Cinnamon Coffee Cake with a Tangy Cranberry swirl

I had a ton of my home-made Orange Cranberry sauce left over from cooking a second Thanksgiving meal! As I stared at a full jar of the striking red liquid velvet, I had an epiphany! I LOVE coffee cake and I LOVE Cranberry sauce. Why not bring the two together! And thus was born the Cinnamon Coffee Cake with a Tangy Cranberry swirl!

Ingredients for the cake

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream

Ingredients for Orange Cranberry Sauce

• I packet of fresh Cranberries
• 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
• 3-4 tbsp of sugar (adjust the quantity based on how sweet or tart you want the sauce)
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). I used muffin pans to bake individual sized cakes, just line the muffin pan with a square of butter paper
2. First make the sauce. In a large pot, pour the orange juice and cranberries and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Once the cranberries begin to pop, add the sugar and cinnamon and cook until the cranberries are mushy
   
3. I don't like a chunky sauce, so I blend the cranberry mixture with a hand held blender and then filter through a sieve for a thick velvety texture. Set aside to cool
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the almond extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream
5. Now start layering the muffin moulds. With a large spoon first put a layer of the dough, then add a tbsp of the cranberry sauce onto the batter and swirl with a toothpick/knife.Repeat until the mould is full, ending with the batter on top
6. Bake 55 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown/ or passes the knife test
7. Remove and let the cakes cool completely on a cooling rack
8. Mix 1/4 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tbsps of fresh orange juice to make a glaze
9. Drizzle the glaze on the cooled cake and de-vour!

These make a great home-made holiday gift too! Why wouldn't anyone like a soft, moist, tangy and sweet concoction as a gift?