Christmas Cranberry Cake

5 from 3 votes

This Christmas cranberry cake is a three layer white cake full of fresh cranberries. The cake is filled with white chocolate frosting and topped with cranberry frosting and sugared cranberries.

Prep Time2

Cook Time28

Decorating Time1 30

Total Time3 58

Servings: slices

Calories: 635kcal

Author: Stephanie Rutherford

Ingredients

Cranberry Cake

3 ⅓ cup Cake flour
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoon Baking powder
¾ teaspoon Baking soda
1 ¼ cups Unsalted butter room temperature
1 ¾ cup White granulated sugar
3 Large eggs room temperature
1 Egg white room temperature
1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract
¼ cup Sour cream room temperature
1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
3 cups Wisconsin cranberries fresh or frozen (if frozen thawed)
1 tablespoon Cake flour

White Chocolate Frosting

½ cup Unsalted butter slightly cold
1 ¼ cup Powdered sugar sifted
2 oz White chocolate melted (use bars and not chips)
½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
⅛ cup Heavy cream

Cranberry Sauce

3 cups Wisconsin cranberries fresh or frozen
⅓ cup White granulated sugar
3 tablespoon Water

Cranberry Frosting

2 cups Unsalted butter slightly cold
6 cups Powdered sugar sifted
2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
½ cup Cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoon Heavy cream

Sugared Cranberries

1 ½ cup Wisconsin Cranberries fresh
½ cup White granulated sugar
½ cup Water
2 cups Granulated sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cranberry Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray three 8 inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottom with 8 inch parchment circles. Spray again.
In a mixing bowl, sift the cake flour. Mix in salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Wash and dry cranberries. Mix cranberries with 1 tablespoon flour. Set aside.
3 ⅓ cup Cake flour, 1 teaspoon Salt, 2 teaspoon Baking powder, ¾ teaspoon Baking soda, 3 cups Wisconsin cranberries, 1 tablespoon Cake flour
Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on high for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Add in sour cream, vanilla, eggs, and egg white. Beat on high for 2 minutes.
1 ¼ cups Unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cup White granulated sugar, 3 Large eggs, 1 Egg white, 1 tablespoon Pure vanilla extract, ¼ cup Sour cream
Add ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk. Mix until it starts to combined. Add another ⅓rd of the dry ingredients and the rest of buttermilk. Finish with the rest of the dry ingredients.
1 cup Buttermilk
Take the bowl off the mixer. Scrape the bowl. Fold in the cranberries into the batter. Separate the batter evenly into the three cake pans.
Bake the cake for 26-30 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cakes sit for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool cakes completely.

White Chocolate Frosting

Set the butter on the counter for 30 minutes to get slightly cold. Sift the powdered sugar. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the white chocolate in 20 second intervals until melted . Set aside to cool.
½ cup Unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cup Powdered sugar, 2 oz White chocolate
Using a mixer, beat the butter on high for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Very slowly add the powdered sugar. Beat well until you add more powdered sugar.
Mix in white chocolate, salt, vanilla, and heavy cream. Beat on low until combined. Switch to high and beat until fluffy.
½ teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, ⅛ cup Heavy cream

Cranberry Sauce

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, mix cranberries and sugar. Once the cranberries start to release juices, cook for 4 minutes stirring constantly.
3 cups Wisconsin cranberries, ⅓ cup White granulated sugar
Pour cranberries into a blender. Blend until it is pureed in texture. Mix with 3 tablespoon of water. Pour sauce over a mesh strainer. Mix until it is strained. If it is too thick to strain, add another 1 tablespoon of water.
3 tablespoon Water
Cool sauce completely.

Cranberry Frosting

Set the butter on the counter for 30 minutes to get slightly cold. Sift the powdered sugar.
2 cups Unsalted butter, 6 cups Powdered sugar
Using a mixer, beat the butter on high for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl. Very slowly add the powdered sugar. Beat well until you add more powdered sugar.
Add in cranberry sauce, vanilla, salt, and heavy cream. Beat on low until combined. Scrape the bowl. Switch the mixer to high and beat until fluffy.
2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, ½ cup Cranberry sauce, 1 teaspoon Salt, 3 tablespoon Heavy cream

Sugared Cranberries

The decoration is optional. Heat water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar is melted to create a simple syrup.
½ cup Water, ½ cup White granulated sugar
Brush the washed and dried cranberries with the simple syrup. Let it dry for 30 minutes.
1 ½ cup Wisconsin Cranberries
Roll cranberries with the sugar and let it dry for 15 minutes before topping the cake with cranberries.
2 cups Granulated sugar

Assembling The Cake

Spread a small amount of frosting on the board you are decorating on to keep the cake in place.
Place the 1st layer down. Pipe a border around the cake using the cranberry frosting. Spread ½ of the white chocolate frosting on the cake. Repeat with the second layer.
Top with the third layer. Apply a light layer of frosting around the cake. It should be very light and you can see bits of cake poking through. Freeze for 15 minutes to lock the crumbs in place.
Frost the rest of the cake. Top with the sugared cranberries.

Notes

Flour- Make sure flour is spooned and leveled or use a kitchen scale. Compacted flour can dry out the cake. Use swans cake flour for best results.

High altitude baking- Add an extra 3 tablespoon of flour.

Pull dairy ingredients out 2 hours before baking.

Nutrition