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 haven’t made this….but will in the next few weeks. 5-stars are for the simple elegant look of the cake. I think when I make it, i will go with the “naked cake” look.
Hey Lindsay,
I want to first say thank you for this recipe! I have made this cake two years in a row, for both sides of my family, and it is a huge hit! This year we are going to a larger party so I was thinking of making it into a sheet cake rather than the double layer. Do you think it will hold the moistness as well if it doesn’t have a middle layer of frosting?
I’m so glad it’s been a hit! Do you mean a 9×13 sheet cake? I would think it would stay moist just fine. You probably won’t need to use as much frosting though.
Should I make any modifications for altitude? I’m at 5200 feet.
Thanks for this lovely recipe! I just made it for my mother’s 58th birthday and it was a total knockout! A few commented that it was the best cake they’ve ever had, thank you Linsday! I would love to share a pic but I don’t see the option to do that. <3
Wonderful! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
I was searching for something different for Vday this year….. this is the one. Love it. Thank you for sharing.
I have made this cake twice and each time it doesn’t rise. what am I doing wrong? I follow the recipe exactly as written. HELP!
the cake is still delicious.
I’m really not sure. It’s so hard to say from a distance what would cause the problem. I’m sorry!
I made this cake for my sit down Christmas dinner party. It was fantastic! I especially loved the white chocolate frosting. My guests were gaga over the presentation and the taste. Spectacular recipe! Thank you.
Wonderful! So glad you were happy with it!
how do you possibly get the mix smooth if you are not mixing the butter and sugar together first? I followed your direction and ended up with a liquid mixture with chunks of butter – after cutting butter into pats first.Ā
I thought this cake looked beautiful for our Christmas family party, so I made it. Unfortunately, this cake was extremely heavy and the icing very sweet. I followed the recipe to the tee, and was even hesitant about the amount of confectioner’s sugar to use, but followed the directions as posted. It looked elegant but I wouldn’t make it again. No one finished their slice.
Does the Milk have to be whole milk or can we use skim?
And for the cake, are the 2 1/2 cups of fresh cranberries whole and right from the bag, assuming they cook during baking? ThanksĀ
The cranberries used in the cake are whole and right from the bag, yes.
I typically use 2% milk. Skim milk would probably be ok.
Hi, Ā I have decided to make this for Christmas and was wondering if starting the cranberries today would be okay.?
They should be fine made early.
Hello, I plan to make this cake for Christmas. We will be out of town until Decemeber 24th and I want it on the 25th. I tried to read the comments to see if you’ve answered this but I couldn’t find it. I am wondering if I can make the cake and bake it beforehand (today the 19th or tomorrow the 20th) and freeze the layers. Then on Christmas Eve pull out the layers to let them thaw- make the berries and icing and finish it up and let it sit overnight for Christmas. How do you think this would turn out? Has anyone tried to freeze the cake layers just for a few days?!
Freezing the layers should be fine. Just wrap them well and thaw them in the fridge.
Oh snap! That made us all drool here at work, lol. We are looking for a dessert for our holiday potluck & this is “SO IT! ” – Yumm – the ladies are all super excited to try this!
I made this for my daughterās 16th birthday a few years ago and, at her request, have made it every year since (including today!)
I always make extra cranberries. She and her friends eat them like candy!
Wonderful! Glad to hear it’s a well-loved tradition! š Thanks Nicole!
I want to try making this next week for my daughter’s birthday, but I’ll be traveling and can only get my hands on 9-inch pans (similar to the comment above). Do you think I could just use the recipe “as is” in the 9-inch pans? The layers would be slightly thinner and I’m guessing it might cook faster, but do you think it would still be ok?
You are spot on that the cakes will be thinner and bake less time, but otherwise it should bake up and be fine.
Keen to make this cake! Any ideas for making it gluten free?
I don’t know a ton about gluten free baking. Gluten free flour should be fine. I’m not really sure what else would need to be substituted.