Cranberry - Orange Coffeecake Breakfast - Memorial Day 2011

Even though today was the actual holiday, my family just took it easy...  It was a day off for my son, so he and his lady love took that opportunity to go on a date to Columbia...  Earlier, however, we managed to display a little American pride right in our own front yard. My son and his friend worked on our flag pole.  After the windstorms from last summer, we had a problem!  The flag dipped at a peculiar angle, and it looked terrible.  So, a few bags of concrete did the trick...  and we raised a new flag today... in honor of my Dad, a WW2 veteran.

 Any kind of an event seems to call for a celebration, and my family loves to have something baked in case we have unannounced visitors, which I love!...  I have a great little cookbook by Shelley Reeves Smith and Roxie Kelley.  This one had an orange-cranberry coffeecake in it that seemed to call my name today...

Cranberry-Orange Coffeecake

1 Yellow cake mix
1 orange
Enough oil, eggs,water to make mix according to directions
1 12 oz. pkg frozen cranberries/  I used half frozen and half dried.  I think blueberries would work also
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 t. ground  cinnamon
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees/  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with shortening.  zest orange.  Should have 1 T zest
squeeze juice and remove seeds/  Reserve 2 T juice for glaze/  Add remaining juice to water or liquid called for in cake mix.  Add  zest and stir up cake by directions.  Add half sack cranberries  Pour in pan and top with other half sack of cranberries.

Mix brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon and crumble over top.  Bake 35-45 minutes.  Don't overbake. 

Mix powdered sugar, orange juice, and 2 T water to make glaze.  Drizzle over warm cake.


This is a very moist cake with great textures from the nuts and sugary topping.  It is moist and tart from the cranberries...  and sweet, too...  I think it's a "keeper."