This tender cranberry coffee cake recipe is packed with tart cranberries and a hint of orange zest, and loaded with slivered almonds and a sweet crumb topping. Try my paleo apple cinnamon coffee cake next.
Happy October, everyone! This is when it’s now socially acceptable for me to start decorating the house with pumpkins and apples, wear nothing but shades of beige and black, and watch my electric bill plummet while I cease using the AC.
It’s the (second) most wonderful time of the year.
I’ve been dying to start making all things cranberry for the holidays, and I’ve decided that I don’t have to wait for the holidays! With the weather cooling down, I start to crave things like casseroles and coffee cakes.
I no longer want egg whites and a fruit salad for breakfast. I want waffles, and piles of pancakes, and coffee cake – hence, this cranberry coffee cake.
This cranberry coffee cake is paleo, but not hard to make
But here’s the thing about waffles and piles of pancakes and coffee cake – they’re loaded with gluten and dairy, and that’s a big no-no for a paleo diet. And since I’m stubborn as hell, I’m not giving up my fluffy breakfast confections.
So that means I had to find a way to make them gluten free, dairy free, lower carb and refined sugar free. And guess what? I did it, and it’s beautiful.
The smell alone kinda got me in the holiday spirit, which is good because I am desperately trying to get ahead on my recipes so that I have more time to drink and be merry once winter rolls around.
Ingredients for paleo cranberry coffee cake
Crumb topping:
- ¼ cup almond flour (aff link)
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, solid (not melted)
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds
Cake:
- 2 ¾ cups almond flour (aff link)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup coconut oil, solid (not melted)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup almond milk, or coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- 2 cups cranberries, divided
- Zest of 1 orange, divided
Paleo baking with almond flour and coconut flour
I’ve been spending a lot of time learning the ways to use almond flour and coconut flour, and it’s not as easy as swapping one for another.
Almond flour can be mostly a 1:1 ratio for all purpose flour, but you have to use more baking powder to get more rise out of it.
Coconut flour is sort of a pain in my ass – it’s much more absorbent, so you can’t just use it as a 1:1 ratio of all purpose flour.
With that said, the right combination of the two can result in a perfectly puffy and tender cake when paired with the right amount of rising agent, egg and oil.
Using coconut sugar as a paleo sweetener
And of course you need a little bit of sweetener, for which I used coconut sugar. Coconut sugar has been a real life saver, because using maple syrup or honey isn’t always the right option.
I wanted this cake to have a tender crumb, but I didn’t want it to be heavy. Coconut sugar to the rescue, my friends. Outside of that, there’s nothing crazy about this recipe!
Storing cranberries to have on hand
I always stock up on cranberries and freeze them – I’m basically never without at least two bags of cranberries at any given point and time. You can add them to the batter straight out of the freezer and the result is just as delicious as cranberries fresh out of the bog.
They get all wrinkly and give the coffee cake those perfect little pockets of tart deliciousness.
How many servings does this make?
As for portion size, you can slice this into nine pieces or 16 – totally up to you. I like huge pieces of coffee cake, so of course I cut it into nine.
But you should all be proud of me because I resisted the urge to make some sort of vanilla drizzle to just douse the thing.
Mind you… there are still a few pieces waiting to fulfill their purpose. It’s not too late.
Description
Ingredients
Crumb topping:
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, solid (not melted)
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds
Cake:
- 2 ¾ cups almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup coconut oil, solid (not melted)
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup almond milk, or coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- 2 cups cranberries, divided
- Zest of 1 orange, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° and line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, coconut sugar and coconut oil. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the coconut oil until completely combined and crumbly. Add slivered almonds and stir to combine. Set aside.1/4 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup coconut sugar, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, 3 tablespoons slivered almonds
- In another medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.2 3/4 cups almond flour, 1/4 cup coconut flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- In a large bowl, whisk together coconut oil and coconut sugar until well combined.1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- Add eggs, almond milk and vanilla/almond extract and use a wooden spoon to combine.3 eggs, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
- Add dry mixture to wet mixture until combined. Add 1 1/2 cups cranberries and 3/4 of the orange zest and gently stir to combine.2 cups cranberries, Zest of 1 orange
- Press batter into prepared pan. Top with crumb mixture, cranberries and orange zest.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool completely in pan. Cut into 9 pieces and enjoy!
