Orange Cranberry Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream

This is not your ordinary cranberry orange cake. The cake is a very lightly spiced orange hot milk sponge. The filling is a light and creamy cranberry diplomat cream and it’s all held together with the BEST white chocolate buttercream.   

I’m just going to be honest here, this cake is not “simple” to make as I claim a lot of my other recipes are lol. There’s a good amount of effort required here but I promise you, it’s so worth it and I’ll walk you through it step by step. There’s also ways to simplify the cake and still get great results.

If you’re skeptical (like my husband) or you just don’t like cranberries, I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try this cake. I don’t like cranberries and this is the FIRST dessert I’ve ever made with cranberries that I actually LOVE. 

Why you’ll love this orange cranberry cake 

• There’s a lot to the recipe but I’ll walk you through how to break things up and prep ahead so it’s not overwhelming. 
• The cake is light and fluffy, the filling is super creamy and the buttercream is smooth and silky.
• The flavors play SO WELL together. The cake is very lightly spiced and has a ton of orange zest, giving you the winter coziness but then the filling is so refreshing. The buttercream is subtle but perfectly sweet.

For some more holiday cake inspo, I think you’ll love my chocolate blood orange cake, raspberry almond cake, chocolate mousse cake, chocolate ganache cake, honey lemon cake (use any jam, try cranberry!)

I also the BEST cranberry orange cinnamon rolls and white chocolate cranberry orange mini pies coming soon!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Butter: I prefer salted butter here but you can also use unsalted butter. Dairy free butter also works for the cake, diplomat cream and buttercream. 
• Flour: I use all purpose flour and I haven’t tested this type of sponge cake with cake flour but I imagine it would work well with either. Can also use self rising flour, just omit the baking powder.
  • I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured. 
• Baking Powder: to leaven the cake. 
• Sugar: I used granulated sugar in the cake, the diplomat cream and the swiss meringue buttercream. I don’t recommend swapping it. If you want it less sweet, you can reduce the sugar in the diplomat cream by a couple of Tbsp and the buttercream by ¼ cup. 
• Milk: I use 2% milk. Any milk will work for the cake, even dairy free. 
• Eggs: use large eggs and make sure they’re at room temperature. Pop them in hot water for 5-10 minutes if you’re in a pinch.
  • Egg yolks are used for the diplomat cream and then save the egg whites for the swiss meringue buttercream. 
• Heavy Cream: I use heavy whipping cream to make the whipped cream for the diplomat cream.
  • Make sure to use something between 35%-45% fat. I haven’t tried a dairy free cream but if you have a dairy free heavy cream or whipped topping you like, feel free to use that instead. 
  • This can also be replaced with a box of cool whip to make the recipe simpler and quicker. Just omit the gelatin and all the steps involving the cream and gelatin. Just mix the custard with the whipped topping. 
• Gelatin: Diplomat cream is a custard mixed with whipped cream. If you make your own whipped cream at home, you’ll need to stabilize it with some gelatin. I use powdered gelatin. 
• Cranberries: I used fresh cranberries. Frozen cranberries can also be used to make the jam for the diplomat cream but I imagine frozen cranberries probably won’t work for the sugared cranberry topping because they’ll get soft when they thaw. 
• Spices/Orange: I used the tiniest amount of cinnamon in my cake because it pairs so well with the orange and the cranberry. I also used the zest of two medium navel oranges in the cake. Then use the juice from that orange for the jam. 
• White Chocolate: I use whip chocolate chips in the buttercream. You can also use dairy free white chocolate or white baking chocolate, just chop it up and melt it gently. 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Bring the sugar and water to a boil and then place the cranberries in a pot for 1 minute. Transfer the cranberries to a plate or wire rack, to get rid of the excess liquid. Then toss them in a bowl of sugar. Repeat with the orange peels but let the orange peels soak for 10 minutes and dry for 5-10 minutes before tossing in the sugar. Set aside to dry. 

Step 2: To give the syrup more flavor, toss in another set of cranberries and let them soak longer until they pop and release color. Discard the cranberries and strain the simple syrup. Set it aside to cool. 

