Featured Recipe
Tart Cranberry Coffee Cake
By Kate
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A soft crumb, tart berries, and a crunchy cinnamon streusel top. Bright cranberries swapped for tart cherries. Flour lessened by 30 percent. Sugar adjusted. Brown butter instead of regular butter for depth. Baking time trimmed slightly. Milk replaced with buttermilk for tang and moisture. The streusel tosses in chopped pecans for crunch contrast. Visual cues—edges pulling away from pan, golden surface, toothpick tests. Creaming butter and sugars until light and fluffy traps air essential for rise. Alternating flour and liquid prevents overmixing. Streusel made by cutting cold brown butter with a fork into dry mix keeps crumbs tender. Let cool properly or slicing turns sloppy. Serve warm or cooled, flavors deepen with time. Great with black coffee or tangy tea.
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Prep:
20 min
Cook:
35 min
Total:
55 min
Serves:
12 servings
dessert
baking
holiday
brunch
Introduction
Tart cherries stand in for cranberries here. Switched out milk for buttermilk to add subtle acidity; it wakes up flavors and tenderizes crumb. Butter makes brown—nutty, aromatic, deeper flavor. Using browned butter instead of melted or softened gives richness missing when just softened. Flour pulled back 30 percent to lighten texture, sugar adjusted down because tart cherries hit the palate differently. Pecans sneak into streusel for crunch; got to wake up texture dimension here. Timing chopped slightly: cooks faster at 350F but check early so it doesn’t dry out. Best to watch surface color, smell rich cinnamon and toasted nuts, edges shrink slightly from pan. Learn to tell doneness visually and tactilely, don’t just rely on timer. The crumb should spring back lightly under finger, toothpick test comes out with few moist crumbs but no raw batter. Slice carefully when warm to keep shape or wait till fully cooled if you want cleaner chunks. Serve as is or with cream cheese spread if feeling indulgent. Black coffee or bright herbal tea cuts through richness well. Get that slightly crisp streusel top without burning sugar–crisp not burnt.This mix bumps well to morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up with sharp berry brightness like pigment on tongue.
Ingredients
About the ingredients
Brown butter makes a big difference here. Don’t skip it. Brown carefully over medium heat until nutty scent emerges—not burnt but golden and fragrant. If you miss browning, flavor falls flat. Buttermilk prefers room temp or at least no fridge cold liquid; cold can cause batter lumps or tough crumb. If buttermilk unavailable, sour milk (milk plus a splash of vinegar or lemon juice, rested 5–10 minutes) is a decent substitute. Cherries can be fresh or frozen and thawed completely to prevent wet batter. If frozen berries too juicy, pat dry; too much liquid weighs down cake. Pecans replace original topping nuts for crunch; omit if nut allergy but consider toasted oats or additional cinnamon in crumbs. Streusel mixing is critical; mix just enough to get lumps; overmix and it turns gluey. Back up baking spray or butter if pan isn’t seasoned well. Flour choice matters—fine all-purpose flour preferred for tender crumb; cake flour gives too soft result here. Granulated and brown sugar balance sweet and moisture; sugar ratios can be adjusted based on berry sweetness. Got extra berries? Fold in cautiously to not break them up—too many leads to soggy bottom. Experiment with citrus zest for additional fresh lift.
Method
Cake batter
- Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter or spray a 9x13 inch baking dish; the bigger pan helps thinner cake, adjust if you want thicker.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Brown the butter gently in pan until fragrant and nutty, cool slightly. Cream browned butter with white and brown sugars for about 3 minutes until pale and fluffy; stop when just combined to not melt sugar crystals entirely.
- Add egg and vanilla. Mix just to combine. Over mixing can lead to toughness.
- Add half the flour mixture; fold gently with a spatula, just enough to incorporate flour.
- Pour in half the buttermilk; mix lightly, scraping bottom and sides; repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Batter should be thick but scoopable.
- Fold cherries in gently. Avoid breaking berries, want bursts of tartness, not mush.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Use offset spatula for smooth surface.
- Combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, chopped pecans in a bowl.
- Pour melted butter over dry ingredients; use fork to cut butter in producing pea-sized crumbs without dry flour patches.
- Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Watch for craggy but distinct topping clusters; too uniform means overmixing or wet crumbs.
- Place in center rack of oven; bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Start checking at 30 minutes.
- Visual cues: top golden brown, edges pulling slightly away from pan sides, streusel crisp and lightly toasted.
- Insert toothpick in center; if it comes out with moist crumbs, not batter, it's done. Avoid overbaking. Cracks on surface okay if slight.
- Rest cake 15 minutes minimum before slicing. If too warm, cuts won't hold shape, crumb falls apart.
- Serve warm or room temperature. Leftovers keep covered in fridge, gently reheat with foil to avoid drying out.
Streusel topping
Baking & finishing
Technique Tips
Start with prepping dry ingredients while butter browns, efficiency in steps saves time and prevents overmixing. Cream browning butter with sugars traps air and forms base texture; stop creaming once fluffy to avoid melting sugars. Add egg and vanilla carefully; overbeating here adds toughness. Flour and milk added alternately keeps batter smooth with minimal gluten development. Folding berries in last avoids color bleed and berry destruction. Spread batter evenly for uniform baking thickness. Streusel needs cold but melted butter combined gently to maintain crumb structure. Fork cutting butter into streusel reduces mixing equipment needed and affords control on topping texture. Place cake mid oven rack to avoid bottom burning or uneven browning top. Check cake visually around 30 minutes; look for golden brown top with slight puff, edges pulling away. Use toothpick test carefully; too dry means overbaked, moist batter means underbaked. Rest cake adequately after baking to firm crumb, improves slicing ease. Store leftovers wrapped to avoid drying; crisp topping softens over time but flavor improves. Reheat gently with foil tent or quick zap in microwave for warmed slices. If batter feels thick or dry, add splash more buttermilk; too runny means extra flour next time. Don’t overmix flour or batter toughens. High altitude? Increase flour and baking powder slightly, watch baking time. Bakeware size influences thickness; use pan close to recommended dimensions for best result.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Watch the butter closely when browning. Stir often; nutty scent signals it’s ready. Overdo it though and you’ll burn it. Pour into mixing bowl before cooling.
- 💡 Don’t overmix the batter. Fold just until combined. Flour and buttermilk should alternate; keeps gluten from developing too much. Once you see no dry flour, stop.
- 💡 Cherries—fresh or frozen—need care. Thaw and drain; too much juice weighs down the cake. Pat them dry if necessary to avoid soggy crumbs.
- 💡 After baking, let the cake rest. 15 minutes recommended. This firms up the crumbs. Warm slices fall apart; waiting cleans up edges. Look for golden top.
- 💡 Streusel must be crumbly, but not gluey. Cut butter in until pea-sized. If too wet or overmixed, it loses that crunchy texture. You want it crispy, not soggy.
