Preheat the oven to 350°. Generously grease and flour a tube pan or bundt pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating into the batter thoroughly before adding the second egg.
Add the buttermilk and beat to combine. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together until well blended.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour half the batter into the prepared pan.
Spoon the cranberry sauce over the batter and top with the remaining cake batter. Smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 40-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cake rest in the pan for 5 minutes.
FOR THE GARNISH:
Preheat the oven to 325°. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and toast them for 10-15 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Shake the pan a few times while they are toasting so no one area gets too dark. Remove from oven and set aside.
You can go two ways for garnishing the cranberry coffee cake - either as pictured with melted white chocolate and toasted almonds or a traditional glaze. Pick the one that's right for you.
FOR WHITE CHOCOLATE: Place the white chocolate chips into a small microwaveable bowl. Microwave in 15 second bursts, stirring after each zap, until the chips are completely melted. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled coffee cake. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.
FOR TRADITIONAL GLAZE: In a small bowl combine the powdered sugar, milk and extract. Mix until smooth and drizzle over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.