Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

I love cranberries! My freezer is stocked full of them. However, this recipe is great using canned whole berry cranberry sauce (though I'm sure it would be even better using homemade cranberry sauce). It's quick to put together, and the results are fabulous. It was perfect to serve for brunch on Thanksgiving Day. Just make sure to cool the cake before you try to glaze it. (Trust me; it works better that way.)

1/4 pound margarine (I used BlueBonnet)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pint (1 cup) sour cream
1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
7 or 8 ounce can whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup chopped nuts, lightly toasted (I used pecans)
Glaze:
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
1 tablespoon warm water

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease 6 or 9 inch tube pan. Cream margarine and sugar with electric mixer. Add unbeaten eggs one at a time, beating after each addition on medium speed.
Mix dry ingredients and add alternating with sour cream.

Add flavoring. Put a layer of batter on bottom then swirl some cranberry sauce over batter and sprinkle with a few nuts. Add batter, more cranberry sauce, then the remaining batter and remaining cranberry sauce. Swirl the cranberry sauce into the batter with spatula or spoon. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake for 55 minutes or until cake tests done with toothpick. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out on rack to cool, or to serve. If desires, drizzle with glaze.

Glaze: Mix sugar, water and flavoring and drizzle over cooled or cold coffee cake.

Recipe courtesy Carroll Pellegrinelli on About.com