By Yossy Arefi
- Total Time
- 2 hours plus cooling
- Rating
- 5(1,559)
- Notes
- Read community notes
An easy cranberry jam lends its naturally pink hue and pleasantly tart flavor to this stunning cake. It's also tucked between the layers of a fluffy brown sugar buttermilk cake for an extra hit of cranberry and gorgeous color. You'll have enough jam for the buttercream and cake filling, plus some extra for your morning toast or oatmeal. This recipe might seem like a lot of steps, but you can also make and store the jam in the refrigerator up to about a week in advance. For best results and the fluffiest cake, make sure all of the cake ingredients are at room temperature before forging ahead.
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Ingredients
Yield:10 to 12 servings
- 3cups/385 grams cake flour
- 2teaspoons baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1¾cups/420 milliliters buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1¾cups/385 grams light brown sugar
- ¾cup/170 grams unsalted butter, softened
- ¼cup/60 milliliters neutral oil like canola or grapeseed
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 4large egg whites, at room temperature
- 12ounces/340 grams fresh cranberries (3½ cups)
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- ½cup/120 milliliters orange juice
- ½teaspoon orange zest
- 1teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4large egg whites
- 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
- 2cups/450 grams unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoons
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Sugared cranberries, for garnish (optional)
For the Cake
For the Jam
For the Buttercream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
828 calories; 47 grams fat; 27 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 97 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 69 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 386 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Flour the pans and paper.
Step
2
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
Step
3
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, butter, oil and salt. Beat on medium-high until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add egg whites one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds between each egg.
Step
4
Set mixer to low and alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients in three additions. Mix until a few spots of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, finish folding in the dry ingredients: Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed.
Step
5
Divide the batter among the prepared pans (about 2⅔ cups per pan), smooth the tops and tap the pans on a countertop to release any large air bubbles. Bake cakes until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step
6
Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then use the tip of a knife to loosen the edges and carefully place them parchment-side down onto the rack to cool completely.
Step
7
Meanwhile, make the cranberry jam: Combine cranberries, sugar, ½ cup water, orange juice and zest, ginger and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until the cranberries have burst and juices are thick and jammy, about 5 minutes. Cool mixture to room temperature, then use an immersion blender or food processor to purée the mixture until smooth. Set aside. (You should have about 2½ cups.)
Step
8
Make the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.
Step
9
Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and using the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form and both mixture and bowl are cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
Step
10
Switch to the paddle attachment, and reduce the speed to medium. With the mixer running, add the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time and beat the buttercream until smooth and fluffy. During this step, the buttercream will likely break and look curdled: Turn up the speed on the mixer for a few seconds, and it will come back together. Continue until all the butter is incorporated, then add the vanilla and salt. Slowly add ½ cup cooled cranberry jam, and mix until well combined. If the buttercream is extremely soft or runny, refrigerate for about 10 minutes, then whip until smooth.
Step
11
Assemble the cake: If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim the cake layers so they are flat and even. Add a small spoonful of buttercream onto a cardboard cake round or serving plate, and place the first layer of cake, cut side up, on top.
Step
12
Spread about ¾ cup buttercream on top of the cake. Spread about ¼ cup cranberry jam over the buttercream. Be careful not to spread the jam all of the way to the edge so it doesn't spill out the sides. Place the second cake layer on top, and repeat with buttercream and jam. Place the final layer on top, cut side down, and spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin, even layer of buttercream. (Store leftover jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)
Step
13
Refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is firm, about 30 minutes. Then spread the remaining buttercream in an even layer over the cake. Serve at room temperature.
Ratings
5
out of 5
1,559
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Cooking Notes
Awesome
You do need to follow the buttercream (which is a Swiss buttercream) steps. Use a metal bowl - glass retains heat, won't cool as quickly, which will melt your butter and the frosting will never form. Use softened butter, not just room temp. It needs to mix in smoothly. Do not change the amount of butter!
