Best white chocolate cranberry layer cake recipe (2024)

• sugar—use granulated sugar because it won't impart a taste that may interfere with the delicate flavours of the components of this recipe
• cranberries—use fresh cranberries, especially for the sugared cranberries. You could use frozen cranberries for the cranberry cake filling
• salt—Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• pure vanilla extract
• flour—use bleached all-purpose flour
• leavening agents—baking powder is used in the cake. Do not confuse it with baking soda. If you aren't sure the difference, read about baking soda vs baking powder.
• poppy seeds are optional, but they give the cake layers a really special look
• butter—use unsalted butter, but if you prefer to bake with salted, cut back on the salt in the cake recipe
• eggs—use large egg(s) that are atroom temperature
• milk— use whole milk (3.25 % fat) or milk with at least 2 % fat
• cream cheese—use full-fat cream cheese sold in bars, like Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular). Do not use whipped cream cheese or cream cheese spread.
• white chocolate—make sure to use a good quality white chocolate that has around 30 % cocoa content in it. Do not use candy melts or white chocolate chips
• lemon juice—I prefer fresh lemon juice for its flavour

Please refer to the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

For the sugared cranberries

• ▢ 250 grams water
• ▢ 200 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 150 grams fresh cranberries
• ▢ 50 grams granulated sugar more or less, for dusting the cranberries

For the cranberry filling

• ▢ 100 grams fresh cranberries
• ▢ 50 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 30 grams water
• ▢ 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• ▢ 1.25 mL pure vanilla extract

For the cake

• ▢ 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ 10 mL baking powder
• ▢ 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• ▢ 10 mL poppy seeds
• ▢ 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 250 grams granulated sugar
• ▢ 3 large egg(s) room temperature
• ▢ 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 188 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)

For the frosting

• ▢ 340 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) softened
• ▢ 255 grams white chocolate
• ▢ 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 23 grams fresh lemon juice

To make the sugared cranberries

• Heat together the water and the cup of granulated sugar on medium–low to dissolve the sugar.

• Transfer the syrup to a heat proof bowl and let cool 15 minutes.

• Add the cranberries, cover the bowl, and chill in the fridge for serveral hours or overnight, stirring every so often.

• Toss with half the remaining 50 grams (¼ cup) of sugar to coat all sides. Let dry on a rack set on a sheet pan to set and dry out before using.

To make the cranberry filling

• In a small saucepan, heat the cranberries, sugar, water, and salt on low to dissolve the sugar.

• Increase the heat to medium, and boil to thicken the filling. The filling should be very thick. Transfer the filling to a container, stir in the vanilla, and refrigerate overnight.

To make the cake layers

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease, flour, and line the bottoms of three 6x2-inch (15x5-cm) round cake pans (I like these pans from Wilton available on Amazon) pans. Set aside.

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt. Set aside.

• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, beating well between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.

• Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Finish stirring the last bit of flour into the batter by hand.

• Divide the batter between the prepared pans (~330 grams per pan). Tap pans on the counter and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake the layers for 28 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

• Let cool on a wire rack completely.

To make the white chocolate cream cheese frosting

• Chop the white chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl. Melt it over a double boiler until silky smooth, then let it cool before using it.

• Whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer until fluffy and very soft, then with the mixer on low, slowly drizzle the cooled melted white chocolate. Continue beating until light and fluffy.

• Add the butter, a little at a time, and mix until it's all incorporated. Beat for several minutes until you have a thick, fluffy smooth frosting. If you notice any flecks of butter or white chocolate, you can pass the frosting through a strainer to smooth it out.

To assemble the cake

• Remove the parchment paper from the layers. Level the tops of the cakes so they are flat with a serrated knife.

• Fill a piping bag (fitted with a 20 mm round tip or with a large opening) with frosting.

• Place one layer of cake on the cake stand, pipe a rim of frosting, and fill with half the cranberry filling, smoothing with a spatula.

• Pipe frosting over top to completely cover the rim and filling, smoothing with a spatula again.

• Top with a second layer of cake and repeat the rim, filling, and frosting step.

• Top with the third layer of cake. Completely frost the outside of the cake.

• Use your spatula to smooth and add texture to the sides of the cake, and top the cake with sugared cranberries just before serving.

• Layer cakes take time to make. Here's a schedule to help you get organized:
  • The day before: make the sugared cranberries and the cranberry compote
  • The day you want to serve the cake: bake the cake layers in the morning, then finish the sugared cranberries and make the frosting so that you can assemble the cake.
• Frosting—I have made this cake with two different frostings: the white chocolate cream cheese as written below and this thick cream cheese frosting, which is much easier to make than the white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Both work great with this recipe, but the flavour is a little different, obviously, because one is sweetened with white chocolate and the other with icing sugar.
• Poppy seed cake—you can omit the poppy seeds if you don't have them or don't want them. They don't add a ton of flavour and are more for looks and texture.
• Almond cake flavour—the cake layers would taste great with pure almond extract added to the batter along with the vanilla. Use carefully: add about 2.5–5 mL (½–1 teaspoon) as it can be quite potent.
• I split the batter between three 6-inch cake pans. Take the time to prepare the cake pans before baking, by buttering the pans, lining the bottom with parchment, and dusting the sides with flour. This way, your cakes will slide right out of the pan without any tearing.
• Store this cake for three days at room temperature, covered. For a detailed explanation of storing after slicing, read about how to store cake.