These cookies are a variation based on the pumpkin butter cookies published in my ebook, All About Pumpkin. Using fruit butters like pumpkin butter, apple butter, or pear butter allows us to infuse these fall cookies with flavour without the water of apple sauce, pear compote or pumpkin purée which would compromise the texture.

Ingredients To Make Fall Cookies

These apple butter cookies are a variation of my best chocolate chip cookies. Here's what you need to make these fall cookies:

• apple butter—do not confuse this with a compound butter! Apple butter is 100 % pure apple (maybe with a little sugar or spices) whereas apple compound butter is a cow's butter flavoured with apple. The two are not interchangeable!
• sugar—use mostly brown sugar with a little white granulated sugar for the most flavour and best texture
• white chocolate—I prefer to use chopped high-quality white chocolate
• pumpkin seeds—use shelled pumpkin seeds. Make sure they aren't old or rancid!
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount to avoid making the cookies too salty
• leavening—we are using baking soda, not baking powder. Read about the difference between baking powder and baking soda if you aren't sure the difference
• flavour agents—you will need ground cinnamon and pure vanilla extract
• butter—use unsalted butter or add less salt to the recipe to make sure the cookies aren't too salty
• flour—I tested this recipe with bleached all-purpose flour, but unbleached should work too
• egg—I always use large eggs for all my recipes. If you use a different size of eggs, this may alter the texture and spread of the cookies.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and amounts.

Substitutions and Variations

These fall cookies have a simple list of ingredients, and just a few variations or substitutions are possible:

• Apple butter - you can use any fruit butter to make these cookies, like apple, pumpkin, or pear.
• Nuts - these cookies are nut-free, made with pumpkin seeds, but you can replace them with sunflower seeds or even toasted walnuts or pecans.
• Cranberries - I love dried cranberries in this fall cookie because cranberry season is late fall and early winter, but you can also use dried currants, raisins, or even chopped crystallized ginger.
• Chocolate - I think white chocolate is the best choice for these cookies, but this recipe will work with milk or dark chocolate too. You can use chips or chopped chocolate bars.

Instructions For Apple Butter Cookies

Just like most cookie recipes, these autumn cookies are made using the creaming method with a stand mixer (or a hand mixer if you prefer), though by hand with a wooden spoon is also possible if you have the energy!

Step 1—Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl (image 1) to evenly incorporate the salt, spices, and leavening. Meanwhile, combine the butter and sugars in the stand mixer fitted with a paddle attached (image 2) until creamy and fluffy, then add the egg and vanilla (image 3).

Step 2—Add the apple butter to the light mixture (image 4) before stirring in the whisked dry ingredients (image 5), followed by the add-ins (chopped white chocolate, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds (image 6).

Step 3—The cookie dough will be thick and sticky once mixed (image 7). Use a 1-⅓-ounce disher to portion out the dough into 50-gram scoops (image 8). Chill the scoops of dough for 15 minutes before baking.

Step 3—I like to roll the chilled cookie dough scoops between the palms of my hands to smooth the surface and even them out before placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (image 9). Bake until set (image 10).

Storage

Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze them for longer storage.

Other Drop Cookie Recipes

Looking for other recipes like these fall drop cookies? Try these:

If you tried this recipe for fall cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Fall Cookies

These fall cookies are made with apple butter, white chocolate, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds with a little cinnamon to round it out!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 14 minutes minutes

Chill time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 18

Calories 229kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• 1-⅓oz scoop
• Sheet pan

Ingredients

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 2.5 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL ground cinnamon
• 115 grams unsalted butter
• 150 grams light brown sugar
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 1 large egg(s)
• 10 mL pure vanilla extract
• 75 grams apple butter
• 130 grams white chocolate chopped
• 115 grams pumpkin seeds
• 90 grams dried cranberries

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line two or three large half sheet pans (13” x 18” x 1” | 33 cm x 45.5 cm x 2.5 cm) with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a big mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer), cream together the butter, the brown sugar, and the granulated sugar until it’s very light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and the vanilla, and mix well until the mixture is light and fluffy again. Then stir in the apple butter. Make sure to clean down the sides of the bowl as needed with a big spatula.
• Dump in the whisked dry ingredients, and incorporate them on low.
• Mix in the white chocolate, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries.
• Scoop approximately 50-gram portions of the sticky dough onto one of your parchment-lined sheet pans. I like to do all the scooping at once and place them all on one of the prepared sheet pans.
• Chill the portioned out scoops of dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm them up, then roll them into smooth balls with the palms of your hand.
• Place 6–8 scoops per cookie sheet, spacing them apart and staggering them.
• Bake the cookies one sheet pan at a time until the edges are set and begin to brown slightly (about 14 minutes). You might want to rotate the pan partway through the baking to ensure the cookies brown evenly.
• Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pan while you bake the second pan. Store the cookies in an airtight container once they've cooled completely.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• This recipe works with any fruit butter, such as pumpkin, pear, or apple butter.
• Remember, fruit butters are made from fruit purée (compote or sauce) that is cooked down into a thick, concentrated spread. This is not to be confused with a compound butter made with cow's butter.
• Want to change this up?
  • Replace the dried cranberries with chopped crystallized ginger, raisins, currants, or chopped dried pear or apple
  • Replace the pumpkin seeds with toasted walnuts or pecans
  • Replace the white chocolate with milk or dark chocolate.

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 107mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 177IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Fall Cookies With Cranberries, White Chocolate And Apple Butter appeared first on The Bake School.

Cranberries go well with citrus fruit, especially in orange-flavoured and lemon-flavoured baked goods. This moist orange cranberry bundt cake is the inspiration for these lemon muffins with cranberries folded into the batter before baking.

For this muffin recipe, we are using the reverse creaming method, which is a popular mixing method in baking to make moist cakes and muffins.

What you need to make lemon muffins

The beauty of muffin recipes is that they require just a few ingredients and you probably have most on hand. Here's what you need to make these cranberry lemon muffins:

• Flour—all-purpose is ideal, or you can try a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose, but this will affect the texture a little.
• Sugar—granulated sugar preferably because the flavour of brown sugar will interfere with the delicate taste of lemon in these muffins
• Leavening agents—specifically both chemical leaveners, baking powder and baking soda
• Salt—fine kosher salt like Diamond Crystal is what I use. If you use a different salt that has more or less sodium per gram, you will likely have to adjust the quantities so the muffins aren't overly salty or under-salted
• Butter—either salted or unsalted will work, though if your salted butter has a lot of salt in it, you may have to adjust the salt in the recipe
• Eggs—use large eggs preferably because smaller eggs may lead to dryer muffins
• Sour cream, preferably full-fat (14 % fat) otherwise the muffins may be dry
• Vanilla extract to enhance the sweetness and the flavour of the muffins
• Lemon juice and lemon zest to add as much lemon flavour as possible
• Cranberries—fresh or frozen will work here. If using frozen, incorporate them into the batter when still frozen. Dried cranberries also work!
• Icing sugar—to make the glaze

See recipe card for quantities.