Lucy Cooney
When you make a layer cake, two, three, ten, two hundred, however many layers you want, DON'T cut off anything. Put the first layer top-side DOWN on the plate, filling, next layer (unless it's a two-layer cake) top-side DoWN, and keep going that way until you get to the top layer and put it top-side UP.Your cake will be beautiful.
Mimi Pond
I made this almost as specified. I didnt have buttermilk but subbed slightly less than the buttermilk required with whole milk vinegar and let stand until clabbered. Also because the recipe left me with 4 egg yolks I made lemon curd, adding that to the filling as well. An enormous hit wow Shazam!!! Could really taste the brown sugar and the buttercream was ethereal!
Hayley K
Heavenly combination of textures and tastes! Everyone at Thanksgiving loved it! The cranberry jam was my favorite part. You can definitely feel the butter in the buttercream (texture-wise) but my first thought on tasting the frosting was, "As good as the best ice cream I've ever had." I topped it with sugared cranberries like in the photo: dissolve sugar in water to make a simple syrup, soak fresh cranberries in it, lay them out to dry for about an hour, and then roll in more sug til sparkling.
Aimee
Two 9" pans are actually equivalent because there is a lot more area in a circle that is only 1" larger. I bake all cakes that call for three 8" pans in my two 9" pans because that is what we have, and I actually like a cake that is wider and less tall. It may not look quite as fancy but there is more surface area to decorate on top and it makes it easier to serve pieces.
Amazing Thanksgiving cake
I made this for a Friendsgiving dinner because some of my guests did not like pie. The cake got rave reviews. I thought the cake was moist and tasted really good. The jam and frosting combo really made it amazing though. I did have trouble with the buttercream, so I ended up adding powdered sugar.
Lanam
This is among the best cakes I’ve ever tried. If you think this cake is dry you over-baked it or your oven runs hot or you added too much flour.385 grams cake flour = 340 grams AP flour 45 grams corn starch.Used two 9 inch pans plus 9 cupcakes. Cakes took 25 minutes and cupcakes took 23 minutes.Cranberry jam made as written. Really delicious.Buttercream - made the Melissa Clark cream cheese frosting (halved). Added a little extra powdered sugar for sweetness. Perfection.
Meredith
The cake itself was wonderful. However, I found the icing a bit too buttery for my taste, so I added an additional cup of the cranberry jam to the icing.
Emily
It seemed like a lot of people were having issues with the buttercream, so full disclosure: I made the frosting recipe on the back of the powdered sugar bag and added the jam to that. It still turned out really well and I didn’t have to use nearly as much butter. I think this cake would be excellent with other frosting flavors too.
Annapurna
For people having issues with/nervous about the Swiss buttercream:1) Use a hand mixer rather than a standing one. Allows you to put the bowl in cold water bath when beating the egg/sugar mixture. Not necessary but can help if too hot a bowl is an issue.2) Use room temp butter. Non-negotiable. 3) Add the butter to the meringue a tiny bit at a time, like maybe a tablespoon at a time. Does this take forever? Yup! Worth it? Yup! I'm new to this but have never had the buttercream break.
Betsy
I have made this twice. Both times cake is ‘stodgy’ to use a Paul Hollywood phrase. It’s hard - not a tender cake. The buttercream turned out both times but had a butter taste and texture. Won’t be making again.
Meg W.
Eggs whites are for the cake too
TYAGI FAM
Made today for dinner party . Buttercream wth cranberry jam was amazing but cake was on dry side and very mediocre .
Eileen
Made using two 9” pans. Will make again. Won’t change a thing. So good. Cake was brown sugary and moist. Icing was pretty. The whole thing was delightful. Ate for dessert and breakfast for days. Might even buy three 8” pans to up my presentation game next time. Without a stand mixer, making the buttercream is a chore with a hand mixer with whisk attachment but totally worth it. I nested a metal bowl in a big glass bowl filled with hot water from a tea kettle and that worked perfectly.