Tayler
Can I use all almond flour? No coconut flour??
Leslie Kiszka
Coconut flour is extremely absorbent, so it’s not a 1:1 swap since you also need to adjust the amount of liquid in the recipe as well.
I haven’t tried it personally with all almond flour, but in theory you should be able to substitute the 1/4 cup coconut flour with 1 cup almond flour and remove 1 egg. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
Jeanne
Has anyone tried using coconut milk instead of almond? It’s all I have in the house.
Leslie Haasch
It should work, texture wise, but you may have a slightly different taste due to the additional coconut flavor it will add.I haven’t tried it myself, but perhaps add a 1/2 teaspoon more of vanilla extract to balance it out. Good luck!
Jenna
This looks so moist and would be perfect for a light breakfast on Christmas morning!
Leslie Haasch
It totally would!
kate
This looks so good! I love cranberry in sweets.
Leslie Haasch
Me too – they’re so underrated!
Amanda Mason
This looks so good and I love that this is gluten free and paleo! I’m having a hard time finding cranberries at my store…there are no fresh and no frozen!! As soon as I can get my hand on some, I’ll be making this coffee cake!
Leslie Haasch
Oh no, I hope you find some soon!
Lois. O
Cranberry is my favorite holiday flavor as well. I can’t get my family to love it as much as I do though. Maybe this recipe will change their minds because it looks divine!
Leslie Haasch
I hope so!
Julie | Bunsen Burner Bakery
Such a perfect cake flavor for fall! I can’t wait until the fresh cranberries come out again at the grocery store – so many delicious things to bake.
Leslie Haasch
One of my favorite things is walking into the store and seeing the piles of cranberries – it’s the kickoff to my favorite season!
neuroticbaker
I love cranberry coffee cake and this looks super yum.
Leslie Haasch
Thank you!
Renee Gardner
Such a pretty little cake for a fall day. Love the cranberry orange combination.
Leslie Haasch
Me too!
Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago
I love cranberries! This looks like a great coffee cake!
Leslie Haasch
I might be partial, but it is pretty great! :)
Tina | The Worktop (@TheWorktop)
Bring on the cranberries! I am looking forward using cranberries in all my recipes soon :)
Leslie Haasch
They’re the best!
kate
What a perfect dish for the season! I love cranberry anything!
Leslie Haasch
Me too!
Tatiana
I first tried coconut sugar couple years ago and also fell in love with it! And I freeze a lot of cranberries every fall for the whole year too. Well, looks like I have everything on hand for your coffee cake, let’s bake!
Leslie Haasch
Yay, I hope you love it!
sugarlovespices
I love baking with gluten free flours and I hear when you say that you just cannot use coconut flour the same way. It sucks so much moisture! But your coffee cake turned out spectacular, and the addition of almond flour gave a wonderful density and fluffiness. I have to start using cranberries more often!
Leslie Haasch
You really do, they’re just so good!
Dominique| Perchance to Cook
UMMM Yes please!! I’m always on the lookout for new paleo coffee cake recipes, this looks so so so good!
Leslie Haasch
I don’t want to brag, but it TOTALLY is! ;)
Dustin
Cranberry season is my favorite!! Love this!
Leslie Haasch
Me too! I’m glad I live in the state with a plethora of cranberries :)
Gloria Duggan
Loving the sound of this rustic cake. Perfect for dessert, and as an afternoon treat with a cup of coffee or tea.
Leslie Haasch
It’s so good with a cup of coffee, just relaxing on a Sunday morning!
choosingchia
I love how healthy this cake is! You can even eat it for breakfast!
Leslie Haasch
I do, and have – every morning this week! :)