Tip: read about baking soda versus baking powder if you aren't sure what the difference is between them!

Substitutions and variations

• Cranberries—fresh or frozen will work here. If using frozen, incorporate them into the batter when still frozen. Dried cranberries also work!
• Sour cream—full-fat greek yogurt can also work in this recipe
• Chocolate—add white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate to the muffin batter

Key steps to make cranberry lemon muffins

The zest is combined with the sugar.

Rub the zest into the sugar to draw out the lemon oil and other flavour compounds. This is the secret to making flavourful lemon baked goods!

For the reverse creaming method, the dry ingredients, sugar and butter are worked together to form a coarse crumbly mixture.

The mixture of liquids are added to the bowl of dry ingredients.

The wet and dry ingredients are combined with a wooden spoon.

The batter will be quite thick!

Add fresh or frozen cranberries to the lemon muffin batter.

Stir them in with a wooden spoon, just until they are evenly dispersed.

Pans, muffin liners, and special tools

I baked these muffins in two 6-cup muffin pans. You can also use one 12-cup pan if you have it! Makes it faster and easier to get all the muffins in and out of the oven at once.

For this recipe, regular paper liners work great (same as for cupcakes), or you can also opt to use silicone liners. I don't recommend parchment liners because the muffins won't stick to the parchment liners, which will fall right off.

If you would prefer to bake without any liners, I recommend using cooking spray to grease the wells of your muffin pans.

For scooping the muffin batter, I recommend using two spoons or a large disher.

Adding lemon flavour to muffins with a glaze

A great way to add lemon flavour to a lemon muffin or cake is to glaze it after baking. Even a simple powdered sugar glaze made from lemon juice can have a huge impact on the flavour of the muffin, bringing that acidity that the lemon zest lacks. This works especially well on muffin tops. Of course, the unglazed stump won't have that lemony hit, but the glaze still helps bring out the flavour.

You can also brush the surface of cakes with a lemon simple syrup, which again, will help bring some of that acidity to a layer cake.

This muffin recipe makes a thick batter, which helps contribute to the dome of the muffin top, which rises up instead of spreading out as they bake. That's how you make the best muffins!

Storage

You can store these moist lemon muffins for 3–4 days in an airtight container, but I prefer to freeze them.

Remember to fully cool the muffins to room temperature (for 3–4 hours) before transferring them to an airtight container or freezer bag for long-term storage (1–2 months). Freeze the muffins before glazing for the best results. Then ice them before serving.

Serving suggestions

Serve these glazed lemon muffins plain or you can also make some homemade lemon curd to enjoy with them!

Other muffin recipes to try

If you like to bake muffins on Sunday to have during the week, here are some other muffin recipes to try:

Frequently asked questions

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Cranberry Lemon Muffins

This easy recipe for cranberry lemon muffins is made with sour cream and has a lemon glaze on top to boost the lemon flavour. These cranberry muffins are tender, moist, and have a cake-like texture that is perfect. 

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 23 minutes minutes

Total Time 43 minutes minutes

Servings 10 muffins

Calories 339kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Muffin pan
• OXO balloon whisk
• 3-¼ oz scoop
• Cake tester

Ingredients

For the muffin batter

• 200 grams granulated sugar
• 30 mL finely grated lemon zest
• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 2.5 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature, cut into small pieces
• 125 mL sour cream (14% fat)
• 30 mL fresh lemon juice
• 2 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 100 grams fresh cranberries or frozen

For the lemon glaze

• 125 grams icing sugar
• 30 mL fresh lemon juice

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 °F (220 °C). Line two 6-cup muffin pans with 10 muffin paper liners being sure to space them out between the two pans to allow better air flow.

Make the muffin batter

• In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together. This will help bring out the oils in the zest, adding more flavour.
• Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add the cubes of softened butter and work it in with your hands, rubbing it in until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla.
• Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir it in (takes about 20 stirs to get the batter mixed).
• Fold the cranberries into the batter gently with a wooden spoon or spatula to evenly distribute them.
• Divide the batter between the 10 paper-lined wells of the two muffin pans.
• Bake at 425°F for 8 minutes, then drop the temperature to 350 ºF and continue baking until a cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean to check if the muffins are baked. This takes about 15 minutes more and the edges start to turn golden.
• Let cool slightly in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze

• Whisk together the ingredients of the glaze and drizzle the tops of the muffins with it. The glaze should be very thick so that it doesn't all run off. Make sure the muffins have cooled down fully before glazing or the heat will cause the glaze to run off.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• For a “puffy” muffin top: refrigerate the batter overnight, then scoop the batter into 8 to 10 muffin paper-lined wells of a muffin pan, sprinkle with streusel topping, and bake them at 350 °F for about 30 minutes.
• For a more fluffy, caky muffin, you can increase the sour cream in the recipe, from 125 mL (½ cup) to 170 mL (⅔ cup) but the muffin top won't be as tall.

Nutrition

Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 33g | Vitamin A: 413IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Cranberry Lemon Muffins appeared first on The Bake School.

The simplest bundt recipe to remember has a 1-2-3-4 ratio of ingredients, by volume, so it's 1 cup butter, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups flour, and 4 large eggs. Technically "4 eggs" isn't a volume measurement at all, but 1-2-3-4 is easy to remember.

The ratio 1-2-3-4 is by volume, but I actually prefer to convert it to weight measurements before I bake. You can use this list of baking conversions to help you convert any baking recipe from cups to grams or ounces.

This is the same ratio I use for the chocolate chip bundt cake and the apple bundt cake. I don't mess with it because it makes such a great bundt with the perfect texture!

Ingredients

• flour—I bake with bleached all-purpose flour
• leavening agents—you will need both baking powder and baking soda for this recipe. If you aren't sure the difference, read about baking soda vs baking powder to find out more
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, which is less salty than table salt. If you want to use table salt, add half the amount
• butter—I prefer to bake with unsalted butter and add the salt myself later. If you are using salted butter, add less salt to the cake batter
• orange zest from a fresh naval orange
• sugar—use granulated sugar in the cake batter and icing sugar to make the orange icing
• eggs—use large eggs
• pure vanilla extract
• sour cream—use full-fat (around 14% fat) sour cream for the best texture
• orange juice—I prefer to use "premium" orange juice from the grocery store, which has more flavour. You can also use a frozen orange juice concentrate diluted with water. Both these orange juice products will deliver more flavour than freshly squeezed
• cranberries—I used fresh cranberries, but frozen will also work (don't defrost them!)

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

If you are looking for a simple tea cake, check out this glazed orange cake with poppy seeds baked in a loaf cake pan.

Substitutions and Variations

• Cranberries—use fresh or frozen cranberries, but do not defrost them if using frozen. You could replace these with frozen raspberries, adding the same quantity.
• Lemon—turn this into a lemon cranberry bundt cake with lemon juice and zest instead of the orange juice and zest (check out these glazed lemon cranberry muffins for inspiration)

How to Make an Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake

Step 1: Combine the butter, sugar, and orange zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (image 1). Cream these ingredients together for several minutes until light and fluffy (image 2), then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla (image 3). Continue whipping to form a very airy but thick batter (image 4).

