This post is sponsored in conjunction with ChristmasSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
We are on Day 2 of Christmas Sweets Week, and I already have a list of goodies on my "to-make" list from yesterday. So many delicious offerings! So, to add more YUM to your day here is the line-up for today featuring myself, and other Christmas Sweets Week participants.
#ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes:
Beverages:
Candy Cane Crunch Milkshake from The Redhead BakerSalted Caramel Hot Chocolate Toddy from Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
Frozen Blue Hot Chocolate from For the Love of Food
Gingersnap Eggnog Shooter from Seduction In The Kitchen
Grumpy Grinch Punch from For the Love of Food
Merry Mistletoe Cocktail from Who Needs A Cape?
Raspberry Thyme Prosecco Punch from Take Two Tapas
Vanilla Milk Punch from Cooking with Carlee
Breakfast:
Cranberry Orange Make Ahead French Toast Bake from With Two SpoonsCandies:
Cookie Butter Balls from The Bitter Side of SweetPeppermint Patty Candy from Everyday Eileen
White Chocolate Bark from Family Around the Table
Desserts:
Apple Cheddar Hand Pies from A Kitchen Hoor's AdventuresSparkling Wine, Cranberry, and White Chocolate Layer Cake from Cheese Curd in Paradise
Chocolate Orange Crinkle Cookies from Kate's Recipe Box
Chocolate Hazelnut Truffle Tart from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen
Cranberry Orange Crinkle Cookies from Love and Confections
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake from The Crumby Kitchen
Gingerbread Cookie Cups from Moore or Less Cooking
Gingerbread Sprinkle Cookies from Daily Dish Recipes
Grandma's Chocolate Pie from Tip Garden
Italian Butter Cookies from April Golightly
No Bake Eggnog Pie from Our Good Life
Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Bread from Sweet Beginnings
Don't forget to enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post. If you want to learn more about our sponsors and giveaway participants peek at my intro to Christmas Sweets Week post.
On to today's delicious offering: Sparking Wine and Cranberry Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream. I think I crammed all of my favorite indulgent flavors into one amazing cake. Lorann Oils & Flavors sent me a concentrated sparkling wine flavored oil made for baking, and I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to use it in a cake. Cranberry is one of my favorite holiday flavors, and adding in white chocolate buttercream is, literally, the icing on the cake.
My favorite things about this cake are the fresh cranberries that are generously tucked into the cake. The tart cranberry is offset by the sweet sparkling wine oil. The best part is the white chocolate buttercream. It is light fluffy, and full of rich white chocolate flavor.
This cake is topped with one of my favorite holiday treats- sugared cranberries. They are soaked in a simple syrup overnight, drained, rolled in sugar, and dried. The outside is a crunchy sugar shell, and the inside a sweet, but slightly tart, cranberry. These berries are of course optional, but they are a beautiful and tasty garnish, but make sure to give yourself time to complete them if you plan to include them in the cake.
I mean....look at those berries. I can't resist it!
This cake is a great addition to a holiday party, and this one was brought to an ugly sweater party for the dessert table, and it was happily enjoyed....I think my kids favorite part was sneaking the berries off the base when no one was looking!
Don't forget to enter the giveaway, and tune in tomorrow for more delicious offerings for Christmas Sweets Week!
Sparkling Wine Cranberry and White Chocolate Layer Cake
Ingredients
Sugared Cranberries
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 ½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 cup water
Cranberry Sparkling Wine Cake
- 3 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon sparkling wine concentrate (vanilla extract can be substituted-see note))
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 tablespoon butter, for pans
White Chocolate Buttercream
- 12 oz white chocolate chips
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Sugared Cranberries:
- Bring 1 cup sugar and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Simmer until sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour simple syrup into a heat-safe bowl and cool for about 5 minutes.
- Add cranberries and stir to coat.
- Refrigerate cranberries in syrup overnight.
- Remove cranberries from syrup and roll in remaining ½ cup of sugar on a baking sheet. Roll the cranberries a few times to ensure they are fully coated in sugar.
- Set cranberries in the fridge dry for a hour.
Sparkling Wine Cranberry Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Use a little butter and toweling to grease two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper and place in the pan. Butter the paper and then flour the paper.
- Add butter, eggs, vanilla extract, sour cream and milk to bowl of a stand mixer and mix on medium speed just until smooth. You may also use a hand mixer if you do not have a stand mixer.
- Whisk together flour, sugar and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.
- Gently stir in cranberries.
- Spread batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans.
- Bake 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean (leaving a few crumbs).
- Let cakes cool completely.Allow cakes to fully cool before icing. Run a knife around edges, place upside down onto racks or counter to remove, and peel off paper.
White Chocolate Buttercream:
- Place white chocolate chips in a medium bowl.
- Microwave heavy cream until it starts to boil. Remove from microwave and pour over chocolate chips.
- Cover bowl and let it sit for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove cover and whisk chocolate and cream until smooth.
- Allow ganache to sit until mostly cool. It should be thick.
- Add white chocolate to stand mixer. 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. If the buttercream needs to be fluffier add a tablespoon or two of the cream.
Cake Assembly:
- 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. Spread icing around cake in even strokes.
- Top the cake with sparkling cranberries and add some around the edge, if desired
Notes
Thank you ChristmasSweetsWeek Sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Cabot Cheese, Lorann Oils & Flavors, Torani, Joyjolt, and Sweets & Treats Boutique for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are my own. The ChristmasSweetsWeek giveaway is open to U.S. residents, age 18 & up. All entries for the winner will be checked and verified. By entering you give the right to use your name and likeness. The number of entries received determines the odds of winning. Six (6) winners will be selected. The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. The ChristmasSweetsWeek Bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members in their household cannot enter or win the giveaway. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the ChristmasSweetsWeek posts or entry.
Claudia Lamascolo
Sheer elegance. This cake is so festive and perfect for Christmas I love the filling!
Pavani
That Cranberry & White chocolate cake is definitely a show stopper. Looks so festive and pretty. Love the sweet and tart flavors going in there.
April
I love sweets so you won me with the title already! But that recipe - I mean is it even real? I love how this cake looks and I can only imagine how yummy it is! Great work.
Justine
OMG this was soooooo good. Perfect for the holidays!
Marisa Franca
This is a real show stopper. Set this out and people will gobble down their food just to get to the dessert. I love the idea of macerating the cranberries in wine and then adding them to the cake. That I've done before even though you just make it with water. This is a recipe I have to try.