Cranberry orange cake

  Cranberry Orange Cake

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 27 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 767 kcal

 Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

Cake

• ▢6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter softened
• ▢2 cups (400 g) granulated      sugar
• ▢⅔ cup (160 ml) neutral      cooking oil (avocado, canola, or vegetable oil)
• ▢1 Tablespoon orange      zest
• ▢2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢1 Tablespoon baking      powder
• ▢1 teaspoon salt
• ▢1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk room temperature      preferred
• ▢6 large      egg whites room temperature preferred

Cranberry Filling

• ▢⅔ cup (135 g) granulated      sugar
• ▢3 Tablespoons (38 g) brown      sugar firmly packed
• ▢½ cup (120 ml) orange      juice
• ▢¼ cup (60 ml) water
• ▢2 cups (226 g) fresh      or frozen cranberries rinsed

Frosting

• ▢8 oz (226 g) brick      style cream cheese, softened
• ▢½ cup (113 g) salted      butter softened
• ▢2 Tablespoons orange      zest
• ▢5 cups (625 g) powdered      sugar
• ▢1 Tablespoon orange      juice
• ▢½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Recommended Equipment

4 8" round cake pans

Parchment paper rounds

Mixing bowls

Electric mixer

Cake leveler (optional)

Instructions

For the cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease and flour four 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, (or in your stand mixer with a paddle attachment) use an electric mixer to beat butter until light and creamy.

(6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter)

3. Add sugar, oil, and orange zest and beat until well combined.2 cups (400 g)    granulated sugar,1 Tablespoon orange zest,⅔ cup (160 ml) neutral cooking oil.

4. Stir in vanilla extract. (2 teaspoons vanilla extract)

5. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. 

(2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour,1 Tablespoon baking powder,1 teaspoon salt)

6. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with the flour mixture (I add the flour in 4 parts and the buttermilk in 3). 7. Stir until just combined after each addition.

(2 ¾ cups (345 g) all-purpose flour,1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk)

8. Pour egg whites to a separate (completely clean, dry, and grease-free) mixing bowl (do not use a silicone, rubber, or plastic bowl). Use an electric mixer to beat on low speed until foamy, then gradually increase speed to high and continue to beat until you reach stiff peaks (opaque white, thick, voluminous, and hold their peak when the beater is lifted).

(6 large egg whites)

9. Add the whipped egg whites to the cake batter and use a spatula to gently fold the egg whites into batter until thoroughly combined, but just combined (don’t overdo it but you do not want to have any streaks of egg white remaining).

Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Bake 2 cake pans at a time in preheated 350F (175C) oven for 20-24 minutes or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. I usually begin my cranberry filling once the cakes are baking.

10. Allow cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge and carefully inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling.

Filling

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine sugars, orange juice, and water over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.
2. ⅔ cup (135 g) granulated sugar,3 Tablespoons (38 g) brown sugar,½ cup (120 ml) orange juice,¼ cup (60 ml) water
3. Once sugar has dissolved, add cranberries and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer, stirring frequently, until the berries have burst and the mixture has thickened to a jam-like consistency (note that the sauce will thicken as it cools). Time may vary, usually takes about 7-10 minutes on my stovetop but may take longer. Be careful, as the berries pop they can splatter and the mixture is hot!
4. 2 cups (226 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
5. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend mixture until smooth.
6. Pour mixture into a heat-proof bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool while you prepare the frosting.

Frosting

1. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to stir together cream cheese, butter, and orange zest until smooth and creamy.
2. 8 oz (226 g) brick style cream cheese, softened,½ cup (113 g) salted butter,2 Tablespoons orange zest
3. Gradually add powdered sugar, about 1 cup (125g) at a time, until all sugar is combined. Be sure to use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the sugar.
4. 5 cups (625 g) powdered sugar
5. Gradually stir in orange juice followed by vanilla extract until well combined.
6. ½ teaspoon vanilla extract,1 Tablespoon orange juice

Assembly

1. Once cakes and filling have cooled completely (very important or assembly will be a mess, trust me!), assemble and decorate the cakes. If cakes are uneven, you may wish to level them using a cake leveler (I link to mine in the equipment section below, an inexpensive and handy tool if you make a lot of cakes and your oven makes the layers uneven).
2. Place your first cake layer on your cake platter and fill a large piping bag fitted with an open tip (I like the 1A) with the frosting.
3. Pipe a border around the inside edge of a cake layer to form a dam to hold the cranberry sauce.
4. You will have 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of filling. Fill the first dam with ⅓ of your cranberry filling and spread into an even layer. Repeat with the next two cake layers. Add your fourth and final layer of cake and cover the entire cake in a semi-naked covering of the remaining frosting. If you want to be extra, top the cake with sugared cranberries for decoration.
5. Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before slicing and serving.

Notes

Cake flour

You may substitute 3 cups (345g) cake flour for the all-purpose flour called for.

Storing

Cover cake (or store in an airtight container) and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I prefer to let the cake sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so before serving, as it’s a bit softer that way.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 767kcal | Carbohydrates: 125g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 517mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 100g | Vitamin A: 494IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.