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,
I would like to make yours beautiful Christmas white chocolate cranberry cake.but, my problem right now is that I can’t find fresh cranberries ,I guess is out of season now since this is almost February.do you think I could use a frozen cranberries on this cake ricepes ? Thanks.
Frozen cranberries should be fine inside the cake, but if they are softer when thawed they may not hold up as well as a decoration on top of the cake.
Hi, I was invited to a Christmas dinner for 30 persons and made this cake. The cake was amazing! Everyone not only oooohhh’ed and aaahhhhhh’ed over the look of it, which I must add, looked similar to your photographs, but it was a savor-in-your-mouth experience! š I loved the burst of sweet, tangy flavor when you popped the sugared cranberries into your mouth. This was truly a lovely Pintrest find! Thank you. Sheryl
I made this for Christmas & it was really tasty. There were no “domes” for me to cut. I think the fact that the butter doesn’t incorporate completely prevented it from rising much? The cake is dense, but still tastes great. I was nervous about the frosting having 7-9 cups of powered sugar (in addition to the white chocolate), but made it as stated because I didn’t want it too tart. Most of my frosting recipes call for 3-4 cups powdered sugar, & I’ll do that next time. For me (& about 1/2 my guests), it was just too sweet & that was even without using about 1 1/2 cups of the icing. I think it was also harder to taste the white chocolate with so much sugar as well (I kept tasting it as I added sugar).
Overall this was beautiful & perfect for winter. Solid & easy to make & cut ( it holds together well even for travel). I love sugared cranberries but have never used them on a cake. They are tart, but addictive. People were surprised at first, but kept coming back for more!!
Your cake looks so pretty and delicious! Im just wondering did you also have to soak the 3 cups of cranberries that are going into the cake batter?
No, I didn’t. I just washed the cranberries before adding them.
When I added the butter in with the wet ingredients it got lumpy from the cold milk and eggs. Would it be better to cream the butter with the sugar first?
The butter can be a little lumpy and usually bakes just fine. However, you could lightly melt the butter first so that’s less of an issue. I don’t recommend creaming the butter and sugar first, but some people have said they’ve had success doing it. I haven’t done it myself.
Hi! Ive never baked with cranberries. I’m going to try to bake this for christmas. I bought a bag of ocean spray fresh cranberries. This may be a silly question but do i need to do anything to them before using in the cake. a friend told me I need to boil cranberries or they would be really hard. But i can’t find anything about boiling them. What do you recommend?
I didn’t boil them before adding them to the cake. Just wash them and probably check for stems. Like with blueberries they can sometimes have little stems.
Any idea how this would bake in a bundt pan? I’m thinking of attempting that as I don’t have 3 cake pans on hand and it’s too late in the game to head out to buy more.
I really am not sure, as I haven’t tried it in a bundt pan. I’m thinking it might be ok, but I’m not sure if it’s a little too much batter or not.
I tried it in the bundt pan and it worked well as far as space. I only oiled the pan, but probably should have floured it, too, because it broke in 2 while trying to get it out of the pan. Completely salvageable though! It was a hit and looked so beautiful! I wish I could share a pic!
Great! I’m glad it worked out!
I’m making this now for christmas. Will the cranberries stay frosted so beautifully if I refrigerate until Christmas?
Thanks!
They should. You might consider putting the sparkling cranberries in a separate container and then add them on top later, if you just wanted to be safe. I don’t think it’d be an issue, but it’s possible that the moisture from sitting on the cake could effect them.
Does the cake need to be refrigerated after completion, when sitting (as you suggested) 12-24 hours? My cranberries are “sparkled” today, drying overnight, and making the cake tomorrow for Christmas Eve.
It’d be safe to refrigerate it with the fruit in it. But I’d let it sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes or so before serving so it’s not too firm. Cake is usually best eaten closer to room temperature.
