Treat your guests to this cranberry cinnamon coffee cake with white chocolate drizzle.  It’s just like a freshly baked cinnamon roll, without all the work!  No-knead, no-rise, no mixer required; easy recipe!  Use leftover cranberry sauce!

Ridiculously easy Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Cake. Tastes just like a freshly baked, yeasty-gooey cinnamon roll with tart cranberries swirled in. No kneading, and you don't even have to wait for it to rise! Making this for holiday breakfast ;)

Disclosure: this post was created in partnership with Aldi’s Holiday Blogger Ambassadorship campaign.  This is a sponsored post.  All opinions expressed herein are straight from my heart.   

If you follow me on Instagram then you probably already know that I spent some time in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, touring the headquarters of Aldi.  Guys, this was SUCH a fun trip and I learned so much.

I already knew I loved Aldi from the last few times I had visited my local store and stocked up on ingredients for like, less than half the cost I’m used to paying.  But this trip to their test kitchens really sealed the deal.

#inthealdikitchen #aldiholiday

It started off with a side-by-side tasting comparison between the national brands vs. Aldi’s store brand.  Everything from chips and guac to OJ to protein bars.  Guys, I am not kidding when I tell you that I could not tell a difference with most of them.  Or if I could perceive any kind of difference at all, I still liked both versions equally.  I felt kinda bad that I truly had no opinion either way and after tasting like a dozen different food items I was marking my little tally card completely arbitrarily!  Sorry, Aldi!  But I guess the point is, the Aldi brand is every bit as tasty, so all the hard work they put into creating these products is certainly paying off.

After the tasting was over they unveiled their gluten-free line and it’s pretty extensive!  My husband has been cutting way back on gluten for the last few weeks, so on my next Aldi trip I’ll definitely be picking up a few of those items for him.

#inthealdikitchen #aldiholiday

Then we moved on to my favorite part of the evening.  Wine!  I live in Pennsylvania where the liquor laws are kinda heinous, so I can’t buy wine in a grocery store.  Which is even more of a crying shame now that I know all about Aldi wines.  Guys, they have an incredible selection!  Varietals that I had never even heard of before, let alone tried.  Lambrusco is my new bff.  And Tempranillo!  There was also a Moscato that had an aroma like cotton candy.  I’m not usually a fan of Moscato (I find it to be overly sweet), but this one was a little more crisp and it tasted soooo good with the almond cheesecake.  I learned a ton about wine and how to pair it from Master Sommelier Leslee Miller and sensory expert Gail Vance Civille.  I’m really heartbroken that I can’t get my hands on these wines because a) they taste so good, b) they have a really well-designed label on the back that makes pairing them with different foods a breeze, and c) once again, the price.  We’re talking less than $10 for most, if not all of them, and I even saw a couple bottles of white that were less than $3.  Like whoa.

By this point I was feeling really full and a little buzzed but there was more wine and more food to be had.  We moved on to another kitchen where they had set up a fun challenge for us- to put all our newly learned wine pairing skills to the test.  I got a little nervous when I realized we were having a pop quiz, but luckily the experts were there to help us out a little.  And I ended up acing it!  My team won for the best pairings, woo hoo!

#inthealdikitchen #aldiholiday

Next morning I was feeling a little crispy around the edges, but I hopped back on the bus for a visit to an actual Aldi store.  We listened to Liz explain all the ways that Aldi is able to slash their prices without sacrificing the quality of their products.  It’s really smart!  They’re all about efficiency there.  Fewer employees in the store and less work for them to do.  The way they package products and the way the shelves are stocked makes it super easy and things just hum along like a well-oiled machine.  They are really thoughtful about every little detail and that translates into great products for an unbeatable price.

Ridiculously easy Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Cake. Tastes just like a freshly baked, yeasty-gooey cinnamon roll with tart cranberries swirled in. No kneading, and you don't even have to wait for it to rise! Making this for holiday breakfast ;)

So this recipe you see here was made pretty much exclusively from Aldi products.  I used Aldi yeast, Aldi cinnamon, Aldi flour and brown sugar, all that.  What really impressed me the most though was the white chocolate drizzle.

