This is my February entry in the Southern Living Cake of the Month Challenge. Last year, I made the cake that is featured for February, so I opted to make one I had earmarked for December, which is this delicious white cake with cranberry filling and orange buttercream. The orange buttercream alone was worth it! The cranberries keep this from being super sweet and the white cake is light and moist. I highly recommend this for a unique dessert, perfect for anytime you are looking for a delicious cake.
Ingredients: cherry preserves, granulated sugar, orange juice, fresh cranberries, butter, orange zest, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, milk, egg whites, cream cheese, powdered sugar
Step 1: Bring cherry preserves, granulated sugar, orange juice and 3 cups cranberries to boil over medium high heat. Boil, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes until cranberries began to pop. Step 2: Transfer 1 cup cranberry mixture to a small bowl and stir in remaining half cup whole cranberries, which will make the topping. Transfer remaining hot cranberry filling mix to another bowl and cool both mixtures completely, around an hour. Cover and chill for eight hours. Step 3: Preheat oven to 325. Step 4: Beat butter at medium speed until creamy, gradually add sugar, until light and fluffy. Step 5: Add orange zest and vanilla and beat until blended. Step 6: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low speed until just blended after each addition. Step 7: In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Stir about 1/3 of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites in two batches. Step 8: Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans and bake for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Step 8: Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely, about an hour. Step 9: Beat butter, cream cheese, and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, around 1-2 minutes. Step 10: Add powdered sugar alternately with orange juice and beat on low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Step 11: Stir in vanilla and, if desired, 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until frosting reaches desired consistency. Step 12: Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Use buttercream to create a ring around top of cake layer. (You can use a piping bag or another plastic bag with tip cut. I used a frosting knife and just shaped it to be the ring I wanted.) Spread half of chilled cranberry filling without whole berries on top of cake, spreading to edge of frosting ring. Step 13: Top with second cake layer and repeat step 12. Step 14: Top with third layer spread remaining butter cream over top and sides of cake. Create a ring of frosting on top of cake and spread cranberry topping with whole berries over top cake layer spreading to edge of pipe frosting.
White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream
Recipe:
Filling
1 12-oz. jar cherry preserves
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, frozen may be substituted
White Cake
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon loosely packed orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup milk eight large egg whites
shortening for pans
Buttercream
1 cup butter, softened
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 32-oz. package powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk (optional)
Bring cherry preserves, granulated sugar, orange juice and 3 cups cranberries to boil over medium high heat. Boil, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes until cranberries began to pop. Transfer 1 cup cranberry mixture to a small bowl and stir in remaining half cup whole cranberries, which will make the topping. Transfer remaining hot cranberry filling mix to another bowl and cool both mixtures completely, around an hour. Cover and chill for eight hours. Preheat oven to 325. Beat butter at medium speed until creamy, gradually add sugar, until light and fluffy. Add orange zest and vanilla and beat until blended. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low speed until just blended after each addition. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form. Stir about 1/3 of egg whites into batter. Fold in remaining egg whites in two batches. Spoon batter into 3 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans and bake for 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes, then remove from pans to wire racks and cool completely, about an hour. Beat butter, cream cheese, and salt at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, around 1-2 minutes. Add powdered sugar alternately with orange juice and beat on low speed until blended and smooth after each addition. Stir in vanilla and, if desired, 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until frosting reaches desired consistency. Place one cake layer on a serving platter. Use buttercream to create a ring around top of cake layer. (You can use a piping bag or another plastic bag with tip cut. I used a frosting knife and just shaped it to be the ring I wanted.) Spread half of chilled cranberry filling without whole berries on top of cake, spreading to edge of frosting ring. Top with second cake layer and repeat step 12. Top with third layer spread remaining butter cream over top and sides of cake. Create a ring of frosting on top of cake and spread cranberry topping with whole berries over top cake layer spreading to edge of pipe frosting.
Source: Southern Living Magazine, www.southernliving.com/recipes/white-cake-cranberry-filling-orange-buttercream-recipe, 2020
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