Not sure what I did wrong, cake looked beautiful but it was way too dense and wet. And I actually baked it longer than suggested. Anyone else have this issue?
My cake was also very dense. People liked it but I would have preferred a bit fluffier. Saw a comment about blending the butter and sugar first,more traditionally, think that would help? Otherwise, would probably make a good white cake and add cranberries. It was pretty however! Want to try it again.
I just made this cake this weekend for a December birthday. The cake seriously was so delicious and the cranberries are so perfect with this cake. Everyone loved how beautiful it turned out and I did follow the advice of letting the cake sit for a few hours before serving and it definitely made the flavors blend together and the cake was very easy to cut into. Thank you for such a great recipe!!
I saw this cake online earlier this week, I love cranberries, and the beautiful photos compelled me to make it for my husbands office Christmas party. I found out the day before that there would be a best dessert award, and so the challenge to win was an additional motivation. I followed the directions exactly and made the cake and iced it the night before. I made the sparkling cranberries the day of the party, and just boiled the simple syrup until most of the water was evaporated. From that point it was very easy to cover the cranberries in the syrup and add the sugar coating. They dried on a sheet of waxed paper within an hour or so. The cake turned out beautiful, and I won the first place award! I had so many kind compliments from friends and coworkers. I forgot to take even one photo, so my husband says that means I’ll have to make it again! Thank you Life Love and Sugar!
How did you cut the cake? I’m going to make it for Christmas, but I think it’s going to be difficult to serve such pretty slices like the photos here. I’m thinking each piece may look like a squashed mess.
I don’t recall squashing to be a big problem when I cut this. š I just used a good sharp knife. The cranberries soften a good bit while baking, so while slices might not be perfectly smooth, they should be fine. If it’s a big concern, you could consider refrigerating the cake since that would firm it up and make slicing easier. Keep in mind though that a cold cake tends to be less moist and it’s best to let it sit out for 30 minutes or so before cutting.
I made this as cupcakes last year and they were just as gorgeous. Very easy to serve and keep them looking nice.
That’s awesome Becky! I’m so glad! Thanks so much for letting me know how much you loved it! Merry Christmas!
Does anyone know if I can make this in a 13 x 9 pan?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it’d be fine.
Can the cake be made and frozen for a couple of days? I’m hoping to bake it several days before Christmas, freeze it, then defrost and bake on the 25th. Thanks!
The cake layers should be fine frozen.
I cooked the Sparkling Cranberry White Chocolate Cake (added vanilla to the icing and only used 7 cups of powdered sugar) for a Christmas Party. It was a hit. This is one recipe I will keep. Thank you for sharing it.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE. ARE THE 3 CUPS THAT GO INTO THE CAKE PUT INTO THE SUGAR /SYRUP MIXTURE BEFORE ADDING TO THE CAKE OR IS THE SUGAR MIXTURE JUST FOR THE CRANBERRIES ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAKE? IF THEY ARE, APPROXIMATELY HOW MUCH OF THE CRANBERRIES DO YOU PUT IN THIS SUGAR MIXTURE?
It is specified in the ingredients above. The sugar/syrup mixture doesn’t go into the cake, it’s only for soaking the 2 cups of cranberries that go on top of the cake. An additional 3 cups of cranberries go into the cake itself.
I made this, as written, from beginning to end other than adding Lindt white chocolate truffles on top…it was probably the best non chocolate (dark) dessert I’ve ever made. It was the hit of the Christmas party I took it to, not only because it was gorgeous, but excellent. Dense yes, but so moist. The tartness of the cranberries in the cake perfectly offset the sweetness of the icing, and the sugared cranberries, just yum! I’m making this again for Christmas. Thank you for the inspiration with your gorgeous photography, and a top notch recipe to go with it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Beth!
2019 update. I have made this into cupcakes, a sheetcake and a bundt and it is the hit of the party every single time. It is the BEST cake EVER
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for sharing that update – good to know it works well!