Step 3: Start by making the cranberry jam for the diplomat cream. Cook cranberries with the sugar and orange juice, just until it reduces and thickens. Allow it to cool a little, then blend it in a food processor.

Step 4: Make the custard for the diplomat cream by cooking the egg yolks with the sugar and butter until it’s thickened like lemon curd. Cover and set it aside to cool completely.

Step 5: For the cake, heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot but not yet simmering. 

Step 6: Whip the eggs with the sugar and orange zest, until the mixture is super thick, fluffy and pale. 

Step 7: Add the dry ingredients and then stream in the hot milk, mixing just until the batter is smooth.  

Step 8: Bake the batter in two 8 inch pans. Let them cool and then slice them in half. 

Step 9: Make the Swiss meringue buttercream by gently heating the egg whites with the sugar. Then whip them until they’re stiff and no longer warm. 

Step 10: Add the butter slowly and once it’s come together, add the melted white chocolate. 

Step 11: Finish the diplomat cream – press the jam through a sieve and discard the chunks. Mix the smooth jam with the cooled custard. 

Step 12: Whip the cream and then fold ⅓ of the whipped cream into the custard, along with the gelatin. Then add all the whipped cream and mix just until it’s all combined. 

Step 13: Brush the first layer of cake with 2-3 Tbsp of the simple syrup. Pipe a border of the white chocolate buttercream around the edge of the cake and then fill in the center with the diplomat cream. Repeat with the next two layers and then place the third layer of cake on top.

Step 14: Refrigerate the cake for at least 30-60 minutes before frosting the whole outside of the cake with the white chocolate buttercream. Top with the candied cranberries and orange peels. 

How to make the cake simpler and easier

There are a few ways to make this cake a little simpler and easier. 

The first one being to skip the candied cranberries and orange peels on top. With that, skip the simple syrup on the cake. I hardly used any simple syrup because I didn’t want the red to bleed through the cake. The cake was also perfectly moist and fluffy without it. The reason I included it in the recipe is because it’s in the photos and everyone instagram her my cranberry simple syrup saga lol. It does give the cake a little stronger cranberry flavor but I don’t think it would be missed. 

The second way to make this cake is easier is to replace the homemade whipped cream and gelatin with an 8 ounce box of cool whip. Don’t use off brand whipped topping, they don’t all work the same. 

The third way to simplify the cake is to use store bought jam and strain that. These are all different but if you look at my photos, you can see how thick the consistencies should be at each step.

What can I make ahead of time?

The white chocolate buttercream can be made in advance. If it’s just 1 day, you can cover it and leave it at room temperature. You can also cover it and place it in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze it for a few months. Make sure to bring it back to room temperature before using (I like to leave it out overnight to thaw). 

The cakes can also be made in advance. If it’s 1 day, wrap them in plastic wrap as soon as they’ve cooled and leave them at room temperature. If it’s longer, freeze the cakes for a few weeks or months. Remove them from the freezer 1-2 hours before assembling. Slice them in half before assembling. 

The sugared cranberries and orange peels, along with the simple syrup can be made 1-2 days in advance. The simple syrup would last even longer, weeks in the fridge, but the cranberries will get soggy quickly so I recommend making them a day in advance. 

I don’t recommend making the diplomat cream in advance. 

Expert tips on getting the perfect cake 

• Don’t swap ingredients unless I mentioned them in the ingredient section above.
• Don’t reduce the sugar in the cake. If you want to cut out some of the sweetness, feel free to reduce the sugar in the Swiss meringue buttercream by ¼ cup (50g) or 2 Tbsp in the diplomat cream (25g). 
• Weigh the ingredients with a digital scale.
• Weigh the batter for each cake to make them even.
• Use a light colored stainless steel cake pan for a more even bake and browning. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How to store this cranberry cake

Cover the cake with foil, a cake dome or a cake carrier and refrigerate for up to a week. 

If it’s any longer, feel free to freeze the cake. Slice it and place the slices in an airtight container and freeze for 2-3 months. 

Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section.

If you make this show-stopping cranberry cake, I’d love it if you left a star rating for me. If it’s less than five stars, please leave a comment with the rating so I know why! 🙂

As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!

Love, B