Winter Wonderland Cake

Every year for Christmas, I’ve made a different dessert. Sometimes it’s my flourless chocolate cake, one year it was a red velvet cake, and two years ago I made a yule log. This year, I wanted to make a layer cake of my own creation that the whole family would love. Enter the winter wonderland cake! It’s an almond cake with a cranberry (or any other fruit!) filling and a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Decorating the cake with sugared rosemary and cranberries adds a festive touch, along with mini gingerbread men. I’ll admit that the cute little gingerbread house on top took more time than the actual cake, so if you plan to use a tiny house, I recommend using a mini gingerbread house cookie cutter and not measuring it freehand like I did! Whether you decorate this Christmas cake with mini gingerbread men and a tiny gingerbread house or not, this cake is going to be a hit and the perfect holiday dessert.

What is the difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour?

All-purpose flour is made from both had and soft wheat while cake flour is made from all soft wheat varietals. Cake flour has a lower protein content and lower gluten content than all-purpose flour, ensuring you get a more delicate treat. Baked goods that are sturdier like pie crust, some breads, and pound cakes may use only all-purpose flour for a denser texture. Some breads also use bread flour, which is a topic for another day! Cake flour also has a finer texture than all-purpose flour, contributing to the lighter texture that you want to see in a cake. I recommend using a cake flour like Swan’s Down, but in a pinch if you can’t find it or don’t have it, measure your all-purpose flour cup for cup as you would the cake flour. Then remove two tablespoons of flour per cup and replace with cornstarch to give a similar texture to your cake. It’s important to note that even though this cake uses cake flour, some cakes that have more wet ingredients such as carrot cake or banana cake may use only all-purpose flour to give the cake the proper structure. No matter what cake you’re making, it’s important to follow the recipe as listed.

Ingredients for Winter Wonderland Cake: 

• Butter: All good cakes use butter! We are using butter in both the cake and the frosting, so be sure to have three sticks softened and ready to go.
• Sugars: We are using granulated sugar in the cake and powdered sugar in the frosting so be sure to have both on hand.
• Flours: The cake uses both all-purpose flour and cake flour. Read the notes above to see why it’s so important to use both!
• Eggs: This recipe uses 3 eggs and you’ll need to make sure they’re at room temperature for best results. When making a cake, it’s important to make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. Even if your butter is at room temperature, when adding the eggs it will cause the butter to partially solidify if the eggs are cold.
• Baking powder: A leavening agent to help with rise.
• Vanilla and almond extracts: We are using both extracts in both the cake and the frosting.
• Salt: A little salt actually helps balance sweets, so there is a little bit in both the cake and the frosting.
• Cream Cheese: Be sure it’s softened to make the best frosting!
• White chocolate: This is a white chocolate cream cheese frosting that’s simply irresistible.
• Milk: Also important to make sure it’s at room temperature.
• Heavy Cream: There is heavy cream in the frosting to thin it to your desired consistency. Be sure this is also at room temperature.
• Cranberry sauce: Next year when you’re planning ahead, I recommend freezing some of your leftover Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. If you don’t have any, we can make a simple cranberry filling with cranberries, orange juice, and brown sugar.

How to Make Winter Wonderland Cake: 

• First, make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray 3 six inch or 2 eight inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Trace the bottoms of the cake pans over parchment paper and cut out the circles. Place the parchment circles in the bottoms of the cake pans.
• Using a stand mixer or a large bowl and a hand mixer, cream together butter and granulated sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the almond and vanilla extracts and mix again.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer while it’s running, then drizzle in the milk, then add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
• Spread the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for about 10 minutes in the pan before using a knife to loosen the edges and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• While the cakes are cooling, prepare the cranberry sauce. If you have leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, transfer it to a food processor and blend until very smooth. If you don’t, make a simple cranberry sauce of cranberries, brown sugar, and orange juice. Transfer to a food processor when it’s done cooking.
• Finally, when the cakes are cooled make the frosting. When assembling the cake, pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of each layer before spooning the cranberry sauce in the middle. Place the layers on top of each other and frost the exterior of the cake. Decorate with mini gingerbread men, sugared rosemary, and sugared cranberries.

What to serve with your Christmas cake: 

• Personally, I love a cup of decaf coffee with a sweet treat! But since it is Christmas, hot cocoa would also be a great option. Hot tea is also delicious any time of year!
• Serve this cake alongside your other favorite desserts! If you’re feeding a crowd, feel free to serve this alongside peppermint bark brownies, Christmas cookies, or cranberry apple cobbler.

Other cake tips: 

• You can use any type of fruit jam in this as well in place of the cranberry sauce. If the jam has a thick consistency, heat it up slightly to make it spreadable. Strawberry and raspberry would be two of my top jam flavors, and I also think lemon curd would be delicious.
• I used this recipe for gingerbread to cut out the gingerbread men and gingerbread house.
• Sugared rosemary and cranberries are so easy to make! Make a simple syrup with equal ratios of water and granulated sugar (I used 3/4 cup of each). Place the cranberries and rosemary in the syrup for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool for one hour. They will be very sticky! Then, transfer to a bowl of granulated sugar and toss to coat. Then you’re ready to go!
• Melt your white chocolate in a double boiler for best results, or microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each iteration. White chocolate can caramelize quickly and then it will not have a smooth texture when melted. If you don’t have a double boiler, put about 2 inches of water in the bottom of a saucepan and place a heat-safe bowl over the top. Ensure the bottom of the bowl does not reach the top of the water. Place the white chocolate in the top bowl and stir frequently until it’s melted and smooth.