A Coffeecake Breakfast

It's housecleaning time at Linderhof. That move everything and work from basement to attic and from ceiling to floor, banishing all of the dust bunnies (mine were more like dust rabbits) and cobwebs. A room a day so that I stay sane and I love it when the house smells of polish and wax and vinegar!

But . . . . Husband Jim is definitely disrupted during this time -- sometimes shooed out of his "comfort zone" because I'm working on that room today!

And meals are easy meals -- ones that can simmer on stovetop or cook in the oven while I, like a madwoman, clean and clean and clean!

To make up for the easy meals, I'll cook special breakfast -- perhaps Dutch babies or a coffeecake -- it's easy for me and a special treat for Husband Jim!
The other day it was a favorite of ours -- orange cranberry coffeecake. With the Spode Blue Room mugs and plates and a pot of French pressed, it's a special breakfast and one that he can linger over with perhaps another cup of coffee and another piece of coffeecake.
A blue estate sale platter is one of my favorites. I use it often and it goes well with my Spode.
The coffeecake is easy because it starts with a mix and it is perfect for those holiday guests. But it's even better in January when those bags of cranberries are only 98 cents!

CRANBERRY ORANGE COFFEECAKE

1 orange

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix

eggs and vegetable oil in quantities according to cake mix directions

12 ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 cup powdered sugar

2 T. water

Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with Pam.

Using a zester, scrap the orange peel to yield 1 T. of orange zest. Set aside. Then slice the orange in half and squeeze out as much juice as possible into a measuring cup. Discard any seeds that might have fallen into the measuring cup. Reserve 2 T. orange juice to be used later in the glaze.

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box, using the fresh orange juice combined with enough water to equal the amount of water called for in the directions. Add the orange zest and mix well. Fold in half the cranberries. Spread the batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cranberries over the top of the batter.

Combine the pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Combine the powdered sugar, the reserved 2 T. orange juice and the water. Beat until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the warm cake.

NOTE: Since it is just the two of us, I'll often use two 8 inch cake pans (either square or round). We'll have one for breakfast and one for the freezer for another day (or one for us and one for a gift!)

It's Thursday and I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday!