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Today’s easy Cranberry Coffee Cake is the perfect way to begin (or end) holiday festivities.

Cranberry Coffee Cake with fresh cranberries and Greek yogurt glaze drizzled on top

The holidays are a time for family, friends, traditions, and…getting away with eating dessert for breakfast.

For whatever reason (not that I’m complaining), coffee cake always seems to get a pass at the breakfast table.

A slice of streusel-topped Apple Coffee Cake at 8 a.m. is socially acceptable.

Meanwhile, try eating a slice of Caramel Apple Cake in front of your mother for breakfast and a lecture might ensure.

To avoid confrontation this holiday season, bake up a cranberry coffee cake bundt for Christmas brunch.

  • It’s a coffee cake that’s totally dessert-worthy but it has a few healthy surprises up its sleeve (do coffee cakes have sleeves?).
  • Like this Pumpkin Coffee Cake, it celebrates the season.
A slice of easy Cranberry Coffee Cake on a plate for Christmas brunch

5 Star Review

“We loved this cake!! The crumb is just lovely. Will definitely be making this again over the holidays!”

— Joanie —

Why I Love This Healthy Cranberry Coffee Cake

This cranberry coffee cake is everything the best coffee cake should be and more.

  • Sorry, sour cream, healthy greek yogurt contributes all the moisture and tenderness this coffee cake needs with less fat and fewer calories.
  • Fresh whole cranberries are folded into the batter for an interesting (and festive) deviation from Grandma’s Coffee Bundt Cake.
  • An obligatory glaze kisses the surface and hugs every nook and cranny of this bejeweled bundt.
  • Sweet, but not too sweet, the tart fresh cranberries also help cut through the sweetness of the cake and its simple glaze.
  • Oh, and this cranberry coffee cake is ready in less than an hour, including baking time (truly a Christmas miracle).

I think we can all safely assume that cranberry coffee cake has secured a spot on Santa’s “nice” list this year.

A slice of cranberry coffee cake with greek yogurt and not with sour cream on a plate with glaze and a fork

How to Make Cranberry Coffee Cake

For a healthy holiday surprise, try this beautiful cranberry coffee cake bundt.

With a tender crumb reminiscent of pound cake, this cranberry-studded treat will be the star of your holiday brunch.


The Ingredients

  • Greek Yogurt. In place of traditional sour cream, I used protein-packed Greek yogurt (like in my Coffee Cake Muffins). Greek yogurt performs the same functions as sour cream in baking—making the cranberry coffee cake incredibly moist and balancing its flavor.

Substitution Tip

While the taste difference between sour cream and Greek yogurt is almost imperceptible, if you’re a traditionalist, you may swap out Greek yogurt for sour cream.

  • Butter. Adds rich, pound cake-like flavor, richness, and tenderness to the crumb.
  • Sugar. Sweetens the coffee cake and adds additional moisture. (For another sweet treat, try my Banana Bundt Cake).
  • Eggs. Provides structure to the coffee cake bundt and contributes additional moisture and softness.
  • Flour. This recipe uses another one of my favorite stealthy-healthy baking sneaks: a blend of all-purpose and white whole wheat flour which adds nutrition and a hint of nuttiness.

Substitution Tip

If you don’t keep white whole wheat flour on hand, you can swap for an equal amount of all-purpose flour in this recipe (like in my Lemon Blueberry Bundt Cake).

  • Baking Powder + Baking Soda. The baking powder does most of the heavy lifting in this recipe while baking soda helps neutralize acids, tenderizes the crumb, and gives a little extra floof!
  • Cranberries. These little jewels of tart and sweet perfection are studded throughout this whimsical, festive holiday bundt cake (just like in my favorite Cranberry Orange Muffins).

Ingredient Note

You may use either fresh or frozen (and thawed) whole cranberries in this recipe.

  • Vanilla + Almond Extract. Since almond and cranberries taste so marvelous together I went a little extra with a few splashes of almond extract in addition to classic vanilla extract.
  • Powdered Sugar. Mixed simply with Greek yogurt and almond extract to create the perfect sweet finish for this cranberry coffee cake.

Tip!

