Cranberry Coffee Cake

Besides turkey and pumpkin, cranberries are what defines Thanksgiving to me; maybe because it's indigenous to North America, but moreover I love those red, tart, bounce berries and can't wait until they appear in the grocery store.  My mother and I would make whole cranberry sauce, which we loved, but she'd also buy a can of the jellied kind for the skeptics who didn't think you should have texture!  This recipe calls for whole-berry and since fresh cranberries have been around for a few weeks, I had some already made up (I love it on grilled cheese sandwiches!)

My mother's kitchen was only 10' x 10', had hardly any counter space and no double ovens--just a stove, so coordinating a huge dinner was a feat that I watched her orchestrate year after year!  We baked cranberry nut bread, along with pumpkin loaves the day before, to have on hand for the feeding the hungry tribe and keep them out of the kitchen while we worked on dinner--which started in the wee hours of the morning.  I thought of those times and long for the camaraderie we shared to make everything just perfect while I made this delicious coffee cake from the King Arthur recipe files.

Cranberry Coffee Cake
Preheat oven to 350F-degrees.  Spray a coffee-cake ring pan or a 9" x 13" baking pan with a baking spray and set aside.

Streusel:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup + 2T King Arthur all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 T unsalted butter
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients, vanilla extract and cinnamon, then use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter (I cut the butter into 1/2" pieces).

Batter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup + 2 T firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt (I used Greek honey-flavored)
2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour (they also recommend whole wheat or white/wheat flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter together.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated.  Mix in the vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients and the yogurt and mix on medium speed to combine.  Spoon batter into the prepared pan.  Use a spoon to add dollops of the cranberry sauce around, then use a fork to mix it slightly into the batter.

Add the streusel topping over the batter.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, testing for doneness with a wooden skewer.  

I allowed the cake to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning it out onto a cookie sheet, lined with wax paper.

 Then, place your serving platter over the cake and flip it to the right side (streusel side up).

I decided to add a glaze drizzled over it, but that is optional.
Glaze:
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 T light Karo syrup
2-3 T very hot water
1/8 tsp. Cran-Raspberry flavoring

Mix the glaze and drizzle over the top of the cake.

If you bake the cake in the rectangle cake pan, you can serve the squares right from the pan!

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for all the wonderful people in our lives and I count all of you in those blessings.  Wishing you a holiday, full of memories; I know I have many. Enjoy!