy berries combined with the sweet streusel (and melted butter… so much melted butter on top!) was the perfect combination. And now years later, I finally recreated it at home with this Cranberry Crumb Coffee Cake!
Unlike the original, I made mine a little healthier. It’s entirely clean eating friendly, meaning it contains nothing processed or overly refined. Whole wheat flour, maple syrup, and butter (no vegetable oil!).
To lighten up the cake without sacrificing the tender texture, I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Greek yogurt adds all of the moisture for a fraction of the fat and calories. It’s my secret weapon in healthier baking!
To maximize the tangy flavor, use fresh cranberries. They turn juicy and tender in the oven, and their color darkens to the most gorgeous shade of red. Dried just can’t compare! But if you want to make this coffee cake out of season, then be sure to hydrate the dried cranberries first. It only takes a few minutes, and it prevents them from soaking up all of the cake’s moisture.
And the streusel… Oh you guys, I am such a sucker for streusel! I always save the bits with the thickest amount of cinnamon sugar for last. Does anybody else do that? I added a thick layer to the top of this coffee cake because it just wouldn’t be the same without it!
Umm, yes. There are no words. Besides… “Cake. For. Breakfast.”
And that’s definitely something I can get behind!
This easy breakfast cake is perfect for the holidays! It tastes best when it’s slightly warm and served with a bit of melted butter on top. Pure bliss! Store any leftovers slices in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the topping, stir together the flour and cinnamon. Thoroughly mix in the butter and maple syrup. Set aside.
- To prepare the cake, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix in the yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Stir in the maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Fold in the cranberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter. (The crumb topping tends to clump, so try to break it up into small chocolate chip-sized pieces.) Bake at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes: I highly recommend fresh cranberries! If you must use dried, then hydrate them first so that they don’t soak up all of the cake’s moisture. Add the dried cranberries to a microwave-safe bowl, cover them completely with water, and top with a tight-fitting lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 45-60 seconds. Let the dried cranberries sit and absorb moisture until you’re ready to add them to the batter. Drain them completely before folding in.
I used whole wheat pastry flour for the cake to give it a lighter texture and crumb. The topping doesn’t need that lighter texture, hence the regular whole wheat flour. You can easily substitute one for the other, if you desire.
If you prefer, coconut oil may be substituted in place of the butter. Coconut oil will work fine in the cake, but I can't guarantee the results of using it in the crumb topping.
{clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
Looks delicious! I love cranberries and I love crumb cake!
I was wondering have you ever tried this in muffin form? Or into smaller loaves?
Just curious!
Thanks!
Thanks Megan! No, I haven’t tried it as muffins or smaller loaves, but it’d be fun to try! They’d probably bake at 350°F for 18-21 minutes (regular muffins) or a little longer for mini loaf pans. I’d love to hear what you think if you try either of those!
I need to find a fork and dig in ASAP!!
Please do Beth!! It’ll save me from eating the entire coffee cake all by myself… 😉
Thank goodness for your adventurous self because cranberry sounds like the perfect seasonal filling for a crumb coffee cake. I’d drive out of my way just to order this off the menu too (especially if it was your clean eating version:).
You’re just the sweetest girl!! I need to test a GF version for you. Because you’re that awesome. 🙂
This was delicious. I love that it wasn’t overly sweet and the cranberries could shine. Nobody could believe this only 2T of butter.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Nikki! 🙂
Hi! So i’m in the middle of preparing the cake and i noticed that the instructions say to add an egg, but there is no egg in the ingredients. So am i supposed to add an egg or not?
haha! just kidding, i found it!the “room temperature” through me off, i was looking for something ending in “egg”
I’m glad you solved the mystery Amy, and I really hope you enjoy the coffee cake! 🙂
Hey!
I made this cake and it was absolutely delicious! I ran out of maple syrup so I used honey for the streusel and it was still awesome. I want to try making it again, with rhubarb, but I still don’t have maple syrup. I know I could do the whole thing with honey, but do you think there is a way I could sub regular white or brown sugar? I’m just not sure what else I would need to add for moisture. Maybe just increase the amount of yogurt? Also, do you think regular plain yogurt would work instead of Greek? Sorry for all the questions, but you’re an expert and I figured you would have a better idea of what substitutions might work, and what won’t. Anyway, any help would be appreciated!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the coffee cake Amy! And no need to apologize for the questions — I’m happy to help! 🙂 You could definitely substitute either granulated or brown sugar, although I’d recommend brown because it adds more moisture. To substitute for the maple syrup in the cake batter, use ½ cup packed brown sugar and an additional ¼ cup of milk (for a total of 10 tablespoons). Plain yogurt would also work in place of the Greek yogurt. I’d love to hear how your rhubarb version turns out!
Thanks so much! 😀 I want to bake sometime this coming week, so I’ll let you know how it turns out!!
I can’t wait to hear how it goes Amy! 🙂
Amy, I am lactose intolerant and don’t have greek yogurt, or any yogurt at this time, what can I use as a substitute for the greek yogurt? I have lactose sour cream, but not sure it is still fresh. Thank you for your ideas, I would like to make it this week for my Christmas goodie.
Any non-dairy yogurt alternative will work! Soy-based yogurts will work in almost all of my recipes, and both almond-based and coconut-based yogurts should work as well. I hope you enjoy the coffee cake, and have a wonderful Christmas Kris! 🙂