Step 2: whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then add portions of the dry ingredients to the cake batter (image 6), alternating with the wet ingredients (image 7). Make sure to finish the cake batter with the dry ingredients last (image 8).

Step 3: Mix the butter until it is smooth, but don't overmix it (image 9). Fold the cranberries in by hand using a spatula (image 10). Make sure they are evenly dispersed throughout the batter (image 11).

Step 4: Transfer the cake batter to a buttered and floured bundt cake pan (image 12) then bake until golden brown and set (image 13) Use a cake tester to verify that the inside is baked through. Let the bundt cake cool for 15 minutes before flipping onto a wire rack to cool completely (image 14).

Bakeware tip: Invest in Nordic Ware bundt pans, which have a non-stick coating that helps bundt cakes unmould cleanly!

Step 5: When the bundt cake has cooled completely, prepare the icing, combining the icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl (image 15), then using a small whisk to combine them (image 16). Pour the glaze over the top of the bundt cake (image 17). Depending on how thick it is, it will run down the sides of the bundt but in a decorative way and not completely (image 18).

Tips for Making Great Icing

For the glaze on this orange cranberry cake, I went with an easy icing sugar glaze that you can make with any liquid. Since you are pouring it on an orange cake, I flavoured the glaze with orange juice, but you could also use lemon juice for a more tart glaze or even plain milk to make it more neutral. If you go with milk, feel free to add a little vanilla extract or even a couple of drops of almond extract since almonds and orange go so well together.

The secret to the glaze is to keep it very thick. You don't need to use more than 30 mL (2 tablespoons) of liquid for 125—160 grams (1–1-¼ cup(s)) of icing sugar. This ratio makes a thick glaze, but you can still pour it on a bundt cake. It will run down decoratively without flowing into a pool at the bottom. This is the same ratio I used to glaze these cranberry lemon muffins.

You may need to sift the icing sugar if it is very lumpy and use a whisk to mix the liquid into the icing sugar to ensure a smooth icing without lumps.

Bundt Cake Baking FAQs

Other Great Cranberry Baking Recipes

This recipe for orange cranberry cake is a family favourite, made with sour cream to make a moist bundt cake that is perfect to serve with afternoon tea during the fall and winter months. Plus, it's a great dessert to feed a crowd! Here are some other cranberry baking recipes to try:

If you tried this orange cranberry cake recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake

Learn how to make the best orange cranberry bundt cake with this easy recipe.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Calories 375kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 10 cup bundt
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• OXO balloon whisk
• Cake tester

Ingredients

Orange cranberry bundt cake

• 375 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 230 grams unsalted butter softened
• 30 mL orange zest the more you use, the better the flavour!
• 400 grams granulated sugar
• 4 large egg(s)
• 10 mL pure vanilla extract
• 250 mL sour cream (14% fat)
• 125 mL orange juice I prefer to use "premium" orange juice from the grocery store which has more flavour
• 200 grams fresh cranberries or frozen

Glaze

• 125 grams icing sugar
• 30 mL orange juice or lemon juice or milk

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (165 °C).
• Prepare a 10-cup (2.4 L) bundt pan by buttering the inside lightly with softened butter. Make sure the pan is evenly coated and that the butter has reached all the nooks and crannies. Dust the inside with flour, tapping out the excess. Set the pan aside for later.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, the sugar, and the orange zest for at least 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. The batter should be very light and fluffy at this point.
• Add the sour cream and vanilla, and beat again to mix it really well.
• Add half the dry ingredients and stir on low to incorporate. Mix in the orange juice, and then the rest of the flour. Don't mix it in completely. When there's still some flour not yet incorporated, finish stirring with a spatula or a big wooden spoon, being sure to scrape up what's stuck to the bottom of the bowl. Fold in the cranberries.
• Dollop the batter into the prepared pan and swirl and smooth it with a small offset spatula. Bang the pan on the counter several times to make sure the batter settles into all the grooves of the pan. If you are worried, you can even push a knife through the batter to force it into place.
• Bake the bundt until it's golden brown on the top and edges. Insert a cake tester or long skewer to check the cake is done in the middle (it should come out clean). It takes about 90 minutes to bake completely and I recommend rotating the pan after about 75 minutes to make sure the front and back bake evenly. Let the bundt cool for about 20 minutes in the pan before inverting on a wire rack to cool completely.

How to make the easy glaze

• Whisk together the powdered sugar and milk or juice to form a very thick glaze. The glaze must be thick to adhere to the outside of the bundt without running off.
• Pour the glaze over the top of the bundt, giving the glaze a nudge in places to help it slowly drip down the sides a little.

Notes

• Use fresh cranberries for the cake or frozen cranberries, but don't defrost them before mixing them into the batter. Or replace them with raspberries.
• For the most pronounced flavour, use premium orange juice from the grocery store or prepare some from frozen orange juice concentrate. You can replace the orange juice with lemon juice. Freshly-squeezed orange juice won't yield as much flavour in the cake. 
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Make sure to properly butter and flour your bundt pan to make sure the bundt cake doesn't stick to the pan. Read about how to prepare a bundt pan for more information.
• Let the cake cool slightly in the pan so it is firm enough to unmould. Don't cool it completely in the pan because it will get stuck. If this happens and your bundt cake is stuck to the pan, rewarm the bundt cake in the pan to warm up the edges enough that they may unstick. This works!

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 136mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 546IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Orange Cranberry Bundt Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

I fell in love with sugared cranberries at the end of last year. I'd honestly never eaten them before I made a batch to top that chestnut cake in November (remember that cake? It was so cute!). I thought sugared cranberries were a fad, something cute to put on top of a layer cake. Turns out that yes, they are certainly pretty to look at, but they are also easy to make and a treat to eat.

Ingredients

• sugar—use granulated sugar because it won't impart a taste that may interfere with the delicate flavours of the components of this recipe
• cranberries—use fresh cranberries, especially for the sugared cranberries. You could use frozen cranberries for the cranberry cake filling
• salt—Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• pure vanilla extract
• flour—use bleached all-purpose flour
• leavening agents—baking powder is used in the cake. Do not confuse it with baking soda. If you aren't sure the difference, read about baking soda vs baking powder.
• poppy seeds are optional, but they give the cake layers a really special look
• butter—use unsalted butter, but if you prefer to bake with salted, cut back on the salt in the cake recipe
• eggs—use large egg(s) that are at room temperature
• milk— use whole milk (3.25 % fat) or milk with at least 2 % fat
• cream cheese—use full-fat cream cheese sold in bars, like Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular). Do not use whipped cream cheese or cream cheese spread.
• white chocolate—make sure to use a good quality white chocolate that has around 30 % cocoa content in it. Do not use candy melts or white chocolate chips
• lemon juice—I prefer fresh lemon juice for its flavour

Please refer to the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Frosting—I have made this cake with two different frostings: the white chocolate cream cheese as written below and this thick cream cheese frosting, which is much easier to make than the white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Both work great with this recipe, but the flavour is a little different, obviously, because one is sweetened with white chocolate and the other with icing sugar.
• Poppy seed cake—you can omit the poppy seeds if you don't have them or don't want them. They don't add a ton of flavour and are more for looks and texture.
• Almond cake flavour—the cake layers would taste great with pure almond extract added to the batter along with the vanilla. Use carefully: add about 2.5–5 mL (½–1 teaspoon) as it can be quite potent.

