Cranberry Orange Pecan Coffee Cake

Merry, Merry Christmas!  Just a quick post to share with you all this awesome quick bread recipe.  Seriously so delicious and a great gift.  I was excited to share this bread with my family.  With two loaves, I was able to take one down to Charlotte for my brother and sister-in-law, and give half a loaf each to my mom and dad.  I thought when I came home I might stop baking for a minute or two.  I was very, very wrong as I have been baking everyday since I got home.  This bread was totally worth the effort, plus I had all afternoon to make it.  With my mom at work, I turned on the Christmas music and got to baking.

This bread is loaded with cranberries and has a great orange flavor.  The streusel topping just makes this bread absolutely delicious.  Give it a try, make the full recipe, and just give the extra loaf to a friend.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!

I love my mom's old school mixing bowls and measuring cups.

Lots and lots of cranberries...they totally make this bread.

Laying it all out...cranberries chopped, pecans toasted and chopped, dry ingredients, and eggs.

Zest then juice the orange.

A little folding action, then into the pans and top with the streusel.

Into the oven.

Cranberry Orange & Pecan Coffee Cake: (recipe from Joy the Baker)
*makes two 9×5-inch loaves
For the Cake:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into medium chunks
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

For the Topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped & toasted pecans

1.  Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.  Line loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on each side.  Grease the parchment paper,  Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together flour sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add chunks of butter and work the butter into the flour with your fingers.  Try to blend the butter into each bit of the dry ingredients.  The mixture will resemble a coarse meal.

3.  In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract.

4.  Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir together to incorporate.  Add the cranberries and pecans and fold into the batter.

5.  To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.

6.  Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.  Sprinkle each loaf with topping.  Place in the oven and allow to bake until the cake is golden brown and the center is cooked through.  Insert a skewer into the center of the cake to ensure that it’s cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes.

7.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to life the loaves from the pan and allow to cool further on a wire rack.

8.  Cake can be stored, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 5 days.