Sparkling Wine Cranberry and White Chocolate Layer Cake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword buttercream, cake, chocolate, Cranberry, white chocolate, wine

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Cooling Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings people

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Vanilla extract can be substituted for the sparkling wine concentrate. However, this will alter the flavor of the cake.