How it's Made

Layer cakes take a little more time to make and assemble, so plan accordingly!

• The day before, make the sugared cranberries and the cranberry compote
• The day you want to serve the cake, bake the cake layers in the morning, then finish the sugared cranberries and make the frosting so that you can assemble the cake.

Step 1: Make a simple syrup by combining sugar and water in a small saucepan (image 1) and heat it on the stove until it's clear and the sugar has all dissolved (image 2). Pour the syrup over the cranberries in a bowl, stirring to coat them in syrup. Let them sit in the syrup overnight before draining (image 4).

Step 2: Toss the syrup-coated cranberries in granulated sugar to coat them (image 5), then lay them on a wire rack over a sheet pan (image 6). Let them stand for at least an hour to dry (image 7) before using them.

Step 3: Combine the sugar, cranberries, water, and salt in a small saucepan (image 8) and cook them together on the stove until you get a thick compote (image 9). Add the vanilla off the heat and store the compote in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Step 4: Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (image 10). Beat them until light and fluffy (image 11), then add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla (image 12). Whip the batter until it's fluffy and light (image 13).

Step 5: Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (image 14), then add them to the batter (image 15), alternating with the milk (image 16). Stir until combined (image 17).

Step 6: Split the cake batter between three prepared 6-inch cake pans using a large disher (image 18), and then smooth the tops with a mini offset spatula (image 19).

Step 7: Once the batter is smoothed and level (image 20), bake until the edges pull away from the sides of the pan and the cake is set (image 21).

Step 8: Chop the white chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl (image 22). Melt the chocolate gently over a double boiler until smooth (image 23). Meanwhile, whip the cream cheese until soft and fluffy (image 24), then drizzle the cooled melted white chocolate with the mixer running (image 25).

Step 9: Whip the cream cheese and white chocolate mixture until thick, fluffy, and well mixed (image 26), then slowly incorporate the softened butter and lemon juice (image 27). Beat the frosting until thick and fluffy, like whipped cream (image 28). If you notice any flecks of butter or white chocolate, you can pass the frosting through a fine-mesh sieve to smooth it out (image 29).

Step 10: Level the cake layers using a serrated knife (image 30). Place the first layer on your cake stand, then pipe a dam of white chocolate cream cheese frosting around the perimeter (image 31). Fill with half the cranberry compote, smoothing it out from edge to edge within the dam (image 32). Top with a thin layer of frosting, then repeat the process with the 2nd layer of cake, the frosting, and the last of the compote. Stack the third layer on top and coat the outside of the cake with all the remaining frosting.

Step 11: Decorate with sugared cranberries (image 34) before serving.

Layer Cake Tips

You don't need to be a professional pastry chef to decorate a layer cake. Topping this layer cake with sugared cranberries and vertically dragging a mini offset spatula up the sides of the frosting to create a ridged effect are all you need to jazz up this cake and make it stunning. I am not a professional cake decorator, but THIS, I can handle, and so can you!

Layer Cake FAQs

Other Desserts Make with Cranberries

If layer cakes aren't your thing, you can always make:

• cranberry chestnut cake, a festive loaf cake for the winter months
• cranberry chestnut financiers, which are infinitely faster to bake.
• gingerbread cranberry muffins to snack on
• fancy, but easy make-ahead cranberry eggnog trifle

If you tried this white chocolate cranberry cake recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

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White Chocolate Cranberry Cake

Learn how to make the best white chocolate cranberry cake with layers of poppy seed vanilla cake, cranberry compote, white chocolate cream cheese frosting, and sugared cranberries.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Chill time 4 hours hours

Total Time 6 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 10 slices

Calories 855kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 6-inch cake pan (2-inch deep)
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Mini offset
• Ateco turntable

Ingredients

For the sugared cranberries

• 250 grams water
• 200 grams granulated sugar
• 150 grams fresh cranberries
• 50 grams granulated sugar more or less, for dusting the cranberries

For the cranberry filling

• 100 grams fresh cranberries
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 30 grams water
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 1.25 mL pure vanilla extract

For the cake

• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 10 mL baking powder
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 10 mL poppy seeds
• 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 250 grams granulated sugar
• 3 large egg(s) room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 188 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)

For the frosting

• 340 grams Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat, regular) softened
• 255 grams white chocolate
• 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 23 grams fresh lemon juice

Metric - US

Instructions

To make the sugared cranberries

• Heat together the water and the cup of granulated sugar on medium–low to dissolve the sugar.
• Transfer the syrup to a heat proof bowl and let cool 15 minutes.
• Add the cranberries, cover the bowl, and chill in the fridge for serveral hours or overnight, stirring every so often.
• Toss with half the remaining 50 grams (¼ cup) of sugar to coat all sides. Let dry on a rack set on a sheet pan to set and dry out before using.

To make the cranberry filling

• In a small saucepan, heat the cranberries, sugar, water, and salt on low to dissolve the sugar.
• Increase the heat to medium, and boil to thicken the filling. The filling should be very thick. Transfer the filling to a container, stir in the vanilla, and refrigerate overnight.

To make the cake layers

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Grease, flour, and line the bottoms of three 6x2-inch (15x5-cm) round cake pans (I like these pans from Wilton available on Amazon) pans. Set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, poppy seeds, and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, beating well between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
• Add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Finish stirring the last bit of flour into the batter by hand.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans (~330 grams per pan). Tap pans on the counter and smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake the layers for 28 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Let cool on a wire rack completely.

To make the white chocolate cream cheese frosting

• Chop the white chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl. Melt it over a double boiler until silky smooth, then let it cool before using it.
• Whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer until fluffy and very soft, then with the mixer on low, slowly drizzle the cooled melted white chocolate. Continue beating until light and fluffy.
• Add the butter, a little at a time, and mix until it's all incorporated. Beat for several minutes until you have a thick, fluffy smooth frosting. If you notice any flecks of butter or white chocolate, you can pass the frosting through a strainer to smooth it out.

