You know it's Fall when fresh cranberries appear in the supermarket. I always buy a few extra packages and throw them in the freezer. One more culinary confession? I still have a package left from last year! Ok, I'm not sure exactly when I bought them, but it wasn't in the past couple of months so I can only assume...
Cranberries are grown in bogs in the Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Washington State and Oregon. Native Americans were using cranberries when the pilgrims arrived here--they cooked with them, used them to dye fabric and even used them as medicine. Cranberries are most commonly used in sauce served with turkey at Thanksgiving but the introduction of dried cranberries has made them more popular year round. They are tangy and filled with vitamin C. Fresh cranberries freeze very well, though I suggest not waiting a whole year to use them!
With the weather cooling down, it's a perfect time of year to bake a coffee cake. This one is not too sweet and has a lovely cranberry stripe through it. I baked it in a bundt pan, but you could also use a springform pan if you like.
Cranberry Coffee Cake
Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
Instructions
Spray or butter a bundt pan or 8 inch springform pan. Chop the cranberries coarsely and add 1/4 cup of sugar. Set aside. In a small bowl whisk together to combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and one cup of sugar until fluffy, using an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, beating together the mixture after each addition. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Place have the batter in the pan then place the cranberries on top of the batter, leaving a little space between the berries and the side of the pan. Spread the remaining batter evenly over the top of the berries.
Bake at 350 degree for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Enjoy!
