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Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake with White Chocolate Cranberry Glaze Recipe

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★★★★★

4.9 from 74 reviews

This Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake is a festive and rich dessert combining a tender, buttery pound cake with bursts of fresh cranberries and white chocolate chunks. Topped with a luscious cream cheese frosting and drizzled with white chocolate and dried cranberries, it’s a perfect holiday treat that balances sweetness with tartness and a hint of nutty browned butter.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake:

  • 187 grams cake flour, sifted (about 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons before sifting)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 cup fresh or thawed cranberries
  • 140 grams (5 oz) white chocolate chunks
  • 115 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 300 grams (1 1/2 cups) sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons browned butter (about 2.5 tablespoons butter browned)

Frosting:

  • 56 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
  • 112 grams (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (or more to reach desired thickness)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:

  • Handful dried cranberries
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat a convection air oven to 325°F. If unavailable, set a conventional oven to 350°F and plan to rotate the pan halfway through baking. Butter and flour an 8.5 x 4.5 x 3 inch or 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan, lining it with parchment paper for easy release.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift this mixture three times to ensure even distribution and better texture; set aside.
  3. Browning Butter: In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown 2.5 tablespoons of butter until it turns a nice amber color, making sure to remove the foam. Set aside to cool—this adds a nutty flavor to the cake.
  4. Prepare Eggs: Whisk the eggs together with the vanilla extract and keep aside for later inclusion.
  5. Cream Butter and Sugar: Using a mixer on medium speed, beat the softened butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat until the mixture is fluffy and light in texture.
  6. Add Dairy: Incorporate heavy cream and mascarpone cheese into the creamed sugar and butter mixture, mixing on medium speed until fully combined.
  7. Combine Wet and Dry: With the mixer on low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with the egg mixture. This alternating method helps maintain the batter’s lightness and prevents overmixing.
  8. Coat Add-ins: Toss white chocolate chunks with a tablespoon of flour to prevent them from sinking. Similarly, toss cranberries with a small amount of flour to prevent them from clumping.
  9. Fold in Chocolate and Cranberries: Gently fold the floured white chocolate chunks into the batter, then delicately stir in the floured cranberries to evenly distribute them without crushing.
  10. Prepare for Baking: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the surface. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.
  11. Add Browned Butter: Using a butter knife, draw a line down the center of the batter in the pan and pour the cooled browned butter along the line. This will create a flavorful swirl within the cake.
  12. Bake the Cake: Bake for approximately 55 to 65 minutes in a convection oven, or about 65 to 75 minutes in a conventional oven. The cake is done when the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the cake browns too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil to prevent burning.
  13. Cool: Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then remove it from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  14. Prepare Frosting: Once the cake has cooled, cream together softened butter and cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar while continuing to beat until the frosting is smooth and spreadable. Mix in vanilla extract.
  15. Frost the Cake: Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top of the cooled cake. Place the cake in the refrigerator to allow the frosting to set.
  16. Melt Chocolate for Garnish: In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the white chocolate chips together with the vegetable oil until smooth. Allow to cool slightly if too thin for drizzling.
  17. Garnish: Sprinkle dried cranberries over the frosted cake. Drizzle the melted white chocolate on top using a spoon or place it in a small zip-lock bag with a corner cut off to pipe decorative lines over the cake.

Notes

  • Measuring cake flour by weight is crucial for texture; too much flour can make the cake dense or dry.
  • If you don’t have a convection air oven, increase the baking temperature to 350°F and rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.
  • Browned butter adds a rich, nutty flavor—do not skip this step for best taste.
  • Coating the cranberries and chocolate chunks with flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.
  • If the cake top browns too fast during baking, tent with aluminum foil to prevent burning while the interior finishes cooking.
  • Allow the frosting to set in the fridge before garnishing to keep the decoration intact.
  • The white chocolate drizzle can be adjusted in thickness by cooling or adjusting the vegetable oil quantity.

Keywords: Christmas cake, cranberry pound cake, holiday dessert, white chocolate cake, mascarpone cake, cream cheese frosting, festive cake, pound cake recipe

Find it online: https://platedbyemma.com/christmas-cranberry-pound-cake-with-white-chocolate-cranberry-glaze-recipe/