Deliciously Deciphering: White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Cake Recipe for Bursting Flavors

White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Cake is the show-stopping dessert you’ve been looking for – just in time for the holidays! This cranberry cake deserves a central place on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table! Layers of moist vanilla cake made with fresh cranberries, creamy white chocolate cheesecake, and silky white chocolate frosting, garnished with sparkling cranberries.

Ingredients

Sparkling Cranberries:

2 cups fresh firm cranberries- wash and sort out any that don’t look so great
½ cup water
1 cup sugar
White Chocolate Cheesecake:
6 oz. white chocolate-finely chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
16 oz. cream cheese-room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs slightly beaten
2 Tablespoons corn starch

Cranberry Cake:

2 cups+2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 and 1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter-softened
2 eggs-room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup sour cream
2/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 ½ Tablespoons flour-to toss the cranberries

White Chocolate Frosting:

7 oz. white chocolate-finely chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
1 cup unsalted butter-room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
3 ½-4 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons heavy cream-or more if needed

Instructions

To make the Sparkling Cranberries:

In a medium saucepan combine ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of cranberries. Make sure each cranberry is well coated. Let them sit in the syrup for 5 minutes.
Next, using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack, and let them dry for at least an hour. After that time the cranberries should be dry but sticky.
In a bowl place ½ cup sugar. Working in small batches, roll cranberries in sugar until they are fully coated. Let them sit on a sheet of parchment paper for another hour until dry. Store them in the fridge in an air-tight container.

White Chocolate Cheesecake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease 8-inches springform pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Wrap the pan in 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to make sure no water leaks in during the baking in a water bath.
Place 6 oz. finely chopped white chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
Heat 1/3 cup of heavy cream until starts to boil, then pour over chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes then stir gently with a rubber spatula until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Beat softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until smooth. Mix in corn starch. Add eggs and mix on low just to combine.
Running your mixer on low, slowly pour in melted white chocolate. Do not over mix.
Pour the mixture in prepared pan. Place the pan in a roasting pan and fill with warm water halfway true the height of the springform pan and place in preheated oven. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until the center has set. Tent the top with aluminum foil if it starts browning. Remove from water bath and cool to room temperature, then cover and place in the fridge to cool for 4 hours or preferably overnight. Remove the ring from springform pan the next day, when assembling the cake.

Cranberry Cake Layers:

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Grease two 8 inches round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper. If you have baking stripes, I suggest you use them to gen nice flat cake layers.
In a large bowl stir together 2 cups and 2 Tablespoons flour, 1 and 1/3 cups of sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Add softened butter, 2 eggs, 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla, 2/3 cup milk and 2/3 cup sour cream. Slowly mix just until smooth, do not overmix the batter. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is combined evenly.
Toss cranberries with 1- ½ Tablespoons of flour and fold them in the batter.
Divide the batter between the pans and bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes then remove to a rack to cool completely. If you bake the cakes a day ahead before assembling the cake, cool completely to room temperature, then place on a tray lined with a parchment paper, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

White Chocolate Frosting:

When your cakes and cheesecake is cooled completely and you are ready to assemble the cake, make the frosting.
Over a double broiler melt finely chopped chocolate until completely melted and smooth. Gently stir in ¼ cup of heavy cream and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Beat softened butter, vanilla, and salt. While mixing on low, slowly pour in melted white chocolate. Gradually add about half of powdered sugar. The mixture should be thick. Add 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream and mix well to combine. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar. If the frosting is too thick for spreading add more heavy cream. If it’s too thin add more powdered sugar.

Assembling the cake:

Place one cranberry cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cake. Top with white chocolate cheesecake. Be careful cheesecake is very tender.
Spread a thin layer of frosting over the cheesecake and top with the second cranberry cake layer. Cover the cake completely with frosting and place in the fridge until ready to serve. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before slicing and serving or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.
Garnish with sugared cranberries before serving.
Store leftovers in the fridge.

Notes

The cheesecake layer needs to refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before you assemble the cake, keep that in mind when you plan your baking. Also, you can make the cake layers and cheesecake layer a day ahead. Cool completely to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight. The next day make the frosting and assemble the cake. You can make sugared cranberries a day ahead, too.