Cranberry Mimosa Breakfast Cake

Cranberry mimosa breakfast cake is bright, buttery, and festive in that “brunch at home” kind of way. ♡

It bakes up tender like a coffee cake, studded with tart cranberries, and finished with a glossy orange-mimosa glaze that tastes like the first sip of a weekend morning. Here’s the thing: cranberries are sharp, so this cake needs enough citrus and vanilla to balance them, plus a thick glaze to bring it all together.

I love serving this when you want something a little special without making a layered masterpiece. It looks gorgeous, slices cleanly, and somehow feels fancy even though it’s basically a stir-and-bake situation.

Let’s make it together.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

• 1/2 cup neutral oil (or melted butter)

• 1 tablespoon orange zest (about 1 large orange)

• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (no need to thaw)

• 1 tablespoon flour (to toss with cranberries)

Mimosa Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice

• 1 to 2 tablespoons sparkling wine (optional)

• or replace with more orange juice/sparkling water

Optional topping

• extra orange zest

• coarse sugar before baking (for crunch)

Tips

• Toss the cranberries with flour. It helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom.

• Use zest. Orange zest is where the real mimosa-like flavor lives.

• Don’t overmix. Stir just until the flour disappears so the cake stays tender.

• If using frozen cranberries, bake as-is. Thawing makes them bleed and streak the batter.

• Glaze when slightly warm. The glaze melts just enough to soak in a little and set glossy.

Variations

• Add almond: swap vanilla for almond extract, or do half and half.

• Make it lemon-orange: add a little lemon zest for extra brightness.

• Add a crumble: top with a simple streusel (butter + flour + sugar) before baking.

• Make it loaf-style: bake in two 8×4 loaf pans and reduce bake time slightly.

• Swap berries: use blueberries or chopped strawberries (reduce to 1 1/2 cups if very juicy).

FAQ

Cranberry Mimosa Breakfast Cake

A tender cranberry breakfast cake with orange zest and juice, finished with a bright mimosa-style glaze.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Servings: 10 slices

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1/2 cup neutral oil (or melted butter)
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tbsp flour (for cranberries)

Mimosa glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 to 3 tbsp orange juice
• 1 to 2 tbsp sparkling wine (optional)

Method

 

1. Prep. Heat oven to 350F. Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan (or 8x8 pan) with parchment.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Mix wet ingredients. In a separate large bowl, whisk sugar and eggs until smooth. Whisk in yogurt, oil, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla.
4. Combine. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir just until combined.
5. Add cranberries. Toss cranberries with 1 tablespoon flour, then fold into the batter.
6. Bake. Spread batter evenly in the pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean (a few moist crumbs are fine).
7. Glaze. Cool cake 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk powdered sugar with orange juice and sparkling wine (if using) until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over warm cake.
8. Serve. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

• For a thicker glaze, use less liquid. For a thinner drizzle, add a teaspoon more juice at a time.
• If cranberries are very tart, serve with extra glaze or a dollop of yogurt.
• Store covered at room temp for 1 day or refrigerate up to 4 days.