While I am always happy to see the gluten-free Kosher for Passover supplies come into the store, there are sometimes a few issues with the cake mixes. Somewhere between the conversion from metric to English measurements and the change from Hebrew to English things get lost and sometimes I end up with some really weird results. If you ever buy the Gefen Frosted Chocolate Cake mix be forewarned. Add only a teaspoon of water to the frosting pouch. A tablespoon makes chocolate water. They mean a teaspoon.

So I tried to make a gluten-free coffee cake last week with a sugar-free mix and some blueberries and, suffice it to say that one isn’t going on the blog…ever.

This week I went back to a full sugar mix and I took the lesson of last week and instead of making a blueberry coffee cake I went with cranberries.

Kosher for Passover cakes are very sweet and usually made entirely with potato starch. Unlike rice flour which tamps down flavors, potato starch puts them on steroids. So the cake plain is just too sweet.

Enter the cranberries. Cranberries are very tart. Often inedibly tart. Here they add balance and brightness to the cake.

So the recipe is simple

Ingredients
1 box Gefen Kosher for Passover Coffee Cake Mix
Eggs and oil per the box (go with the smallest of your eggs)
1 cup fresh (not frozen) cranberries cut in half.

Equipment
Electric Mixer
Measuring cups and spoons
9 inch circular cake pan

Instructions
Cut cranberries in half
Beat the eggs in the bowl of the mixer. While it is running drizzle in the oil
Once the oil is incorporated add the water the same way.
Add the cake mix to the bowl and mix for at least three minutes (It is much harder to over mix or over beat a gluten free recipe.
Add the cranberries and run the mixer for another 30 seconds
Pour into pan and bake at 350 per the box.
It will look very weird cooking in the over. It will get crusty and seem to almost boil. Ignore this.
Bake a little longer than the box says. Another five minutes can work wonders.
Remove cool completely then just slice and serve.

Lemon zest if you have it