If you prefer a thicker glaze, add additional powdered sugar. For a thinner glaze, you can add a few teaspoons of milk until the glaze reaches your desired consistency.

cranberry coffee cake with whole cranberries and yogurt glaze

The Directions

  1. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the remaining wet ingredients.
  2. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, mix well, then fold in the cranberries.
  3. Pour the batter into a 10-cup bundt pan. Bake the cranberry coffee cake at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  4. Make the glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, slice, and serve. ENJOY!

Storage Tips

  • To Store. Keep leftover cranberry coffee cake well wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days.
  • To Freeze. Cranberry coffee cake may be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for several hours before serving.

What to Serve with Cranberry Coffee Cake

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

  • Bundt Pan. This one never sticks and is easy to clean!
  • Beater Blade Attachment. No more bowl scraping with your stand mixer required.
  • Mixing Bowls. This colorful and festive set will put you into the holiday baking spirit.

Put a bow on this cranberry sour cream coffee cake and call your holiday shopping done! Do yourself a favor and gift one to yourself too!

Frequently Asked Questions

Could I Bake In Smaller Mini Loaf Pans Instead of a Bundt Pan?

Sure! To make mini, giftable cranberry coffee cakes, divide the batter into several smaller loaf pans and bake. You will want to decrease the baking time considerably so start checking around 20-25 minutes since they will bake a lot faster than in a single, large bundt.

Could I Use Buttermilk Instead of Greek Yogurt?

I’m always a fan of experimentation, but to be honest I wouldn’t recommend this swap. Greek yogurt is much thicker than buttermilk, so it would likely change the consistency of the cake. Sour cream is a much safer swap for Greek yogurt in this cranberry coffee cake than buttermilk.

Can I Make Cranberry Coffee Cake Gluten Free?

If you have a 1-to-1 gluten free flour you have used in the past with success, you could certainly experiment with it. I’d love to hear about your results if you try it.

Can I Use Dried Cranberries?

Sure! Note that dried cranberries are sweeter. Your coffee cake will still be delicious, just different than the original recipe. I’d start with 1/2 cup dried and see if you are happy with the ratio.

Cranberry Coffee Cake

5 from 15 votes
A healthy cranberry coffee cake recipe made with fresh cranberries and Greek yogurt. The BEST Christmas brunch treat or holiday party dessert.

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Cranberry Coffee Cake:

For the Glaze:


Instructions
 

  • Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter and flour a 10-cup bundt pan. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  • Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating fully between each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
  • In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • Add to the butter/yogurt mixture and beat gently until evenly combined. Fold in the cranberries.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, then bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn out of the pan onto the rack and allow to cool a few more minutes.
  • To make the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, and almond extract until smooth. If you desire a thicker glaze, add additional powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the cake, then slice and serve.

Notes

  • TO STORE: Keep leftover cranberry coffee cake well wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days.
  • TO FREEZE: Cranberry coffee cake may be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. For best results, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then a layer of foil. Defrost overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for several hours before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 10) with glazeCalories: 376kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 9gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgPotassium: 113mgFiber: 3gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 349IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 74mgIron: 2mg

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

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30 Comments

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  1. I will be trying your recipe over the holidays. Glad to see you used white whole wheat flour. I have recently started milling my own flour for bread. Do you think the flour you are using is a soft or hard white wheat? I have been experimenting with using a soft white wheat in cookies and found I need about 1/2 cup more flour than white flour.  I hope you do more recipes with whole wheat flour. Thanks, Terry 

    1. Terry, the blend I use is a hard white wheat. How neat that you mill your own flour, and I hope you love this cake!

  2. Could I use buttermilk instead of Greek yogurt? I have some buttermilk & cranberries I need to use up & was hoping this would solve both needs! Thanks ;)

    1. Laura, you can always feel free to experiment, but to be honest I wouldn’t recommend it. Greek yogurt is much thicker than buttermilk, so I’m worried that it would change the consistency of the cake. That’s probably not the answer you were hoping for, but it’s the only way I’ve tested the recipe, and I want the cake to come out perfectly for you!

  3. We loved this cake!!  I had it printed off (of course!) and decided to take it to a post-funeral gathering ( :( ) this weekend. Usually I do a tiny “quality control” slice of cake or pie or a whole muffin, but I didn’t want to take a chance on the cranberries snagging cake and making it messy. And it was an Erin recipe so DUH safe bet :) .  I saw it being cut and it sliced beautifully amid oohs and ahhhs.  Everyone was very enthusiastic about the taste as well.  Requests for the recipe started coming quickly.  (Noticed any blog traffic increase?!)  I quickly grabbed a napkin and got a slice for DH and myself–wonderful!  The crumb is just lovely.  Only thing I did different was not use almond extract. Amongst the palates I’m around, it is a very polarizing flavor even in tiny amounts!  Will definitely be making this again over the holidays!  Thanks, Erin!5 stars

    1. Joanie, I am so SO excited to hear this and can’t thank you enjoy for sharing the recipe with your friends too. You absolutely made my day :) Thank you!!

    1. Hi Liz, yes, I think that would work! You’ll definitely want to decrease the baking time and start checking perhaps around 20-25 minutes, depending on how big your loaves are. They’ll cook a lot faster than in a big bundt pan as pictured, so I would start checking early.

      1. Thanks Erin, They turned out good! I put the batter into 5 small aluminum foil type pans (which are hard to butter and flour so I sprayed with coconut oil). They were done in 25 min. Popped right out of the pans after 5 min. Ready for gifting!5 stars

  4. Hello! If I use all-purpose flour without using whole wheat does the quantity of flour used stay the same or should it be adjusted. If needs to adjusted, then how much of all-purpose flour should be used? Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe and have a happy holiday season!

  5. Hi Erin, thank you for honest and really good recipe. i just made it and I LIKE IT! I am very picky about bakery goods, cause I am from another country and always looking for international bakery in stores, but this recipe is bingo! Next time i will put 1 cup of fresh cranberries.5 stars

    1. Svetlana, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful review.

  6. If I do not use wheat flour, can you please tell me how much regular all purpose flour I would use?
    This cake sounds delicious and I want to make it for my retired teacher’s group.
    Thank you for your help.

    1. Hi Cynthia! You could experiment with it, but to be honest I wouldn’t recommend it. Greek yogurt is much thicker than buttermilk, so I’m worried that it would change the consistency of the cake. That’s probably not the answer you were hoping for, but it’s the only way I’ve tested the recipe, and I want the cake to come out perfectly for you!

  7. Bravo Erin! Another really great recipe!!
    I have made 6 of these during the holidays to give to my neighbors. Everyone loved them. I can’t wait to make it for family members as well. I added quite a few more cranberries, since they are delicious, and a dash more baking soda and baking powder too. I often do, as I get a lighter finished product. I love making this recipe, since it is exactly as you said, quick and easy. Thank you for the wonderful recipes and ideas. (and go Irish!)5 stars

  8. Not too sweet and not too tart. Made it twice. Once according to your recipe and 2nd time used 1/2 tsp orange extract (in place of almond extract) and a whole bag (12 ounces) of cranberries (in place of 3/4 cup cranberries. Yum!5 stars

  9. This was delicious. I needed a recipe to use up leftover cranberries from making jam and this was perfect! I didn’t have greek yogurt, but used plain regular yogurt and it was incredibly tender and not too sweet. Lovely recipe.5 stars

  10. I was a little skeptical about whole cranberries, but wanted to live on the edge, lol! Erin, this is another winner from your marvelous collection!!
    Erin’s recipes are slways terrific! Although I can’t stand posts that try to “one up” the star, I would like to share my substitutions for those who are wondering:
    I used sour cream because I didn’t have Greek yogurt; I also used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure because I am gluten intolerant; I added a dash of cardamom powder, a dash of cinnamon, and a few drops of sweet orange essential oil in addition to the vanilla and almond extract in the batter; I used half and half in my glaze without a problem.
    We had our first slice warm out of the oven and it is delicious! The cranberries kind of pop and ooze throughout the cake! When I serve it to a friend tomorrow, I will offer fresh cranberry relish on the side, since it was suggested to serve with fruit.5 stars