White Chocolate Layer Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Frosting

This cake hits the holiday flavor trifecta with white chocolate, cranberries and orange.

16 servings

white chocolate orange and cranberry cake 32 r2

After several tries with canned cranberry sauce, I discovered Trappist brand cranberry conserve. It makes a quick-and-easy filling for the cake and is perfect with the orange frosting.

Ingredients

Cake:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups (8-ounces) white baking chips, melted
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling and Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons orange juice, about
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 cup cranberry conserve or preserves

Instructions

To prepare cake, preheat oven to 350F. Coat two 9-inch round layer pans with baking spray.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Beat butter and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chips. Turn mixer to low speed; add flour mixture alternately with milk and beat until well blended. Turn to medium speed and beat in vanilla. Pour into pans, smooth tops and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans and finish cooling on racks.
To prepare frosting, beat butter at medium speed until creamy. Turn to low speed and gradually beat in powdered sugar. Add orange juice and rind, increase mixer speed and beat until smooth and creamy. If necessary, add more juice to make spreadable.
Place one cake layer on plate. Spread with cranberry conserve. Cover with second cake layer and frost sides and top of cake with orange frosting.

—Recipe by Jean Kressy.

Nutritional Info (per serving)