To assemble the cake

• Remove the parchment paper from the layers. Level the tops of the cakes so they are flat with a serrated knife.
• Fill a piping bag (fitted with a 20 mm round tip or with a large opening) with frosting.
• Place one layer of cake on the cake stand, pipe a rim of frosting, and fill with half the cranberry filling, smoothing with a spatula.
• Pipe frosting over top to completely cover the rim and filling, smoothing with a spatula again.
• Top with a second layer of cake and repeat the rim, filling, and frosting step.
• Top with the third layer of cake. Completely frost the outside of the cake.
• Use your spatula to smooth and add texture to the sides of the cake, and top the cake with sugared cranberries just before serving.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Layer cakes take time to make. Here's a schedule to help you get organized:
  • The day before: make the sugared cranberries and the cranberry compote
  • The day you want to serve the cake: bake the cake layers in the morning, then finish the sugared cranberries and make the frosting so that you can assemble the cake.
• Frosting—I have made this cake with two different frostings: the white chocolate cream cheese as written below and this thick cream cheese frosting, which is much easier to make than the white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Both work great with this recipe, but the flavour is a little different, obviously, because one is sweetened with white chocolate and the other with icing sugar.
• Poppy seed cake—you can omit the poppy seeds if you don't have them or don't want them. They don't add a ton of flavour and are more for looks and texture.
• Almond cake flavour—the cake layers would taste great with pure almond extract added to the batter along with the vanilla. Use carefully: add about 2.5–5 mL (½–1 teaspoon) as it can be quite potent.
• I split the batter between three 6-inch cake pans. Take the time to prepare the cake pans before baking, by buttering the pans, lining the bottom with parchment, and dusting the sides with flour. This way, your cakes will slide right out of the pan without any tearing.
• Store this cake for three days at room temperature, covered. For a detailed explanation of storing after slicing, read about how to store cake.

Nutrition

Calories: 855kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 283mg | Potassium: 329mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 1447IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 180mg | Iron: 2mg

The post White Chocolate Cranberry Cake appeared first on The Bake School.

Trifle is the best dessert to serve at a holiday party because you can make it ahead of time, and it feeds a crowd easily! Some like to include a layer of fruit-flavoured Jell-O or a jelly of sorts. My family prefers to make it with layers of sponge cake, custard, whipped cream, and fruit. This gelatin-free trifle is a festive treat!

Christmas Trifle Ingredients

You probably have most of the ingredients you need to make this holiday trifle. Here’s what you’ll need:

• milk—use whole milk (3.25 % fat) for both the pastry cream and the sponge cake
• butter—either salted or unsalted will work in the cake, but if you use salted, omit the salt
• vanilla—pure vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste make this dessert special. Use the vanilla bean paste in the whipped cream topping so you can see the lovely flecks of seeds. Use the vanilla extract in the cake batter and pastry cream
• eggs—use large eggs and egg yolks
• sugar—use granulated sugar, not brown sugar because we don't want the sugar to impart a flavour in any of the components
• flour and cornstarch—use bleached all-purpose flour, though unbleached will also work in this recipe
• leavening—use baking powder, not baking soda in the cake. Read about baking powder versus baking soda if you aren't sure of the difference between these two leavening agents
• salt—use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• ground nutmeg—I like to freshly grate nutmeg whenever I can for the best flavour, though you can get away with ground nutmeg
• alcohol—classic trifle recipes usually feature sweet Sherry wine (like Bristol Cream), but we are using spiced rum to complement the nutmeg and give the pastry cream and trifle a taste similar to eggnog
• whipping cream—use a high-fat whipping cream or double cream with at least 35 % fat
• icing sugar—you may need to sift it before using it to make sure there are no lumps in your whipped cream
• white chocolate shavings—I get white chocolate curls already done and ready to use at my local bakery. So much easier than making your own!

See the recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

There are a few simple components to make when creating a trifle. Here are a few shortcuts and substitutions that you can take along the way:

• For the cake, I make my mom's hot milk cake from scratch, the same cake that she used to make all her trifle desserts. Feel free to buy a sponge cake from your local bakery if that is easier! You could also try using lady fingers like in a classic tiramisu.
• For the cranberries, I used fresh cranberries, but you can also use frozen cranberries. Don't defrost them. Alternatively, you could use fresh raspberries, but skip the poaching step as they quickly turn mush. Amarena cherries would also be excellent in this dessert. Strain them before assembling the trifle. You may use some of the syrup from the jar to soak the cake layers (taste it first and adjust it with sugar, water, or rum if needed).
• For the alcohol, I used spiced rum, but you can also try brandy or dark rum. You can also skip the alcohol in this recipe entirely. The taste will be a little different, though.

How To Make It

For this recipe, you will need a sponge cake. I always make my mom's hot milk sponge cake, as she did whenever she made trifle. I baked it in a 9-inch springform pan. The recipe is included below, but please read all about the hot milk sponge cake if you need the step-by-step photos. The cake must be made in advance and cooled completely before slicing it into layers and assembling the trifle.

Step 1: Make the pastry cream first. Heat the milk with part of the sugar and freshly grated nutmeg (image 1). Meanwhile, whip the egg yolks with the sugar, flour, and cornstarch (image 2). Pour the hot milk over the whipped egg yolks to temper the eggs (image 3), then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook the pastry cream until it boils and has thickened (image 4).

Step 2: Take the hot pastry cream off the stove, add the vanilla and rum (image 5), then strain the pastry cream onto a plastic-wrapped lined quarter sheet pan (image 6). Smooth it out before topping it with more plastic wrap and chilling overnight (image 7).

Tip: Chilling pastry cream on a sheet pan is a trick I learned in pastry school! It chills much faster, especially given how much this recipe makes. Faster chilling means safer chilling for pastry cream, which spoils quickly if you aren't careful.

Step 3: Combine the sugar and water for the cranberries in a medium saucepan (image 8) and heat it on the stove until the mixture is clear and the sugar dissolved (image 9). Add the cranberries (image 10) and poach them until they are just starting to burst (image 11). Remove them from the heat and store them in a sealed container in the fridge until cold.

Step 4: When you are ready to assemble your trifle, transfer the pastry cream to a large bowl and whisk it until smooth and loose (image 12). Strain the cranberries (image 13) to separate them from the poaching syrup, then add a little rum to a portion of that liquid (image 14) to use as your trifle-soaking liquid. Whip the cream until thick before sweetening with icing sugar and a little vanilla bean paste (image 15).

Step 5: Slice your sponge cake into layers (image 16) (or into small chunks). Add a single layer of the strained cranberries at the bottom of your trifle dish (image 17), then smooth a thin layer over them to anchor them and level the bottom (image 18) before gently pressing half the cake over the base (image 19).

Step 6: Brush the cake with enough syrup that it is soaked through from edge to edge (image 20), then top with half the cranberries (image 21), half the pastry cream (image 22), and half of the whipped cream (image 23).

Step 7: Repeat the layering process with the second layer of cake, the syrup, the cranberries, the pastry cream and the whipped cream. Save a few cranberries as garnish if you can! Refrigerate the trifle until it's time to serve it (at least a few hours).

Tip: Reserve a few poached cranberries to use as garnish to decorate the top of the assembled trifle!

Step 8: garnish the trifle with white chocolate curls, poached cranberries and freshly grated nutmeg before serving (image 24).

I get white chocolate curls from my local bakeries and chocolate shops. You could also shave a bar of white chocolate using a peeler but the effect won't be quite the same.

