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slice of cranberry orange cake on white plate
5 from 3 votes
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Cranberry Orange Cake

This cranberry orange cake is made with soft & moist white cake layers, a tart cranberry jam, a sweet orange curd, and a light mascarpone frosting.
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings8 slices
Coursecake
CuisineAmerican
AuthorSloane

Ingredients

For the white cake:

  • 180 g (1 ½ cups) cake flour
  • 168 g (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 tsp) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 76 g (5 ½ tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
  • 65 g ( cup) neutral oil
  • 113 g (½ cup) plain whole milk greek yogurt, room temp
  • 113 g (½ cup) whole milk, room temp
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 2 egg whites

For the cranberry jam:

  • 6 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 25 g (2 tablespoon) granulated sugar
  • Zest of one orange
  • ½ tablespoon fresh orange juice
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For the orange curd:

  • 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 10 g (1 tablespoon) cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 35 g (2 ½ tablespoon) unsalted butter
  • 100 g (½ cup) fresh orange juice
  • 3 egg yolks

For the mascarpone frosting:

  • 227 g (1 cup) mascarpone, cold
  • 227 g (1 cup) heavy cream, cold
  • 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar

Instructions

For the white cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Grease and line two 6 inch cake pans with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • Cut up the butter into small cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until it resembles wet sand.
  • Add the oil, yogurt, milk, and vanilla, and mix until fully combined.
  • In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until medium peaks form.
  • Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until just combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans.
  • Bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Cool completely before decorating.

For the cranberry jam:

  • Add the cranberries, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and salt to a medium saucepan.
  • Heat over medium heat for 10-12 minutes stirring often until the cranberries start to break down.
  • Reduce heat to low, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently until it has thickened.
  • Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (or transfer to a blender) and blend until smooth.
  • Pour into a glass jar to cool completely, then chill in the fridge until ready to use.

For the orange curd:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt until no lumps remain.
  • In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, melt the butter.
  • Whisk in the sugar mixture, then the lemon juice and egg yolks until fully combined, about 1 minute.
  • Use a rubber spatula to constantly stir the mixture for another 2-3 minutes or until large bubbles form in the center. Immediately remove from heat.
  • Strain the lemon curd into a bowl. Press plastic wrap up against the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the mascarpone frosting:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone, heavy cream, and sugar.
  • Whisk on low speed until combined and smooth, then turn up to medium-high speed until thick.

For assembly:

  • Secure the first layer of cake on the cake stand with a small amount of frosting.
  • Transfer some of the frosting to a piping bag, then pipe a dam around the edge of the cake. Spread a thin layer of cranberry jam in the center.
  • Pipe another layer of frosting around the edge, then spread a thin layer of orange curd in the center.
  • Place the second cake layer on top, and over the whole cake in a thin layer of frosting for the crumb coat.
  • Place in the fridge for about 15 minutes, then frost the cake as desired.
  • Decorate the cake with orange slices, cranberries, and rosemary, if desired.

Notes

  • Break up the elements over two days. The cake and the fillings all need time to cool down, so I recommend making each of them the day before, then make the frosting & assemble the next day. 
  • Use cake strips. To ensure the cake layers bake up evenly & flat, use cake strips! They also prevent the outside of the cake from turning brown. As you can see my cake layers do have a brown crust because I did not use cake strips. They're still just as delicious, just not perfectly white like in this small vanilla cake recipe
  • Don't over-mix the frosting! Just like whipped cream, mascarpone frosting reaches medium peaks very quickly and can easily become grainy if over-mixed. 

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 732kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 522mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 54g | Vitamin A: 1322IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 1mg
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