Hi All! For those of you who have been following along, you are fully aware of my kitchen floor fiasco but as of 3:37pm Tuesday, Rick, AKA Guy who was vying for 6th member of our family and daytime tennant,  finished our floors and drove his big, white van off into the sunset while I waved, not quite believing that most of this mess was over.

So, what’s a girl to do with a kitchen all to herself? Well, Wednesday morning I woke up at 5:00am (without an alarm clock) and literally catapulted out of bed and raced to my kitchen to whip up this cranberry coffee cake that I have had bookmarked on my iPhone for about a month now. This cranberry coffee cake is a WINNER. Please make it. It’s addicting, a bit almond-y, sweet and tart and oh so soft and fluffy. Did I mention the lightly crunchy topping too?

I think my husband’s pulse might have literally stopped as he walked through the kitchen Wednesday morning, eyes barely open, using his hands to feel his way to the fridge.  His eyes then got huge and he almost tripped on his own two feet as he saw the mess, disaster, um complete and utter chaos going on in my kitchen.

There was flour on the new Chestnut floors and dishes in the sink piled so high that I might have to use my step ladder to dig in.  A string of ingredients littered the counters and there was a whirring noise in the background as the food processor was busily chopping cranberries.  I had a big smile plastered across my face and he, well, he looked a little defeated.  Not 24 hours into our “new-ish” kitchen and it looked like I had cooked for at least 50 people or so.

But in actuality, all I made was this cranberry coffee cake. Yeah, you might wonder how one could total a kitchen over one semi-simple coffee cake, but let me tell you folks if there were ever an award for fastest kitchen totaller, I would win, hands-down and the competition would be baffled in awe of my mess making ability.  If you sense a bit of pride in that statement, you are right on the money.

I don’t know why but I thoroughly enjoy the artistry of baking and really hate to be neat and tidy while I bake or cook. It stifles my creativity, ya know?  Anyhow, this cake is not to be missed. Please don’t just bookmark it and leave it behind because you will be sorry. So sorry. There is not one part of this cake that is ordinary.

It is sweet, like a coffee cake should be, but the swirl of tart cranberries is magic in the middle and breaks up the sweetness perfectly. Then there is an almond note and a cinnamon-y crunch on top and the softness…it’s so, terribly soft and fluffy.  The crumb from this cake could have poems written about it.

Just for the record, I did start with a Cooking Light recipe, and I had very good intentions you see. But I was utterly disappointed by the lack of batter that this recipe created so I doubled the cake recipe and switched it up a bit. So now it’s officially not light at all but Cooking Light inspired. That’s just how it is; deliciousness, fat, calories and a bit of healthy cranberries. Just take a smaller slice and enjoy the sinful ride.  My grandmother always used to tell me that the road to He!! is paved with good intentions…

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake
Inspired by Cooking Light
Makes about 12 -14 slices
3 1/3 c. cake flour
2 c. granulated sugar (holy wow that’s a lot of sugar!)
3 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. + 2 T. butter, softened
3/4 c. nonfat Greek yogurt
4 T. milk
3 whole eggs
1 egg white
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
2 c. cranberries
1/4 c. sugar

Topping:
1/4 c. cake flour
1 T. softened butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. chopped almonds (or Hazelnuts)
1 t. cinnamon

For the Cake: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a Springform cake pan liberally with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour through salt.  In a small bowl, cream together the butter and yogurt. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together eggs, milk and extracts.  Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Then put 1/2 of the butter mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir together with a rubber scraper and repeat steps until all liquid ingredients, butter mixture and dry ingredients are combined.

For the cranberries: Chop in a food processor  if you have one. It makes it much easier! Add the sugar and pulse few times. Don’t pulverize the cranberries, just get them good and chopped.

For the topping: Mix together the melted butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Set aside.

Pour 1/2 of your batter into the prepared pan. Spoon and gently spread the cranberry mixture over the batter.  Top with remaining batter.  Sprinkle the topping over the top and bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. It should be lightly firm when touched.

Let cool for about 15 minutes before inverting and releasing from pan. You may want to run a butter knife carefully around the edge before releasing so that nothing sticks to the pan. This cake is truly amazing warm so please serve it right away! You won’t be sorry.