This Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cake recipe is no doubt a new favorite – especially for Christmas! The cake is incredibly moist and flavorful and the cranberries add the prefect burst of fruity flavor.
This weekend was crazy busy, but so fun! We finally started turning our āformal living roomā into my office. Weād already cleared the room, so this weekend we steam cleaned the carpets and got the main pieces of furniture. I still want to get a few other things and some decorative pieces, but the big stuff is there and Iām ready to get organized!
We got the furniture at IKEA and I love it! It took us forever to get through the store though. I got three pieces of furniture – a desk, shelves for all my props, and a table to use for taking photos on. It took awhile to pick everything out since IKEA has all these things in different rooms. I was taking a lot of pictures and trying to picture them all in a room together.
The hubs didnāt really realize IKEA was so big and had so much stuff, so he was pretty excited to realize they had so many decorative things and stuff beyond just furniture. I think weāll be making another trip soon.
If youāve been before, you know you collect the boxes at the end of the trek through the store. One of our items – the table – was back where only IKEA employees could get to it so after we checked out, we had to wait at the pick up area for it. It took longer than we expected though, so the hubs started wondering around near the food. Next thing I knew, he came back with ICEEs and cinnamon rolls. ICEEs are one of his all-time faves.
āThe cinnamon rolls had just come out of the oven and were only $1,ā he said.
Oh, how well he knows me. Besides, itād been so long it was dinner time and we were hungry. Those cinnamon rolls didnāt last 30 seconds. And they were good too. So fluffy!
Kind of like this cake. š
How To Make This White Chocolate Cake
The cake itself is a little modification of my vanilla cupcakes, doubled. Dang is it good. It is so moist and the flavor is to die for. I love that itās one bowl and everything just gets mixed together. One note about the mixing – you donāt want to over mix the batter. Once everything is combined, you only want to mix until itās smooth. No longer.
The cranberries get stirred in after the mixing. This was my first time ever baking, or even tasting, fresh cranberries. I didnāt realize they were so tart! But baked into the lightly dense cake, they are sweeter and delicious! I love the pop of fruit in the cake.
The icing is full of white chocolate. Itās made basically by making white chocolate ganache, then adding butter and powdered sugar. Delicious.
Decorating Your White Chocolate Cake with Sparkling Cranberries
And I was totally in love with the sparkling cranberries. They are just so festive! Because of them though, the cake takes a little planning. The cranberries sit in a simple syrup overnight so they get nice and sticky. Then theyāre covered in sugar. I waited until the cake was all made and iced before moving onto the cranberries and that was silly of me. It was whole other day before I could finish off the cake with the cranberries and dig in.
It was worth the wait though.
I used some of the remaining sugar that had clumped together on top of the cake. It felt so snowy and wintery.
Growing up, my younger brother and I always wished for a white Christmas. I donāt think weāve ever had one, but this cake would definitely make up for it. š
This Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cake was a hit with everyone! Iām so glad too, because I needed help eating it. I knew if I didnāt get it out of the house soon enough, Iād devour the whole thing. Yummy!
More Cranberry Dessert Recipes
- Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge
- Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Bundt Cake
- White Chocolate Dipped Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Cranberry Bliss Bars
Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cake
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Ingredients
Sparkling Cranberries
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups (310g) granulated sugar (divided)
- 1 cup (240ml) water
Cranberry Cake
- 3 1/3 cups (433g) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups (336g) salted butter (room temperature)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) sour cream
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
White Chocolate Icing
- 12 oz white chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy whipping cream
- 3/4 cup (168g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 8-9 cups (920–1035g) powdered sugar
- salt (to taste)
Instructions
Sparkling Cranberries
- Bring 1 cup sugar and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour simple syrup into a heatproof bowl and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Add cranberries and stir to coat.
- Refrigerate cranberries in syrup overnight, stirred a couple times to coat with syrup.
- Remove cranberries from syrup and roll in remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. You'll need to roll them a few times to get a couple layers of sugar on them.
- Set cranberries aside to dry for a hour or so.
Cranberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350ā. Prepare three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray and parchment paper in the bottom of the pans.
- Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.
- Add butter, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream and milk and mix on medium speed just until smooth. Do not over mix.
- Gently stir in cranberries.
- Spread batter evenly between the three cake pan.
- Bake 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few crumbs.
- Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.
White Chocolate Icing
- Place white chocolate chips in a metal bowl.
- Microwave heavy cream until it starts to boil. Remove from microwave and pour over chocolate chips.
