White Chocolate Cranberry Cake

Instructions

For the White Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease and flour three 8 x 2 inch pans
3. IMPORTANT: for this recipe you will need to add a circle of wax paper or parchment paper to the bottom of the cake pans to prevent sticking
4. Chop the cranberries into small pieces. We placed them in a strainer and rinsed them to wash away most of the seeds. Pat dry.
5. Heat the milk in the microwave or on the stove top, do not let it boil. Add the white chocolate that has been cut into very small pieces. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to soften, then stir until melted and smooth. Let this cool down before using.
6. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, whisk for 30 seconds to blend and set aside.
7. In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Slowly add the sugar and beat on medium speed 4 to 5 minutes.
8. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each until the yellow is blended in.
9. Add the vanilla.
10. Alternately add the flour mixture and the milk/chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk mixture).
11. Mix until just combined, do not over mix and do not mix above medium speed.
12. Pour batter into prepared pans. Divide the chopped cranberries between the three pans, lightly pressing into the batter.
13. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, it is done. Let cool 10 minutes in the pans and turn out.
14. (also works well for cupcakes)
15. Makes 6 cups cake batter

For the Cranberry Filling

1. In a medium saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar and water. 
2. Cover the saucepan and cook over medium heat  5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop.  Uncover and cook another 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture thickens. 
3. Remove from the heat, put into a heatproof bowl and refrigerate.  The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.  

For the White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

1. First, cut/chop the white chocolate into very small pieces.  This will ensure easy melting.  Put into a microwave safe bowl and add 3 Tablespoons milk. 
2. Microwave for 15 seconds— let sit for a minute or two, stir and microwave again for 10 seconds, letting it sit again to soften further.  Stir.  Be careful not to overheat the white chocolate.  The chocolate will continue to melt as it is stirred so stir for several minutes until it is completely melted.  Let it cool to room temperature before using.
3. In the bowl of your mixer add the softened butter and cream cheese.  Mix on medium speed until smooth.  Add the room temperature white chocolate mixing until combined. Add vanilla.  Gradually add powdered sugar mixing on low sped until combined and smooth.  
4. The frosting may be too soft at the point so chill in the refrigerator a short while until it is the consistency you like for spreading. If making in advance, you will need to repeat for smoothness.  

Makes approximately 5 ½ cups. This frosting should be refrigerated.

Assembly of Cake

Place first layer of cake on the pedestal or cake base

Pipe a dam of the cream cheese frosting about ¼ inch to ½ inch from the edge of the cake (You can do this by snipping the tip tip off of a disposable piping bag).

Fill with cranberry filling- I used about ¼ cup per layer of filling.

Pipe and lightly spread a thin layer of white chocolate cream cheese frosting on top. Add the second cake layer. Repeat.

Settle the filled cake if you'd like (see my notes in the post). Frost with the white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Chill as needed during the decorating process if the frosting becomes too soft.

For the Chocolate Leaves

Paint the flip side of your leaves with white candy coating. Do this on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes until firm.

To release the chocolate coating from the leaves, simply bend the stem backwards and the leaf should separate.

You can also make "filler" leaves by piping dots of melted candy coating on the parchment and spreading with a small tapered spatula. Chill before placing on the cake.

The chocolate leaves are fragile at room temperature and so chill before placing on the cake.

Arrange your white chocolate leaves into a wreath and add cranberries and a few sprigs of thyme or rosemary as a garnish.