Thanksgiving Reflections and Cranberry Coffee Cake

Sometime in my teens Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday. There's a certain emotional warmth that comes with Thanksgiving. The warmth of being together with people who love and care about you. The warmth that comes with a day where you come together just to be thankful. It's quite restorative, for me at least.

Thanksgiving is also special because it was my father's favorite holiday. He, too, loved that it was a low-key holiday where you were surrounded by loved ones. He passed away eight years ago, but he's always present in my mind on Thanksgiving Day.

My mom started a new "tradition" a few years ago where everyone at the dinner table shares one thing for which they're thankful; it's one of the highlights of the day for me. This year I'm thankful for my middle sister. She's had a rough year, but the way she's dealt with it all has been inspirational, especially the last few months.

The recipe below is another family tradition as my mom always made it for Thanksgiving breakfast. It was originally a Bisquick recipe, but a few years ago I didn't have any Bisquick but wanted coffee cake, so I engineered it into this version. Last year I substituted Living Without's Self-Rising Flour Blend for the all-purpose flour and it tasted exactly like it was supposed to!

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Cake:

• 1-1/2 cups flour (I use Living Without's Self-Rising Flour Blend)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk (I used almond)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease and flour 8”x8” pan.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Cut in shortening.
4. Blend in egg and milk. 
5. Spread batter in pan.
6. Mix brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Spoon cranberry sauce over top.
7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Drizzle glaze over cake and serve warm. 

This recipe was shared on Diet, Dessert, and Dog's Wellness Weekend and Gluten Free Fridays.