White Chocolate Cranberry Cake

White chocolate cranberry cake is a delicious combo of tart cranberries and sweet white chocolate frosting. This layer cake is perfect for holiday celebrations! Impress your family and friends with this show stopping dessert.

This cranberry layer cake is seriously one of the best cranberry cakes I’ve ever had! It’s so soft and moist. The cranberries paired with white chocolate create such a delicious combo. It’s definitely a must for this holiday season.

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What is white chocolate cranberry cake

This cranberry cake consists of sponge cake layers, homemade cranberry sauce and white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Using sponge cake layers ensures that the cake layers can soak up the cranberry sauce. This makes the cake layers so moist and soft. In addition to soaking the cake layers with cranberry sauce, cranberry sauce is also added in between the cake layers. The white chocolate frosting is light, fluffy and perfectly sweet. Which brings that perfect balance of sweet and tart.

Making the cranberry cake

First, you will make the cranberry sauce. Place cranberries, sugar, orange juice and water into a sauce pan. Cook until all the cranberries have popped. Cool completely.

Next, you will make the sponge cake layers. Place eggs into mixing bowl. Mix on high speed for 1-2 minutes until eggs are frothy. With the mixer going on high speed add the sugar in a slow stream. Continue mixing until the batter has doubled in size, thick and pale. Gently fold in flour in two additions. Divide the batter between two cake pans and bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely.

Once the cake layers are cooled, you will make the frosting. Whisk heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Melt white chocolate in the microwave. Stirring every 30 seconds. Set aside. Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and beat until combined. On low speed add the heavy whipping cream and mix until just combined. Finish mixing with a spatula.

Assembling the cake

Cut the cake layers in half. So now you will have four cake layers.

Place ⅔ cups of cranberry sauce into a separate bowl and add ⅔ cups of water. Stir until incorporated. This will be your soaking mixture. The rest of the cranberry sauce you will be using to spread onto the cake layers.

Place one of the cake layers on cake stand. Brush the cake layers with the cranberry soaking mixture. Then spread around 2 tbsp. of cranberry sauce onto the cake layer. Spread frosting onto the second cake layer. Place the second cake layer on the first cake layer so that the frosting is touching the cranberry sauce. The top of the second cake layer should have nothing on it yet. It’s kind of like your making a sandwich by spreading (cranberry) sauce on one slice and (white chocolate) frosting on the other slice, then putting them together. I do it this way because it’s easier to spread the frosting on the cake layer instead of spreading it on the cranberry sauce.

Repeat this process for the next 3 cake layers. Once you reach the last cake layer; Do not soak the layer. Just frost the cake with the remaining frosting.

Tips for sucess

• When making the sponge cake be sure that eggs are at room temperature. Room temperature eggs beat to a greater volume.
• When you’re mixing the eggs with sugar the batter should double in size, be thick and pale in color. The batter is mixed well when the drips from the whisk hold their shape for a few seconds before dissolving into the batter.
• Sift your flour before adding it into the cake batter.
• Add the flour in two additions and DO NOT over mix. If you overmix the cake batter can deflate and not rise when baked.
• You can add a pinch of baking powder when adding the flour to help the cake rise.
• I would recommend using white chocolate squares instead of white chocolate chips for the frosting. I found that white chocolate squares melt better and incorporate nicely into the frosting without leaving any lumps.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving. You want the cake layers to soak up all that sauce.

Other cranberry and white chocolate recipes you may like:

• Cranberry Bundt Cake
• White Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Cookies

If you made this recipe, I would love to hear from you. Comment and rate below. Your comments will help others as well. I would also love to see your creation. Share your photo by tagging tasty_treat_pantry on Instagram.

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