Note: You can also make individual trifles in wide-mouth Mason jars if you prefer. You'll get about a dozen mini trifles with this recipe.

Top Baking Tip—Make Trifle Ahead

You can make the components of this dessert ahead of time. Even though English trifle recipes may seem complicated with too many steps, spread the work over a few days so it's not overwhelming! You can do most of the steps a few days before assembling and serving. Here's the breakdown of the schedule:

• up to one month ahead: make the warm milk sponge cake and freeze it. Defrost it in the fridge a day before you plan on assembling the trifle
• two days before serving: make the eggnog custard and the poached cranberries
• a few hours or up to one day before serving: assemble the trifles
• just before serving: garnish the trifle with white chocolate curls, any remaining poached cranberries, and freshly grated nutmeg.

Other Eggnog-Flavoured Desserts

The custard layer is a classic pastry cream flavoured with nutmeg and rum. It tastes just like eggnog! Looking for an even easier eggnog treat? Try these:

• eggnog bundt cake with eggnog in the cake batter and topped with a crunchy rum glaze
• eggnog milkshake, which is ready in minutes
• quick and easy homemade eggnog that doesn't need to age for months before drinking!

If you tried this Christmas Trifle recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Christmas Trifle

Learn how to make the best Christmas trifle for the holidays with layers of rum-soaked sponge cake, eggnog pastry cream, cranberries, and whipped cream. This festive, make-ahead holiday dessert is stunning and a real treat!

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Chill time 4 hours hours

Total Time 7 hours hours

Servings 12

Calories 593kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• 9-in springform
• Mini offset

Ingredients

For the poached cranberries

• 400 grams granulated sugar
• 500 mL water
• 680 grams fresh cranberries or frozen

For the eggnog custard

• 750 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 3.75 mL ground nutmeg
• 6 large egg yolk(s)
• 24 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 24 grams cornstarch
• 45 mL spiced or dark rum
• 7.5 mL pure vanilla extract

For the sponge cake

• 125 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 15 grams unsalted butter
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 2 large egg(s)
• 200 grams granulated sugar
• 125 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

For the trifle syrup

• 60 mL spiced or dark rum
• 188 mL cranberry syrup from poaching the cranberries (chilled and strained)

For the whipped cream

• 500 mL whipping cream (35 % fat) 1 cup
• 50 grams icing sugar

Optional garnishes

• White chocolate curls I got the white chocolate curls at my local bakery
• ground nutmeg

Metric - US

Instructions

Poach the cranberries (up to 2 days before assembling and serving)

• In a large saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• When the sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup is hot, add the cranberries and poach them until soft (the skins will begin to burst, but shouldn't turn. tomush!).
• Take the pan off the heat and let it cool down. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Make the eggnog custard (up to 2 days before assembling and serving)

• Have a strainer ready and a plastic wrap-lined baking sheet nearby.
• Whisk together the milk, nutmeg, and half the sugar over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar until lightened and pale, then add the flour and cornstarch. Whisk to combine everything and get rid of the lumps. The mixture should be smooth.
• When the milk is steamy and hot, pour it over the egg mixture and whisk to temper the yolks. Pour everything back into the saucepan.
• Heat the custard, whisking constantly, until it boils, then boil for 3 minutes.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla and the rum.
• Strain the custard over the plastic wrap-lined baking sheet and smooth into a thin layer. Top with another layer of plastic wrap, directly in contact with the pastry cream. Wrap tightly. Cool completely in the fridge.

Make the sponge cake (up to a month ahead of time)

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175 °C). Grease the bottom of a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and line it with a round of parchment paper.
• Warm the milk with the butter to melt them together in the microwave or a small saucepan. Add the vanilla and set this aside to cool.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (I have also done this successfully with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with an electric hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until they are light and fluffy and creamy coloured (this takes a good 5 minutes of beating), then add in the salt.
• Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl.
• Add the flour mixture, alternating with the warm milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
• Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. This takes 30 to 35 minutes.
• Unmold after 10 minutes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Carefully run a thin, serrated knife or a pairing knife between the pan and the cake to loosen it. I leave the cake out overnight on a wire rack before assembling. It may dry out a little on the edges, but this means it will absorb the syrup more easily!

Make the trifle syrup

• Strain the poached cranberries over a bowl, saving the syrup and the cranberries.
• Combine 188 mL (¾ cup) of the reserved cranberry syrup with 60 mL (¼ cup) rum.

Whip the cream

• Whip the cream to soft peaks then add the icing sugar before you finish whipping.

Assemble the trifles (4 hours to 1 day before serving)

• Split the cake into two layers using a large serrated bread knife.
• Transfer the chilled custard to a bowl and whisk vigorously to loosen it up and smooth it out before using it to assemble the trifles
• Assemble the trifle in a large glass trifle dish that has at least a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter and 4-inch (10 cm) height.
• Scatter a few poached cranberries on the bottom of the dish and top with a few dollops of pastry cream, smoothing it out. This is to create an even base if your dish is rounded on the bottom.
• Place one layer of cake, gently pressing it into place to anchor it. Brush generously with approximately half the syrup (or as much as the cake can soak up).
• Scatter roughly half the poached cranberries in a single layer and top with half of the pastry cream, smoothing it out from edge to edge.
• Spread half the whipped cream over the top in an even layer.
• Repeat the steps, laying down the second cake layer, brushing with syrup, then topping with cranberries (reserving a few to use as decoration), pastry cream, and whipped cream.
• Store the trifle in the fridge until you are ready to serve it (at least 4 hours).
• To decorate the trifle, scatter the reserved poached cranberries and white chocolate curls on top and grate a little nutmeg.

Notes

• Tips and tricks:
  • For this recipe, I used large Canadian eggs.
  • Chilling pastry cream on a sheet pan is a trick I learned in pastry school! It chills much faster, especially given how much this recipe makes. Faster chilling means safer chilling for pastry cream, which spoils quickly if you aren't careful.
  • I used a 9-inch springform pan for the cake because my trifle dish has a 9-inch diameter. Feel free to bake this recipe in a different-sized pan to accommodate your trifle dish! Adjust the baking time accordingly.
  • When assembling the trifle, reserve a few poached cranberries to use as garnish to decorate the top to make it pretty!
  • You can assemble this Christmas trifle in a large trifle dish (with a volume of at least 4 L) or smaller wide-mouth Mason jars (500 mL) for individual desserts. This recipe will make about a dozen individual trifles, but have extra jars on hand, just in case.
  • I get white chocolate curls from my local bakeries and chocolate shops. You could also shave a bar of white chocolate using a peeler but the effect won't be quite the same.
• Substitutions:
  • This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
  • You can replace the cranberries with Amarena cherries soaked in syrup. Strain them and use them directly when you are assembling the trifle. You may use the syrup to soak the cake layers. Taste it first and adjust it with alcohol, water, or sugar.
  • You can make the sponge cake as written or use a store-bought plain sponge cake if you are short on time.
• Make ahead instructions and tips:
  • Cake: after it's cooled completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze it for up to a month. Defrost in the fridge two days before serving.
  • Pastry cream and poached cranberries: make them up to 2 days before you plan to serve the trifle. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
  • Whipped cream: prepare it before assembling the trifle. It's not as stable unless you add gelatin.