- Cover bowl with saran wrap for 5-7 minutes.
- Whisk chocolate and cream until smooth.
- Allow ganache to sit until mostly cool. It should be thick.
- Beat the ganache with a mixer for about 2-3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
- Add butter and beat until it is fully combined.
- Slowly add powdered sugar and beat until it is fluffy and the right consistency. Add more cream if needed.
Put the Cake Together
- Remove cake domes from cakes with a large serrated knife.
- Place first layer of cake on cake plate. Spread about icing on top in an even layer.
- Add second layer of cake and add more icing on top in an even layer.
- Add final layer of cake on top and ice the outside of the cake.
- Top the cake with sparkling cranberries and add some around the edge, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Enjoy!
Categories:
Cakes and Cupcakes, Christmas, Fall and Holiday Favorites, Holidays, Recipes, Sweets and Treats,
Absolutely amazing. A huge hit with family. I wonder if you have a recommendation for high altitude?
So glad everyone enjoyed it! I don’t know much about high altitude baking, so it’s hard for me to say. I’m sorry!
Is this a light and fluffy cake or a dense and heavy one? I prefer my cake to be as heavy and dense as possible (ālike a brickā is what my cakes have been compared to… no complaints on either end). So If it is a light and fluffy cake how would I make it heavier? Would I need to make any modifications to the recipe?
I’m not sure I’d call it “like a brick”, lol. But it’s definitely dense and heavy. Not light and fluffy.
Hi I would like to make this cake for Christmas. Is it possible to make it 1 or 2 days before and frost it with the cranberries? Then refrigerate it. If so how long before the dinner should I remove from the refigerator? I am very excited to make it! It looks delicious! Thank you!
Yes, Iād recommend one day ahead over 2. Iād let it sit at room temperature for an hour or so before serving.
I am making this for a Christmas fundraiser. Can I make it in advance and freeze it? I was also thinking of making it into mini-bundts for individual portions because I am not sure how cleanly I can cut slices.
I donāt typically recommend freezing fully frosted cakes. You can certainly try it though. Just be sure to wrap it well and thaw it in the fridge. And I havenāt tried this cake is Bundt cakes, but that sounds like a really cute idea.
May I use dried cranberries instead?
Hi! I can’t find cranberries. Can I do rasberries? What would be another red fruit to use?
Raspberries should be fine.
Can I make this with fresh frozen cranberries? I canāt find fresh cranberries, but Iād really like to make this cake for an upcoming family gathering. If I can use fresh frozen cranberries, do I need to do anything differently? Thank you!
For frozen cranberries, Iād thaw them and pat them dry first.
Iāve been making this cake for at least 5 years now. It has become the most requested Christmas dessert. We look forward to it every year!!
This was delicious! I’m not much of a baker, but this cake made me look like a pro! It is surprisingly easy to make. Guests raved! I’m making it again today for a different party!
Iāve made this recipe every Christmas Eve for my family for the last four years and itās everyoneās favorite!!! You cannot get a better cake! Itās now a tradition in my family!
So glad to hear that!
This looks amazing! Could I bake and freeze the cake layers a few days in advance and then ice the day before? I make notoriously sloppy cakes, and am hoping that freezing it will help with smoother icing, and give me more time for final touches the day before/of! Thank you!!
Sure, that should be fine.
You say to let it set out for 12 hrs before eating it. Do I put it in the refrigerator?
You can leave it at room temperature.
This is going to be the cake I make for my daughterās birthday! Itās an outside party in December so will the frosted cranberries be okay and not melt or soften?
What part of the world are you in? Where I am, itās cold. I would not expect them to melt or anything. If itās warm outside, it could create condensation which could make the cranberries use lose of that sugary sparkle.
I made this cake for the first time several years ago and now every Christmas my family begs me to do it again. It is an amazing cake and a staple for our family. I do not need as many cranberries for the top but that’s just the way I decorate it.
So glad it’s such a hit!
This turned out fabulous!! Thank you for making your recipe so clear snd easy to follow by breaking it up into segments. I used super fine bakers sugar in the cranberries. When the moisture from the syrup mixed with the sugar it created snowy looking granules that I decorated the bottom edge with. Simply gorgeous.
So glad you enjoyed it!
This is quite possible THE BEST cake I’ve ever made/eaten!!! Indescribable.
So glad to hear that!
My cakes didn’t rise. They are flat. I don’t know why š
Maybe check your baking powder and make sure itās still good.