This festive cranberry orange coffee cake is soft and tender, filled with zesty citrus and sweet-tart cranberries. My recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and one of my favorite holiday baking ideas. It's the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning!

A round coffee cake with a few slices missing and a few slices in place, on a wire rack, next to a cake knife and three slices of oranges

One of my favorite things about the holidays is baking. From the warmth of the oven and the smell floating through your home, to the festive treats you get to eat, it really is the most wonderful time of the year. And this cranberry orange cake is one of my favorite sweet treats to bake when Christmas rolls around.

Cookies and pies might be the most traditional holiday baked goods, but this easy gluten-free cranberry orange coffee cake has everything I’m looking for! It's delicious on Christmas morning topped with homemade cranberry sauce and enjoyed with coffee or tea.

Why You'll Love This Cranberry Orange Cake

Cozy holiday flavors. Honey, cranberries, and cinnamon spice make this cake taste wintry, while orange juice and zest add a touch of fresh citrus.
Rich, tender cake. There’s a richness from coconut oil and almond flour, and every bite is super tender and full of flavor. I serve my cake slices with a simple homemade honey and orange cranberry sauce that’s the perfect amount of sweet and tart.
Gluten-free. This cake recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free, and it takes only an hour to make. You're going to love bringing this gorgeous, crowd-pleasing bundt cake along to all of your gatherings this season!

What You’ll Need

Here are all the ingredients you need for this easy orange and cranberry cake recipe. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the post for a printable ingredients list with the full amounts.

Blanched almond flour – Make sure you use almond flour, and not almond meal.
Toasted quinoa flour – The combination of almond and quinoa flour replicates all-purpose flour, while being gluten-free.
Baking powder – Check the expiration dates on your baking powder, and also make sure that you're not using baking soda, which is a different ingredient.
Cinnamon – You can also spice up this orange cranberry coffee cake with nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice.
Coconut oil – Or another mild-flavored oil.
Madhava honey – Madhava is a type of unfiltered honey. It has a more natural flavor than pasteurized honeys and it's often referred to as “pure” honey. I love using it whenever I can, but you can use regular honey, too.
Orange juice – Make sure to use freshly-squeezed orange juice for the best possible flavor.
Eggs – Let these come to room temperature before you start, so they'll mix more smoothly into the batter.
Vanilla extract – You want to use pure 100% vanilla extract.
Orange zest – Zest your orange first, and then squeeze it for the fresh juice.
Dried cranberries – You can also use raisins or currants in place of cranberries.
Cranberry sauce – Optional, but so recommended for serving! I make a quick and zesty cranberry sauce to dollop over my cake slices. All it takes is fresh or frozen cranberries, honey, and orange juice.

Can I Use Fresh Cranberries Instead of Dried?

Yes. If you'd prefer to fill your cranberry orange coffee cake with fresh berries, the flavor will just be a bit more tart. You can also use frozen cranberries. In this case, be sure to thaw them completely and pat them dry before you add them to the cake batter. This way, they don't water down the cake.

How to Make Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake

Need an easy treat to eat on Christmas day? Look no further. Here’s how to make a moist, festive orange cranberry coffee cake in an hour or less.

bowl of batter for almond flour coffee cake with cranberry and oranges — Combine the ingredients.

assembling a gluten free coffee cake made with almond flour — Combine the ingredients.

Mix the dry ingredients. First, whisk together the almond flour, quinoa flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a second bowl, mix coconut oil with orange juice and honey, followed by the eggs and vanilla.
Combine. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet batter, mixing in between. Next, fold in the cranberries and orange zest.
Fill the pan. Pour the cake batter into a well-greased bundt pan (I use coconut oil). Afterward, tap the pan gently against the counter a few times to release any air bubbles caught in the batter.
Bake. Bake your coffee cake in the center of the oven at 325ºF for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the coffee cake. Once the cake is done baking, let it rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes and then invert it onto a wire rack. After it's cooled completely, slice, and serve with the cranberry, orange, and honey sauce.

