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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Thanks for this recipe! Do you add the orange zest in with the orange juice?
Hey Alex,
Yes, you will want to add 1 tablespoon of zest. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! Can I substitute coconut oil for the canola oil? Thanks!
Hey Renee,
Yes, that will work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this cake last year and will make it again this Christmas! So good and so festive! Love all your cake recipes. My hubby loves a coconut cake! Would love to see your take on that!
Hey Rebekah,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
The jam and frosting were amazing compliments of each other! It tastes as good as it looks! Thank you!
Hey Alyssa,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving this a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Would it be possible to use coconut milk in the cranberry cake instead of buttermilk if I do not want to both with the homemade nog?
Hey Kathy,
Yes, you could use coconut milk. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Hi! Sorry to bother you with what is maybe a stupid question but could I replace the canola oil with sunflower oil or olive oil? Canola oil is not that easy to find where I live and I wouldn’t want to ruin the whole recipe unknowingly by replacing it with the wrong ingredient.
Thank you so much,
Anka
How many cake pans you use in these cake ??
Hey Alejandra,
You will want to use 2 (8) inch cake pans. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this cake for Christmas Eve and it was SO GOOD. Also pretty easy for a cake that looks and tastes amazing, and it worked perfectly with a gluten-free flour mix. The combination of the tart cranberry jam and the white chocolate icing was perfect, and the eggnog gave the cake such a rich flavour! I could go on and on, haha. Thank you Tieghan!!
Hi Caitlin! Wow yes!! So glad you had so much success with this cake! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
I found this cake of yours a little late for Christmas, but still sounds like a perfectly applicable “Winter Cake” while we’re still in this colder season!
So, anyway, I loved reading this recipe’s post, and just had to comment…maybe this is a weird question- but, I had to ask what you original vision for this cake was, since you said it came nothing close. Would you be willing to paint us a word picture to share your creative vision for it? It obviously looks amazing anyway, but I’d love to appreciate your first vision with you too! Since I’m a visual person, I was just really curious and had to ask what you had in mind! (As a fellow Creative, I really empathize with having visions of creations that are sometimes so much more grande in my mind’s eye, too.)
P.S. The IG photo of this cake looked so amazingly beautiful, and delicious, that I had to click through for the recipe itself; so brava all the same! : )
Hi Krystal!! You are so sweet! Honestly, I con’t even remember at this point what the original was. I’m soo sorry! I create so many recipes daily, so it is hard to think back to what I had planned for this cake originally. I think it was maybe something with only 2 layers! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This cake is delicious I made it twice for two different Christmas parties. The second time I made it I used 2 9 inch round pans instead of 8 because I found there was too much batter for the 8 inch pans which caused the cake not to cook well in the middle and be over cooked on the top and sides. This cake has delicious flavor and isn’t too sweet with the tart homemade jam in between each layer. Everyone loved it!
I am so glad you all loved this cake, Caroline! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
I made this for Christmas Eve and the compliments were endless. No one could quite pinpoint the cake flavor…it was new, unexpected, and delicious. I have to admit the recipe was intimidating, but ended up being quite easy. Next time I’m going to pair it with Maple Buttercream. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Thank you Laura! I am so glad this turned out so well for you and your guests! xTieghan
Hi
This is one of the best cakes I’ve ever had! So delicious, thank you for this recipe!
Thank you for trying this Lindsay! xTieghan
Made this for Christmas Eve and it was fantastic! However, the cakes rose a ton in the oven and spilled way over the 8-inch round pans! I used buttermilk (with some nutmeg & cinnamon) instead of eggnog bc I had it on hand, and I’m thinking it possibly reacted with the baking soda/powder? Still turned out really great, but maybe be cautious if using buttermilk and use a 9-inch pan.
HI Celia! I don’t think it was the buttermilk. I am really not sure why the cakes would have spilled over. I guess maybe your pans a slightly small than mine. Regardless, I am So sorry they spilled over! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I so glad you love this recipe! Thank you and Happy New Year! xTieghan
I call this cake a “Mind Blowing Cake”. I think the Coconut Rum was a genius move. The flavor of the cake on it’s own was so delicious. Not too sweet. Perfect!
Haha wow that is so amazing! Thank you! xTieghan
I think I went too easy on the filling, and accidentally left out the coconut rum…. but it was still SO GOOD! Brought it to a friends holiday dinner as the dessert, everyone loved it and even my husband who is insanely picky had compliments and ate 2 slices 🙂 Thanks for the great recipe!
Yes that is what I am talking about!! So glad this turned out so well for you Loreal! Thank you! xTieghan