Delicious and Beautiful
Made cake, jam and sugared cranberries as written, and frosted with cream cheese vanilla frosting (I'm not super crazy about swiss buttercream and thought cream cheese tang would be a nice complement to the other flavors). It was smashing. Ate for breakfast for several days after the holiday gathering I planned to take it to was cancelled re COVID. Definitely felt festive and seasonal.
SandyM
This cake is completely stunning! I made it as a birthday gift nearly 2 years ago and it was an absolute triumph! Everyone wants it for their birthday and I’ve never found anything to match its beauty nor its flavor. I even made it as cupcakes for a wedding. I wouldn’t change a thing about it!
CS
Sorry but this recipe for frosting is way too complex and I’m not a fan of the egg white taste. The sponge is like genoise also not my favorite. I would make it a regular sponge and buttercream frosting. The flavoring on the frosting is really the main attraction in my house
Amo Coquere
Excellent! The buttercream turned out wonderful, although I could have used a bit more. Made way more cranberry “sauce” than needed. Froze some and used some the next day for turkey and provolone paninis on ciabatta.
Jasper
I had frozen a bag of fresh cranberries a while ago. Made this exactly. Turned out great. A big hit. I had to use dried cranberries as a garnish though as it was not cranberry season.
abigail
made this wonderful cake with my boyfriend for his parents. literally one of the best cakes i have ever tasted. it’s so fun to make your own jam! the combos of textures are just so good this will be a meaningful recipe for me for years to come :-) ps: if you had trouble with the buttercream not mixing - use a hairdryer while you mix! worked perfectly!
Anne
This cake is just incredible - the most unique cake I've ever made or tasted. I will make it every Christmas from here on out.The only hiccup I had was the jam. I followed the recipe exactly for my first batch, and I found it to have an annoyingly bitter aftertaste. I decided the culprit was either the orange zest or the fresh ginger - perhaps my orange and/or ginger were subpar. I made another batch without the zest and using a pinch of powdered ginger instead, and it was great.
Danielle
Pretty good overall, I did find the cake itself was a bit dense, maybe because all of my ingredients weren't completely at room temperature. Other than that we enjoyed it!
Reb
Made this cake today. It all turned out fine, but just isn’t good. I don’t like the powdery cake texture from the cake flour, and the buttercream frosting doesn’t have nearly enough sugar. It just tastes like butter. I will not make this cake again.
Lori Winters
Give yourself more than 2 hours to make this beauty! The cake batter is gorgeous! It was a hit! Even people who claim they don’t like cranberries thought it was delicious! I followed exact instructions for the buttercream, but it still broke. I was able to salvage it with some powdered sugar. No one knew the difference!
Tylwyth
Followed recipe with extreme concentration (usually I follow my own rules). Turned out amazing! Everyone had seconds! Used a metal bowl and hand mixer; wish I’d added a bit more jam to icing and to layers. The cake itself was moist and rich (oh I cut the sugar in half for the cake). Beautiful, perfect, delicious.
Min
Recipe perfect as is, but I think it works better as a cupcake so you get a better jam to cake ratio. Next time, I'll skip the sugared cranberries. They're pretty but not really worth the effort
EF9
It was gorgeous! But the flavor? Meh, insipid. Somehow it managed to make a real, home-made cake with quality ingredients taste like the mass-market fake stuff. And the texture seemed almost gritty. Was that because I used a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer? Maybe, but that's not a problem I've had with many years of cake baking. I made no substitutions or changes, and I bake by weight. This wasn't a hit for us, and I won't be making it again. No objections to the buttercream, though.
dan
I love this. I think what sets this recipe apart is how detailed it is. A lot of NYT recipes lack crucial information that people might not know. This one is basically fullproof
Alyssa
It is an absolute necessity to use the parchment paper - not to get the cake out of the pans (luckily that went wonderfully) but to keep it from sticking to your cooling rack! RIP perfect sponges. I've made this before so I know it tastes incredible, but I'm so bummed that my cake won't be picture perfect for a party.
Mairi
I thought the cake & jam were great. It was beautiful with the sugared cranberries. We did not make the true butter cream. It just seemed like too much.
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