Sparkling Cranberry Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream
It’s a Christmas miracle!
Okay, perhaps I overstate a bit. A virgin giving birth is a Christmas miracle. But really, the following recipe make a beautiful cake which is well balanced with tart cranberries and creamy white chocolate which is unbeatable for the holiday season. To be fair, the cake is slightly dense. Which means it should be served in small-ish pieces. But it is 3 tiers so even a moderate sized piece is impressive. In sum, this cake is impressive and should definitely be considered when deciding what to bake for all of your holiday parties. From Christmas to New Year’s parties, this simply screams “Celebrate!!”
I was lucky enough to be invited to a Feast of the Seven Fishes hosted by one of my mentors. We started with everything from baked clams to shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon spread to crab claws, and raw oysters. There was a killer cioppino with seven types of sea creatures served over fresh pasta with crunchy baguette. After all of those amazing delights, I was charged with bringing dessert. Needless to say, I needed something with a bit of pizazz. Enter sparkling cranberry cake with white chocolate buttercream.
I will say this – I was going to the party directly after work, which meant everything had to be ready for me to bring the morning of the party. If you have a little flexible time then feel free to make this on your own schedule, but for the best result the cake should have 12-24 hours to settle.
Start two days ahead by making the sparkling cranberries.
Mix up a simple syrup and soak fresh cranberries overnight.
After soaking, roll in granulated sugar and set on a lined sheet to dry.
They take an hour to dry but then form adorable morsels with a refreshing punch. Store in an airtight container until ready to garnish the cake.
The day before your party, bake the cakes.
Preheat the oven and spray three 8” cake pans and line with parchment paper.
Mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time followed by vanilla. When thoroughly combined, add dry ingredients alternating with milk and sour cream, mixing just until combined.
Note: this makes a lot of batter and your bowl will be VERY full
Gently fold in the cranberries.
Pour into prepared pans and bake.
While the cakes cool, prepare the white chocolate buttercream.
Heat heavy cream in microwave until boiling. Pour over white chocolate pieces. Cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes, then remove and whisk until smooth.
Add butter and beat for an additional 3-5 minutes until well combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat on high for 5 minutes until fluffy.
Feel free to have a quick taste because it is DELICIOUS.
Frost the cake liberally with plenty of buttercream between each layer.
Trust me, you will have sufficient buttercream…
Top with sparkling cranberries. Refrigerate overnight. Remove 4 hours prior to serving to bring to room temperature.
Devour!
Okay, perhaps I overstate a bit. A virgin giving birth is a Christmas miracle. But really, the following recipe make a beautiful cake which is well balanced with tart cranberries and creamy white chocolate which is unbeatable for the holiday season. To be fair, the cake is slightly dense. Which means it should be served in small-ish pieces. But it is 3 tiers so even a moderate sized piece is impressive. In sum, this cake is impressive and should definitely be considered when deciding what to bake for all of your holiday parties. From Christmas to New Year’s parties, this simply screams “Celebrate!!”
I was lucky enough to be invited to a Feast of the Seven Fishes hosted by one of my mentors. We started with everything from baked clams to shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon spread to crab claws, and raw oysters. There was a killer cioppino with seven types of sea creatures served over fresh pasta with crunchy baguette. After all of those amazing delights, I was charged with bringing dessert. Needless to say, I needed something with a bit of pizazz. Enter sparkling cranberry cake with white chocolate buttercream.
I will say this – I was going to the party directly after work, which meant everything had to be ready for me to bring the morning of the party. If you have a little flexible time then feel free to make this on your own schedule, but for the best result the cake should have 12-24 hours to settle.
Start two days ahead by making the sparkling cranberries.
Mix up a simple syrup and soak fresh cranberries overnight.
After soaking, roll in granulated sugar and set on a lined sheet to dry.
They take an hour to dry but then form adorable morsels with a refreshing punch. Store in an airtight container until ready to garnish the cake.
The day before your party, bake the cakes.
Preheat the oven and spray three 8” cake pans and line with parchment paper.
Mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs one at a time followed by vanilla. When thoroughly combined, add dry ingredients alternating with milk and sour cream, mixing just until combined.
Note: this makes a lot of batter and your bowl will be VERY full
Gently fold in the cranberries.
Pour into prepared pans and bake.
While the cakes cool, prepare the white chocolate buttercream.
Heat heavy cream in microwave until boiling. Pour over white chocolate pieces. Cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes, then remove and whisk until smooth.
Add butter and beat for an additional 3-5 minutes until well combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and beat on high for 5 minutes until fluffy.
Feel free to have a quick taste because it is DELICIOUS.
Frost the cake liberally with plenty of buttercream between each layer.
Trust me, you will have sufficient buttercream…
Top with sparkling cranberries. Refrigerate overnight. Remove 4 hours prior to serving to bring to room temperature.
Devour!
Sparkling Cranberry Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
Sparkling Cranberries- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar, extra for rolling
- 1 cup water
- 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- 12 ounces white chocolate pieces
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 bag powdered sugar
Instructions
- Sparkling Cranberries: Add water to a glass measuring cup and microwave 2-3 minutes until boiling. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Cool for at least 10 minutes and add cranberries. Allow to soak for at least 12 hours. Remove cranberries from syrup and roll in a thin layer of sugar. Dry on a lined baking sheet for at least 1 hour.
- Cranberry Cake: Preheat oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of three 8" baking pans with parchment paper and spray sides with cooking oil.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, until just combined. Mix in vanilla. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Mix in sour cream. Fold in cranberries.
- Divide batter among prepared pans and bake 35-40 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
- Buttercream frosting: Place white chocolate pieces in a metal bowl. Heat heavy cream in microwave until boiling. Pour over chocolate and cover bowl with saran wrap for 5 minutes.. Whisk until smooth, then continue to beat for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Mix in vanilla.
- Add butter and whip for 3-5 minutes until fluffy. Add powdered sugar in 3 batches, and continue to mix until light and fluffy.
- Assemble the cake with a thick layer of buttercream between each layer. Arrange sparkling cranberries along the bottom and pile the rest on top. Refrigerate overnight and serve at room temperature.
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