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The sweetest White Christmas Cranberry Layer Cake to celebrate the most wonderful time of year. Four layers of light and fluffy vanilla cake, made moist with the addition of coconut nog and greek yogurt. Each cake has a layer of homemade cranberry jam and white chocolate buttercream. Every bite is delicious with fresh cranberries, hints of coconut, and sweet vanilla cake. The perfect festive cake to celebrate the holidays this season.
The final countdown between now and Christmas is officially on. We’re just one week away from Christmas Eve. The craziness has set in, and as usual, I’m scrambling to check every last item off my to-do list before it’s too late…
It’s going to be tight this year, but thankfully, I have an exciting cake to share with everyone today.
Jumping right into my rambling because I have stories and details to share on this very special Christmas cake.
Here is the story…
I’ve wanted to make a version of this cake for a couple of years now, but the vision in my head stopped me every single time. Sometimes I can have a picture in my head of a recipe (especially dessert recipes) before I’ve even begun to develop the recipe. I love when this is the case because it helps me to easily write up the recipe to start testing. But with this cake? The picture in my head intimidated me. I knew there was a very good chance I could never recreate the photo in my head and that if I were to attempt the cake, I might end up walking away with disappointment. I put a lot of pressure on myself to give you guys only the best recipes and I just knew this cake could never turn out as cute as the one in my head.
I held off for a good two years, but this year it was a phone call with my mom that convinced me I needed to at least try. Because really, you never know until you try.
Plus, the sound of a sweet cranberry layer cake lightly hinted with coconut sounded so good to both of us. It was time to share this cake already!
So. I tried. And by the end of the day, I may have even shed a few tears. Even though this cake looks nothing like what I envisioned, it’s DELICIOUS. And in the end, that’s all that truly matters.
And you know what? It’s not perfect, but I do indeed LOVE it.
The details.
The vanilla cake is not your standard cake. My secret is to use a mix of coconut nog and Greek yogurt to keep the cake extra moist. If you don’t love coconut nog or simply don’t want to make it, use buttermilk. I will say that the eggnog adds only a nice spiced flavor. I used my homemade coconut nog (which is vegan, so technically not eggnog).
While the cake itself is good, it’s not really the star flavor. Nope, what this cake is really all about is the cranberry jam. It’s made with maple syrup and hinted with orange, cinnamon, and gingers. The flavors of Christmas.
It. Is. So. Good!
Once you’ve made the cake, it comes together pretty easily. The trickiest part is slicing the cake layers in half, which I know might sound scary, but you guys can do it.
I decorated simply, with sugared cranberries, coconut, and rosemary.
A few things…
One, don’t stress too much about creating a perfectly even cut. As you can see, my layers are nowhere near perfect, but all turned out OK.
Two, use a long serrated bread knife to cut the cake in half. This helps so much with making an even cut all the way through.
Three, be sure to cool the cake completely before slicing.
Please don’t stress about having to cut the cake layers in half. It’s not as scary as it may seem. Once you layer everything together the cake is going to be beautiful…no matter what. And, if you do have trouble and the cake crumbles a bit, don’t worry, those crumbs make for a delicious snack.
Four, remember that any “mistakes” can all be fixed with frosting…never too much frosting.
Bottom line?
You need to be making this cake. All the holiday cookies are amazing, and we do need them, but a show-stopping cake is always a good idea. Plus, you can never have too many sweets at Christmas time.
Tis the season. Enjoy it, and then…healthy January will follow.
If you make this white Christmas cranberry layer cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
White Christmas Cranberry Layer Cake
Servings: 24
Calories Per Serving: 437 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons coconut rum (optional)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups coconut nog, eggnog, or buttermilk
- 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cranberry Jam
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup orange juice + 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
White Chocolate Buttercream
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 8 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract (use your favorite or both)
- sugared cranberries, shredded coconut, and rosemary, for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter/spray with cooking spray.2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand-held mixer) beat together the canola oil, yogurt, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and eggnog (or buttermilk). Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined. 3. Pour the batter among the cake pans and bake 30-35 minutes, until the tops are just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool five minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Cover and let the cakes cool completely before assembling.4. To make the jam. Add the cranberries, maple syrup, and orange juice to a medium-size pot set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, once boiling use a fork to break down the cranberries a bit. Continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the jam has reduced and thickened by 1/3. Stir in the vanilla, ginger, and cinnamon. Remove from the heat and let cool. 5. To make the buttercream. Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat the butter and powdered sugar together until the butter is light and fluffy. Add the melted white chocolate and vanilla and beat until combined.6. To assemble. Using a large serrated knife, carefully cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread 1/4 of the buttercream over the cake and layer with about 1/3 cup of jam. Repeat with the remaining 3 cake layers. Be careful not to over fill your layers or the cake will be hard to slice. Lightly frost the outside of the cake. Chill 30 minutes. Serve or store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before serving, decorate with sugared cranberries, coconut, and rosemary, if desired.
Sugared Cranberries
- 1. In a medium bowl, stir together 2 cups fresh cranberries with 1/2 cup maple syrup. Let sit 10-15 minutes. Strain the cranberries, then add them to a parchment lined baking sheet.2. Toss the cranberries with 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar until all the cranberries are coated. Allow the cranberries to dry, in a single layer, for at least one hour.
