Cranberry Bliss Cake Recipe (video)

sugared cranberries on top of a cake, with frosting

1 hr 45 mins prep + 40 mins cook

servings

Perfect cake recipe for the holidays! This cranberry cake is made with moist sour cream cake layers, cranberry filling and cream cheese frosting, then garnished with sugared cranberries!

Ingredients
US Customary - Metric

3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups cranberries, halved

For Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup butter, softened
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 pounds powdered sugar
1 teaspoon orange oil or vanilla extract
2 tablespoons half-and-half or cream

For cranberry sauce:

3 cups cranberries, halved
1/2 cup sugar
additional cranberries for garnish

Instructions

For Cake Layers:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line with parchment paper the bottom of 2, 8-inch round cake pans; set aside.
In large mixer bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla on high speed until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. In separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add the sour cream and dry ingredients to the eggs, alternating. Beat batter just until smooth. Be careful not to over beat the batter as this will cause gluten to develop, resulting in a gummy cake.
Toss the cranberries in flour to coat. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of your cake rounds. Fold in cranberries.
Divide batter into prepared cake pans and bake in preheated oven for approximately 40-45 minutes until tops are golden brown. Remove from oven and from pans onto cooling racks. Let cake layers cool completely; use to split the layers in half.

For Cranberry Sauce:

For cranberry sauce: place cranberries and sugar into small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until berries split open. Continue to cook until sauce is reduced in half and thickened. Cool before using.

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

For frosting: whisk softened butter in mixer bowl for about 5 to 6 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the softened cream cheese, orange oil and 2 tablespoons cream; whisk again for about 5 minutes, until smooth. If you cannot find orange oil, a tablespoon of orange zest will also work. Begin adding powdered sugar, adding 1 cup at a time. Whisk after each addition. Adjust sugar and cream as needed: use more sugar for thicker frosting, less sugar and more cream for a frosting with thinner consistency. If the frosting is too soft, refrigerate it for 30 minutes to an hour.

Assembling the Cake:

To assemble cake: split the cake layers in half to have 4 layers. Reserve a small portion of prepared frosting in a piping bag for garnishing the top. Spread a layer of frosting on each cake layer, then top with cranberry sauce; repeat the process for the remaining layers. Spread the remaining frosting on edges and sides. Garnish the top with sugared cranberries and mint leaves. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 -3 hours before serving.
To make the sugared cranberries, I first sprayed the berries with a simple sugar syrup. To make the syrup, combine 3 tablespoons of corn syrup with 3 tablespoons of water in a spray bottle. Spray the berries with the syrup and then allow the syrup to dry until it's sticky. Repeat this process a couple of times, then sprinkle the berries with granulated sugar. The sticky syrup will help the sugar stick well!

Nutrition