Recipe Tips

Here are some tips for making the best version of this Christmassy cranberry orange cake.

Use room temperature eggs. Remove your eggs from the fridge a few hours before making this coffee cake. Room temperature eggs have an easier time blending with other ingredients. If you use cold eggs, they won’t mix as well, and the coffee cake dough may be denser or lumpier.
Don’t over mix. When adding the wet and dry ingredients together, stir only until the ingredients are incorporated. And when folding in the zest and cranberries, fold just until they’re mixed in. Don’t over mix, or you might make the coffee cake dense instead of light.
Don't let the cake cool completely in the pan. When baking a bundt cake, let it cool in the pan for about 15-20 minutes, but make sure that you remove it before it's had a chance to cool fully. Otherwise, there's a good chance that the cake will get stuck in the pan.
Serve at room temperature. It’s so tempting to eat this cranberry orange coffee cake as soon as it comes out of the pan, especially since your home will be smelling magical. But resist temptation and let the coffee cake cool fully before diving in. That way the cake will firm up to its optimal texture, and it also won’t melt the sauce.

A round cranberry orange coffee cake on a wire rack, next to three orange slices.

How to Serve Cranberry Orange Cake

I love to serve my cranberry coffee cake slices topped with homemade cranberry sauce. It's super easy to make, and I include the ingredients and directions in the recipe card. While the cake bakes, combine cranberries, orange juice, and honey in a saucepan. Simmer until the cranberries break down and the sauce thickens, and then take the pan off the heat. Spoon the sauce over a slice of coffee cake, and dig in with a matcha latte or London fog on the side.

Easy Variations

I've made this cranberry orange cake a few times over the years, and I love finding new ways to adapt it with flavors and add-ins. Here are some fun ways that you can mix up this recipe.

Change the sweetener. Liquid sweetener works best for this recipe, as it helps keep the coffee cake moist. However, if you don’t want to use honey, you can change it up and use agave, maple syrup, or another liquid sweetener.
Swap out the dried fruit. I’m a big fan of dried cranberries in this recipe. But if you want to mix things up, you could exchange them for any other dried fruit. Dried cherries or apricots would be particularly excellent in this Christmas coffee cake.
Change the zest. Orange zest works wonderfully in this recipe because it’s such a festive flavor. But you can replace it with grapefruit zest or lemon zest if you want to add an extra kick to this coffee cake. Meyer lemon zest would be a fantastic addition to this recipe.

A plate with a slice of cranberry orange coffee cake with cranberry, orange, honey sauce next to it, and a fork on the plate

How to Store

To store. You can keep this coffee cake at room temperature for up to 2 days if you store it in an airtight container or bag. You can also keep this coffee cake for a week in the fridge.
Freeze. I recommend slicing the cranberry orange cake before freezing it in an airtight container or plastic bag. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, defrost in the microwave, or heat in the toaster oven when you’re ready to eat it.

More Coffee Cake Recipes

Prep: 15

Cook: 45

Total: 1

Ingredients

for the cake:

2 cups blanched almond flour almond meal will not yield the same results
1 cup toasted quinoa flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
3/4 cup Madhava honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeeze orange juice
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange
1/2 cup dried cranberries

for the sauce:

1 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup orange juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan with coconut oil and set aside.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
In a larger mixing bowl, beat coconut oil, honey and orange juice together until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Add dry mixture into wet in three additions, mixing well after each.
Fold in orange zest and cranberries.
Pour batter into prepared pan, tapping on the counter to release any air bubbles.
Bake on center rack for 35 – 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
While cake is baking, make the cranberry sauce by combining all ingredients into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let simmer until cranberries have broken down and mixture has begun to thicken. Set aside until cake is done baking.
When cake is done, remove from the oven and let cool in pan for 15 – 20 minutes. Carefully flip over and release. Let cool completely before slicing.
When ready to serve, top with a dollop of cranberry sauce and enjoy.
Merry Christmas!

Notes

Adapted from my Quinoa Carrot Cake recipe.

Nutrition

cuisine: American

course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cranberry Orange Coffee Cake