I made this for Christmas dinner with my wife, son & daughter-in-law. Taste is wonderful. A couple comments on the recipe – it implies that you should put cranberry jam on the all 4 layers, including the top, but the photos look like there is nothing but frosting on the top layer. Second, the recipe says to divide the frosting into 4 bunches, put 1/4 on top of each layer, then frost the cake – if you have put 4/4ths on the tops of the layers, what do you use to frost the sides? I caught that but didn’t notice the pictures that show no jam on top and ended up with a cake that looks like a winter scene from the civil war, bloody snow everywhere! My son said we should see if any of his green army men were still around, we could cut off an arm or head or two and scatter them on top for decoration. Still, a great cake that I’ll try again (this time leaving the jam off the top layer). The ‘bloody snow’ didn’t interfere with the great flavors.
Hey Keith!! So sorry for the trouble with frosting. I am going to read over my steps now and adjust them to be more clear. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I glad you still enjoyed this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
My buttercream was very lumpy from from white Chocolate, any suggestions? I did wait for it to cool. Also the tops of the cake came out too high and left huge gaps in the layers. Doesn’t look too good but I hope it taste good for Christmas Day.
HI! Did the white chocolate not mix well with the butter? Was you butter cold? Or soft? if the butter was as all cold it could have harden the white chocolate and made your frosting lumping.
Not sure what you mean when you say “wine in a layer”? Can you clarify? Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
I loved making this cake. It was my 1st layer cake ever. I felt intimidated because I am not a good cook or baker but I continue trying my hand at baking even in my 60’s. We can’t wait to taste it tomorrow. Happy Holidays.
P.S.
I tasted the cake batter and it was delicious and the frosting was decadent
That is so great! I am so glad this turned out so well for you Victoria! Thank you! xTieghan
My buttercream was very lumpy from from white Chocolate, any suggestions? I waiting for it to cool. Also the tops of the cake were high and wine in a layer it left huge gaps. Doesn’t look too good but I hope it taste good for Christmas Day.
HI! Did the white chocolate not mix well with the butter? Was you butter cold? Or soft? if the butter was as all cold it could have harden the white chocolate and made your frosting lumping.
Not sure what you mean when you say “wine in a layer”? Can you clarify? Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
Can you make your cakes a day ahead of time and frost them the following day? If so, how would you store the cake, enclosed or open to the air?
HI! Yes you can make the cakes ahead, cover with plastic wrap, store at room temp, then frost. Or you can make and assemble the cake, store in the fridge and remove from the fridge 1 hour before serving to come to room temp. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
I am making this cake tomorrow and can’t wait. But I am making it with GF flour and at this late date I am starting to worry, especially since I just saw that you “can’t” slice 1 GF layer to make two! Curious if that is true in your experience? Thinking I might default to 3 thinner layers vs 2 thicker cakes and go that route. Hopefully you are off with family and friends celebrating! I will report back on how this plays out.
Hi Britt! How did it go? I am not too familiar with GF baking, so really I don’t think I could have helped much. Hopping you loved this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
Debated between this and your Gingerbread cake, but the majority in my family voted for Cranberry…for which I am so glad! It turned out beautifully! Cutting the layers was easier than expected after letting the cake cool completely!
That is so amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you Katie! xTieghan
Hey there! Would you recommend adding any spices to buttermilk if not using eggnog? Thank you for sharing!
HI! You can use a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon. Maybe about 1/4 teaspoon each. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
I’m excited to make this for Christmas Eve dinner! I have a cranberry jam that I canned earlier this month and was hoping to use that instead of making another jam. Do you have any idea how many cups or ounces of jam this recipe would need?
HI! I am sure your canned jam will work wonderfully! You need about 2 cups. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response is a bit late! xTieghan
I think I’m going to make this for Christmas Eve, it looks SO good! Only thing, I’m not a *huge* white chocolate fan – does white chocolate butter cream taste a lot like white chocolate? Was thinking I might sub just plain buttercream instead, do you think that would still be good? Thanks!!
HI! The white chocolate really only sweetens the buttercream, but you can certainly use your favorite vanilla buttercream. That will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had Merry Christmas! Sorry my response what a bit late! xTieghan
I’m going to give this a try for Christmas….looks amazing! One question what do I do if I only have 9” pans?
HI! 9 inch pans will work just the same. Bake 3-4 minutes less! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had a Merry Christmas! xTieghan
So excited to make this for the day after Christmas for my daughter bday. Would it be ok to make the layers 3 days before and freeze them? I could go ahead and also make the jam and butter cream I imagine too and put it all together on the 26. Thoughts? Want it to be as fresh as possible and not have a lot to do the day of.
Hi Rebekah!! That will work great! Let me know how it went…sorry for the late reply! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and I hope you had a Merry Christmas! xTieghan
I’m so excited to make this for Christmas Eve! Should we be using fresh grated ginger, or dried/ground ginger? Thanks!
HI! I like to use ground ginger. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Merry Christmas! xTieghan
I made this last night for a family get together. We loved the tart cranberry with the sweet cake. Everyone raved over the white chocolate buttercream. I loved the addition of eggnog. The cake was delightful. Thank you for another great recipe. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thank you so much Devon! I am so glad this turned out so well for all of you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Oops! Please delete my question, I clearly need more sleep and read the instructions wrong. Thanks!