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recipe for white chocolate icing dyed pink on a cranberry cake

White Chocolate Cranberry Cake

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  • Author: Abbe Odenwalder
  • Prep Time: 45 Minutes*
  • Cook Time: 25 Minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: 10 - 12 Servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Description

This white chocolate frosted white cake with cranberry filling and sparkling cranberries is one of the most festive Christmas cakes I know of.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Cranberry Puree

1 c fresh or frozen cranberries

2 T granulated sugar

1/2 c water

White Cake

3/4 c evaporated milk

6 large egg whites, room temperature

2 t vanilla extract

2 1/4 c cake flour

1 3/4 c granulated sugar

4 t baking powder

1 t fine salt

6 ounces/1.5 sticks/12 T unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces softened

White Chocolate Honey Frosting

12 ounces white chocolate chopped

2 sticks/16 T unsalted butter at room temperature

12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

2 T honey

2 T brandy

Sparkling Cranberries

2 c cranberries

1 c sugar

1 c water


Instructions

Place cranberries, sugar and water in a sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat until cranberries have popped and become mushy, about 5 minutes. Pour cranberry mixture into a fine meshed strainer over a mixing bowl and press through using a spatula. Discard solids. Cook for 10 minutes.

In a 2-cup measuring cup whisk together 1/4 c of puree, milk, egg whites and vanilla. Set aside.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 350. Great 2 9″ round cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment. Grease and flour.

In the bowl of a stand mixet fitted with paddle attachment, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time and mix until pea-size pieces remain, about 1 minute. Add half of milk mixture, increase speed to medium high, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add remaining milk mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Stir down sides of bowl and make sure everything is incorporated.

Divide batter evenly between the two pans and bake untila toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Cool cakes in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, discarding parchment and cool completely, about 2 hours.

Chocolate Honey Frosting

Melt white chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water until smooth, stirring occasionally OR I do it in the microwave. Place white chocolate in a glass bowl and heat at low increments for 20 seconds at a time, stirring between each, until smooth. (White chocolate does burn easily, so do  not forget to stir.) Cool for 20 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter, cream cheese and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate, honey and brandy and beat until smooth. It will be on the liquid side. Chill until thick and spreadable, stirring occasionally, about 30-40 minutes.

Sparkling Cranberries

Rinse cranberries and set aside.

Heat 1 c water with 1 c sugar and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. If this syrup is too hot the cranberries will pop and you don’t want that!

Once the syrup has cooled, pour the cranberries into the syrup and stir well. They tend to float so you may have to put plastic wrap over the top to hold them down. Let them sit in the syrup for up to 3 days, but at the minimum for 4 hours. Strain the berries from the syrup and toss them with granulated sugar. Leftover syrup can be refrigerated and used in cocktails!

Place sugared cranberries on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow them to dry at room temperature. Leftover cranberries can be stored in the refrigerator for other uses.

Assembly:

Cut each cake layer in half horizontally. Place one cake layer, flat side down on the bottom of a cake stand or serving platter. Spread a generous layer of cranberry puree over cake and top with another cake layer. Spread 1 cup of frosting on top and spread evenly. Repeat with another layer spread with cranberry puree. Finish with last layer and frost with the rest of the frosting. Garnish with sparkling cranberries.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.


Notes

Cake layers can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Leftover sugar syrup can be used in cocktails or fruit salad.