White Chocolate Cake
with sparkling cranberries
THE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- For cake:
- 8 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup Cake flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 6 oz Buttermilk
- From your pantry:
- 2 Eggs
- For frosting:
- 8 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
- 3 oz White Chocolate
- For sparkling cranberry topping:
- 12 oz Cranberries
- 2 cups Granulated sugar
- Provided:
- 9" Parchment paper round
ABOUT RECIPE:
Sugared cranberries shimmer atop this elegant confection, bringing a tart balance to sweet white chocolate.
DID YOU KNOW?
Cranberries are one of only three fruits that are native to North America - the other two are blueberries and concord grapes!
BAKING ADVICE:
BAKING HACKS
White chocolate seizes (or, solidifies) very quickly. If your frosting starts to harden before you finish icing your cake, stir in some milk from home one teaspoon at a time. Alternative milks (soy or almond) are fine too!
Want to keep the serving platter clean while frosting the cake? Cut three 4-inch strips of waxed paper or parchment and tuck under the edges of the cake. After the frosting has set, simply remove paper and you’ll have a beautifully clean plate.
YOUR RED VELVET KIT
STEP 1
Wow, you’ve got some beautiful ingredients! Once you’ve unpacked your Red Velvet kit, preheat oven to 350°F. Take 2 eggs out of your refrigerator. Butter a 9-inch cake or springform pan, line with parchment paper round provided. Butter the top of the parchment round as well (with 1 tablespoon or less of butter provided). Place cranberries in a medium bowl to ensure none are still frozen. Place sugar (for topping) in a small bowl.
STEP 2
Place sugar (for syrup) in a medium pot with 2 cups of water over low heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool until luke warm. Add 2/3 of cranberries (set aside 1/3 for step 4) to luke warm syrup water and let sit for 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove cranberries from syrup and transfer to sugar (for topping). Toss well to coat then spread out evenly on aluminum foil. Set aside to dry (away from any kitchen heat) for at least 1 hour.
STEP 3
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter (for cake) and granulated sugar (for cake) until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until *just* incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk until *just* combined.
STEP 4
Fold remaining cranberries into batter. Fill cake pan evenly with batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan and then carefully invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. (Frosting will melt if cake is not completely cooled!) Sift confectioner's sugar over a bowl and set aside. Bring butter (for frosting) to room temperature.
STEP 5
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter (for frosting) until creamy, and set aside. In a heat-proof bowl, melt the white chocolate in a microwave in two (or three) 15-second increments, stirring each time. Be careful not to overheat as white chocolate can seize up and harden! Work quickly to beat white chocolate into butter mixture, then add confectioner’s sugar and beat for 1 minute, or until smooth.
STEP 6
Place cake on a serving platter. Once it has completely cooled, frost it entirely using an off-set spatula or non-serrated butter knife. Work quickly to coat once, then coat with a second layer to smooth over surfaces. Top with sparkling cranberries (they should be hard), lightly pressing them into the frosting to create an artful pile in the center. Press remaining berries around the sides. Enjoy!