Ridiculously easy Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Cake. Tastes just like a freshly baked, yeasty-gooey cinnamon roll with tart cranberries swirled in. No kneading, and you don't even have to wait for it to rise! Making this for holiday breakfast ;)With certain things I have a tendency to be a little bit of a food snob.  Chocolate has always been one of those things.  I feel like chocolate can be tricky, and when the flavor comes through well, and the texture is right, it can really elevate your recipes to a higher plane.  So I was extremely pleased to find that Aldi’s Choceur white chocolate is every bit as good as some of those chichi brands I’m used to paying top dollar for.  I want to say I paid less than $2 for this big 8 ounce bar.  And I probably used less than a quarter of it.

White chocolate drizzle and all, this cranberry cinnamon roll cake needs to make an appearance on your holiday breakfast table.  If you’re hosting overnight guests, be the hostess with the mostest and have them wake up to the smell of this baking away.  It’s totally doable because the recipe’s simple as can be.  No kneading, no waiting for it to rise; this is on the table in less than an hour from start to finish, and most of that time is just waiting for it to bake.

Imagine a freshly baked cinnamon roll, all yeasty-gooey and fragrant with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Now spike it with tart cranberries, drizzle it with white chocolate, and eliminate all that nonsense of rolling it out and waiting for it to rise.  That is this coffee cake.

Ridiculously easy Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Cake. Tastes just like a freshly baked, yeasty-gooey cinnamon roll with tart cranberries swirled in. No kneading, and you don't even have to wait for it to rise! Making this for holiday breakfast ;)

Breakfast heaven!  And it works beautifully with leftover cranberry sauce- so keep it in mind for the morning after Thanksgiving!

And while we’re on the topic of Thanksgiving, I’m not hosting this year, but if I was, I would definitely be buying my ingredients at Aldi.  Hosting a big holiday meal can cost a pretty penny and Aldi can really whittle down that expense for you.  And, if you live pretty much anywhere but PA, it’s a one-stop-shop for everything including wine!  You could even pair a different wine to each course throughout the evening, without breaking the bank!

Ridiculously easy Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Cake. Tastes just like a freshly baked, yeasty-gooey cinnamon roll with tart cranberries swirled in. No kneading, and you don't even have to wait for it to rise! Making this for holiday breakfast ;)

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Print
Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Cake
Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 40 mins
 

Treat your guests to this cranberry cinnamon coffee cake with white chocolate drizzle. It's just like a freshly baked cinnamon roll, without all the work!

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cranberry cinnamon roll cake
Servings: 10
Calories: 299 kcal
Ingredients
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place the cranberries, water, and sugar in a small pot and cook over medium heat until the berries have burst and the sauce is thickened (about 15 minutes).  Cool completely and set aside.

  2. Lightly mist an 8-inch diameter cake pan with non-stick spray.

  3. Stir the yeast into the warm milk and set aside to proof.
  4. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.

  5. When the yeast has dissolved, add in the oil, vanilla, and egg, whisking with a fork to combine.

  6. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.  

  7. Pour the bread batter into the prepared pan, and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

  8. In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. (Mixture will be crumbly.)  Sprinkle an even layer over the top of the bread dough.

  9. Spoon the cranberry compote on top, and swirl into the dough.

  10. Press the extra cranberries in, and place in a cold oven.

  11. Set the oven to 350 degrees F and bake until the surface is lightly golden, the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan, and the center is set (about 45 minutes).  

  12. Cool completely and drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Recipe Notes

Cranberry compote may be swapped for 1/3 cup prepared whole berry cranberry sauce (omit step 1 in Directions).

©Baking a Moment

Nutrition Facts
Cranberry Cinnamon Roll Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 299 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 28mg9%
Sodium 83mg4%
Potassium 93mg3%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 31g34%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 155IU3%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 52mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.