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 183mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 269mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 74g | Vitamin A: 971IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 1mg

Egg Farmers of Canada offered me financial compensation to develop a recipe with Canadian Grade A eggs. As always, please know that I wouldn’t work with a sponsor or product if it wasn’t worth it. And since I cannot live without eggs (or eggnog custard), this just makes sense!

The post Christmas Trifle appeared first on The Bake School.

It doesn't feel like winter if there's no gingerbread. The gingerbread could come in the form of gingerbread granola, gingerbread cookie cut-outs, and even muffins like these. I associate gingerbread with fall–winter more than Christmas.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Muffins

You don't need much to tackle most muffin recipes and this recipe is no exception! Here's what you need to make these Christmas muffins:

• Flour—all-purpose is ideal, or you can try a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose, but this will affect the texture a little.
• Warm spices—use the same spices you may add to gingerbread cutout cookies, such as ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg
• Leavening agents—specifically both chemical leaveners, baking powder and baking soda. Read about baking soda versus baking powder if you aren't sure what the difference is between them!
• Salt—fine kosher salt like Diamond Crystal is what I use. If you use a different salt that has more or less sodium per gram, you will likely have to adjust the quantities so the muffins aren't overly salty or under-salted
• Butter—either salted or unsalted will work, though if your salted butter has a lot of salt in it, you may have to adjust the salt in the recipe
• Sugar—granulated sugar or light brown sugar will work!
• Molasses—use fancy molasses, also called baking molasses or light molasses
• Eggs—use large eggs preferably because smaller eggs may lead to dryer muffins
• Sour cream provides moisture and fat, leading to moist, tender muffins
• Vanilla extract to enhance the sweetness and the flavour of the muffins
• Cranberries—fresh or frozen will work here. If using frozen, incorporate them into the batter when still frozen. Dried cranberries also work!

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

These Christmas muffins are simple to make yet so moist and flavourful because of the specific ingredients. Here are a few careful places you can make substitutions and variations:

• Molasses—use a light baking molasses or black treacle (if in Europe)
• Cranberries—fresh or frozen will work here. If using frozen, incorporate them into the batter when still frozen. Dried cranberries also work!
• Sour cream—full-fat Greek yogurt can also work in this recipe
• Spices—you can replace the mix of spices with pumpkin pie spice mix, gingerbread spice mix, or even apple pie spice mix
• Chocolate—add white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate to the muffin batter. I know this would taste great based on this recipe for ginger cookies with white chocolate. Dark chocolate may also work if you prefer.

How to Make Christmas Muffins

Christmas muffins are easy to make. You don't need any special equipment, just two bowls and a whisk!

Step 1: Start by mixing your wet ingredients together. First melt the butter in the microwave (image 1) or on the stove, then combine it with molasses, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract (image 2). Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps of sour cream. The wet ingredients will be quite fluid. (image 4).

Step 2: Whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl (image 5), then pour the wet ingredients over the dry (image 6). Stir them to create a thick batter (image 7), then add the cranberries (image 8).

Step 3: Fold the cranberries gently into the batter to evenly incorporate them without crushing them (image 9).

Step 4: Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners (image 10), then portion out the batter evenly using a 3-¼ ounce (96 mL) disher (image 11).

Tips for Baking with Cranberries and Other Berries

Though this doesn't happen with this recipe, if your berries sink to the bottom of your muffins, next time toss them in flour to coat them before incorporating in the muffin batter. The flour will help absorb some of their moisture as they bake but will also help anchor them in the batter.

Don't defrost frozen cranberries before using them. They will become very wet and are hard to work with when defrosted, easily crushed when you go to stir them into the thick muffin batter.

If baking with dried cranberries, you may plump them in boiling water to rehydrate them before stirring them into your batter. Drain them well and pat them dry before mixing into the Christmas muffin batter.

Muffin FAQs

More Christmas Baking Recipes

For more baking ideas, check out these festive Christmas baking recipes!

If you tried this gingerbread muffin recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Cranberry Gingerbread Muffins

Learn how to make the best gingerbread muffins with this easy recipe. These Christmas muffins are flavoured with molasses, gingerbread spices, and cranberries for a lovely snack or Christmas breakfast treat.

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 289kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Muffin pan
• OXO balloon whisk
• Danish dough whisk
• 3-¼ oz scoop
• Cake tester

Ingredients

• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 10 mL baking powder
• 5 mL ground cinnamon
• 2.5 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 2.5 mL ground ginger
• 2.5 mL ground nutmeg
• 1.25 mL ground cloves
• 155 grams unsalted butter
• 125 mL sour cream (14% fat)
• 125 grams Fancy molasses
• 2 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 180 grams fresh cranberries or frozen

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190 ℃). Line a 12-cup muffin pan (or two 6-cup muffin pans) with paper liners (or silicone, or butter and flour to prevent sticking). Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sour cream, molasses, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
• Fold the cranberries into the batter. The batter will be thick.
• Divide the Christmas muffin batter among the paper-lined muffin pans.
• Bake until puffed and set. A cake tester inserted into the middle (not through the berries) should come out clean. This takes about 25 minutes.
• Serve warm with salted butter or let cool to store.

Notes

Equipment: I like to use a Danish dough whisk to mix muffin batters. To line the muffin pans, you can use paper liners or silicone. Alternatively, you can butter and flour the muffin cups instead.

Variations:

• Molasses—use a light baking molasses or black treacle (if in Europe).
• Cranberries—fresh or frozen will work here. If using frozen, incorporate them into the batter when still frozen. Dried cranberries also work!
• Sour cream—full-fat Greek yogurt can also work in this recipe.
• Spices—you can replace the mix of spices with pumpkin pie spice mix, gingerbread spice mix, or even apple pie spice mix.
• Chocolate—add white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate to the muffin batter. Dark chocolate may also work if you prefer.
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Storage: You can store these moist muffins for 3–4 days in an airtight container, but I prefer to freeze them when they are freshly baked (cooled completely) to keep them fresh.

Defrosting instructions: If you want to defrost frozen muffins, you have a few options depending on how much time you have: in the fridge overnight, unwrapped to avoid moisture buildup on the surface of the muffin tops; at room temperature for a few hours, unwrapped to avoid moisture buildup on the surface of the muffin tops; in the microwave oven: place the unwrapped muffin on a napkin or a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on HIGH for about 30 seconds for each muffin. The time and results will vary according to the power of your microwave, but this is definitely the fastest method to defrost muffins.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 303mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 436IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Cranberry Gingerbread Muffins appeared first on The Bake School.

Kneading brioche dough by hand can be a real pain, if we are being honest. In pastry school, we learned to do it by hand, using the "slap and scoop" method. The dough is slapped down on the counter with the right hand, then scooped up with a bench scraper in the left hand, over and over, until the gluten has developed sufficiently.

