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Christmas: Sparkling Cranberry Cake

Source of Recipe

From "Festive Holiday Recipes" by Addie Gundry


Recipe Introduction

"This may be my all-time favorite cake because the glittered cranberries sparkle like the twinkle in Santa's eye."

List of Ingredients

Cranberries:
◦  1½ cups sugar
◦  1 cup water
◦  2 cups fresh cranberries

Cake:
◦  3⅓ cups all-purpose flour
◦  2 cups sugar
◦  2½ tsp baking powder
◦  1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
◦  1 cup sour cream
◦  1 cup whole milk
◦  3 large eggs
◦  2 Tbsp vanilla extract
◦  3 cups fresh cranberries

Frosting:
◦  12 ounces white chocolate morsels
◦  ¾ cup heavy cream
◦  ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
◦  9 cups powdered sugar


Recipe

For the cranberries:
Combine 1 cup sugar and the water in a large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Pour the simple syrup into a bowl and let cool for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cranberries. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the cranberries and roll in the remaining ½ cup sugar.
Set the cranberries aside to dry for about 30 minutes.

For the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Coat three 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray and place parchment paper in the bottom of the pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add the butter, sour cream, milk, eggs, and vanilla just until smooth. Stir in the cranberries. Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:
Place the white chocolate chips in a large bowl. Microwave the cream until it starts to boil. Pour over the chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for about 5 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let sit until thick.

Using a hand mixer, beat the frosting until smooth. Beat in the butter. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

To assemble the cake:
Place a cake layer on a cake plate. Spread some frosting over the cake in an even layer. Repeat with the next two layers, frosting the top and sides of the cake. Top with sparkling cranberries and add some around the edge, if desired. Slice and serve.


Serves 8 to 10