This easy Mini Cranberry Breakfast Cake made with orange zest and buttermilk is the best way to wake up and makes just enough for an intimate breakfast or brunch with friends.
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And now on to the recipe…
In Baking Mischief’s first year, I’ve posted a few sweet breakfast recipes. There’s the ever-popular Overnight Cinnamon Rolls for Two, my Pound Cake Cupcakes for Breakfast, and my Crêpes for Two, but I have yet to post a breakfast cake, which is unforgivable because breakfast cakes are the best.
So today, here you go: a Mini Cranberry Breakfast Cake. And seriously, guys, this cake is everything you want in a breakfast plus, it’s mini! It’s baked in a 5×7-inch pan, so it will serve 4 generously, 6 as part of a breakfast spread, and if you leave it sitting on the counter with a knife all morning, you and a partner could probably polish it off before noon. 😉
As far as breakfasts go, a Cranberry Breakfast Cake is just a lovely way to wake up. Throwing it together is a cinch, and it just plain tastes good.
The top is a little crisp and crunchy with sprinkled sugar, and the cranberries baking inside are just tart enough to offset that sweetness. Thanks to buttermilk in the batter, the cake is moist, but not too wet and the orange zest keeps things nice and interesting.
I like all of the recipes I post on this site, but some really stick with me, and this is definitely one of those. I shot these photos a couple of weeks ago when I had family around to feed this too, and I’ve been dreaming about making it again ever since.
There’s one cup of cranberries left in my freezer (you can make the cake using fresh or frozen) and every morning, I have a conversation with myself over whether it would be an appropriate breakfast for one. 🙂
But seriously, do yourselves a favor and try this one. It’s going to be a favorite!
This recipe uses only a small amount of buttermilk. Check out my post What to Do With Leftover Buttermilk for ideas to use up 0r store leftovers. And if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, that post also has a recipe for how to make a buttermilk substitute with milk and lemon juice.
Mini Cranberry Breakfast Cake
Ingredients
Special Equipment
Mini Cranberry Breakfast Cake
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus 1 1/2 teaspoon for topping
- Zest from 1/2 orange about 1 teaspoon
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup cranberries fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 7x5-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, cream room temperature butter and sugar until visibly lightened in color, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Whisk in zest, egg, and vanilla. Beat until well-combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir half of the flour mixture into your wet ingredients, followed by the buttermilk and then the rest of the flour. Mix until just combined and fold in the cranberries.
- Transfer batter to prepared baking dish and gently smooth out the top. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes* until top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, with just a few dry crumbs.
- Cool for at least 5 minutes before serving and enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Adapted From Alexandra Cooks
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