Cranberry Christmas Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
This Cranberry Christmas Cake consists of citrus flavoured sponge studded with fresh cranberries and iced with fluffy cream cheese frosting with a light flavour of orange.
Ingredients
For the cranberry cake
- 250g/1cup butter, unsalted
- 250g/1⅓ cup caster sugar/superfine sugar
- 4 eggs, large
- 1 tsp vanilla
- zest of 1 clementine or mandarin orange
- 250g/1¾ cup all purpose flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 100g/1cup fresh cranberries plus a handful for decorating
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- 400g/2cups cream cheese, full fat
- 300 ml/1¼ cup double cream/whipping cream 36% fat
- 65g/1/2 cup icing sugar/powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange flavoured liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier
Instructions
For the cranberry cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Butter two 8 inch baking pans and set aside or spray them with a cake release spray.
- In a large mixing bowl cream softened butter with sugar until light and fluffy with an electric hand mixer. Start adding eggs one by one, beating them until well combined after each addition for about a minute. Add vanilla and orange zest.
- Combine sifted flour, baking soda and baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix well, stopping the mixer and scraping sides and the bottom of the bowl, then fold in fresh cranberries. Divide the batter between two pans. Weigh them to get exactly the same size cakes.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely.
For the orange cream cheese frosting
- In a mixing bowl combine the full fat cream cheese, double/whipping cream, icing sugar, orange juice and Cointreau and whip with an electric mixer until stiff. This will take between 3-4 minutes. For the US readers: Whip room temperature cream cheese with powdered sugar, orange juice and Cointreau until light and fluffy. Whip the whipping cream separately. Fold the whipping cream into the cream cheese mixture until well combined.
To assemble the cake
- Set one sponge on a cake stand and spread ¼ of the cream cheese frosting on it, then top with the second layer. Cover the top and sides with cream cheese frosting using an offset spatula. Reserving ½ cup of the frosting to pipe rosettes on top if desired. Or finish the cake with pretty swirls using the back of a spoon. Top with sprinkles and fresh cranberries.
Notes
You can bake the sponges one day in advance. Cool them, then wrap in cling film until ready to assemble the cake.
Store the assembled cake in a refrigerator and take out 20 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Nutrition
Calories: 670kcalCarbohydrates: 56gProtein: 8gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 28gCholesterol: 204mgSodium: 516mgPotassium: 244mgFiber: 1gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 1704IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 2mg
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