These chocolate cranberry buns start with my easy brioche recipe kneaded in a stand mixer because most of us don't have the patience or the time to do it by hand. The mixer does a great job of developing the gluten and incorporating the butter, without warming the dough too much. So the butter doesn't melt too quickly, leading to a greasy mess, which is a likely outcome if you kneaded by hand.

For this dough, I used dark chocolate chips from Callebaut with 70 % cocoa solids. This is a great type of chocolate for baking because it's high quality, not too sweet but it does hold its shape.

Fresh versus frozen cranberries

I recommend using fresh cranberries for this recipe because they are added to the dough before the overnight cold rise. Frozen cranberries would defrost in the refrigerator and there's a risk they lose too many juices, making the dough too wet to manipulate after.

Finishing sugars for bread

The buns are sprinkled with pearl sugar before baking them. Pearl sugar is also called Swedish sugar or Belgian sugar. It's a popular sugar for garnishing breads before baking because it holds its shape in the oven without melting or burning. You can order pearl sugar from Amazon.

I brushed the buns with maple syrup after baking to give them a little sweet finish and also the syrup softens the crust of the bun. The nice thing about pearl sugar is that it doesn't dissolve.

Shaping the bread and special equipment

This chocolate cranberry bread can be baked as:

• a loaf in a standard 1-pound loaf pan (9x5 inches)
• as pull-apart buns in an 8-inch cake pan (as shown here)

The bread is made from a standard brioche recipe kneaded in the stand mixer with fresh cranberries and dark chocolate chips.

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Chocolate Cranberry Bread

This recipe for chocolate cranberry bread is made from a brioche bun recipe kneaded in the mixer to make it easier to do. They take a little time but it is well worth it!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine French

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Chill time 12 hours hours

Total Time 13 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8 buns

Calories 400kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• 8-in cake pans
• Pastry brush
• Bench scraper

Ingredients

• 63 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat) warmed to 38 ºC or 100 ºF
• 1 pinch granulated sugar
• 8 grams active dry yeast 1 packet
• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 24 grams granulated sugar
• 5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 2 large egg(s) whisked
• 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature, cut into cubes
• 50 grams fresh cranberries
• 90 grams dark chocolate chips

Garnish

• 1 large egg(s) whisked with a pinch of salt
• 15 mL pearl sugar for sprinkling on the bread
• 22.5 mL pure maple syrup

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a small bowl, whisk the warm milk with a pinch of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast overtop in an even layer, then you can whisk it to help the yeast melt and to avoid clumps. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. It should bubble and create a layer of foam.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir on low to combine.
• When the yeast is ready, dump it in, along with the two eggs. Stir the mixture on low until a shaggy dough forms. Increase the speed a little to form a more cohesive ball of dough, then switch to the dough hook to knead the dough for 10 minutes. The dough will be stiff, but smooth.
• Switch back to the paddle attachment and add the butter, a little at a time, working it into the dough before adding a little more. The dough will seem to break down but eventually will start to come back together. Switch to the hook and knead it for another 10 to 15 minutes to form a smooth dough.
• Knead in the dark chocolate chips. The dough will be smooth and a little tacky.
• Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise slowly at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill the dough for 1 hour.
• Once the dough is cold, punch it down and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Scatter the cranberries over the entire surface, then roll it up and pinch/roll it together to shape the bread dough into a "boule" (ball shape). Place back in the greased bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Butter an 8-inch cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. Set aside.
• Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Each piece will weigh almost 90 grams. Shape each piece into a ball and set them in the cake pan, evenly spaced, 7 on the perimeter and 1 in the middle. Shaping the buns isn't easy because of the cranberries so don't worry too much about it.
• Cover the pan with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until puffed and almost doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190 °C).
• Whisk the 1 egg for the egg wash with a pinch of salt. Brush the tops of the buns with the egg wash, and sprinkle generously with pearl sugar.
• Place the pan in the oven. Bake until a thermometer inserted into a bun reads 88 ºC (190–195 ºF), which takes roughly 30 to 35 minutes. The buns will be a deep golden brown on top.
• Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let cool about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. You can brush the hot buns with maple syrup and sprinkle with additional coarse sugar before serving. The syrup will soften the crust and add a little sweetness to these buns.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 347mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 590IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Chocolate cranberry bread appeared first on The Bake School.

These french toast muffins are super easy to make. And, even on a bad day, you probably have all the ingredients on hand.

I added some frozen cranberries and an eighth of a teaspoon of nutmeg to the mix because I needed a little Christmas cheer, even though it's only mid-November. The nutmeg makes me think of eggnog and automatically puts me in a happier state of mind. Of course, you can add your favourite frozen berries and spices, or leave them plain, and drizzle them with extra maple syrup.

For the bread component of French toast, any stale bread will work because dry bread will absorb more of the egg mixture. You can use sliced bread from the grocery store, or if you have leftover homemade brioche bread, that would be even better!

This recipe makes 12 muffins, but if you don't eat them all, you can wrap each of the leftover baked ones in some cling wrap and freeze them. Defrost them in the microwave when you need them.

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Easy Cranberry French Toast Muffins

Easy cranberry french toast muffins are made from cubes of bread, soaked in custard, and baked in a muffin pan. These are much easier than French toast!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 112kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Muffin pan
• OXO balloon whisk

Ingredients

• 3 large egg(s)
• 375 mL low fat milk (1 % fat)
• 75 grams granulated sugar
• 10 mL pure vanilla extract
• 0.625 mL ground nutmeg
• 10 slices whole wheat bread cubed
• 190 mL frozen cranberries
• pure maple syrup for serving

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare two standard muffin tins by greasing them. Set them aside for later.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg until well combined. Add the cubed bread and toss gently until the egg mixture has been absorbed. Add the cranberries and toss gently to combine.
• Divide the muffin mixture evenly in the muffin pans, being sure to also evenly divide the cranberries among the muffins.
• Bake for about 30 minutes (or more, depending on how “done” you like your french toast).
• Serve muffins warm, with a generous drizzling of maple syrup.
• Leftover muffins can be cooled completely, wrapped individually in cling wrap, and stored in a resealable bag for another day.

Notes

For this recipe, I used Hearty Grains bread

Nutrition

Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Easy cranberry french toast muffins appeared first on The Bake School.

Incorporating berries into a waffle batter

Instead of folding the cranberries (or other berries) into waffle batter, I prefer to scatter them on the batter in the waffle maker. This way you can evenly distribute the berries over the entire surface of the waffle. Otherwise the heavy berries may get stuck in the middle, making it too soggy to lift out of the waffle maker afterwards.

Alternative topping for your waffles

Most people top waffles with maple syrup. And you can't go wrong with that, but around the holidays, it's fun to make a custard sauce, like this eggnog crème anglaise, to pour over your favourite pancakes or waffles.

This sauce is like homemade eggnog, but spiked with a little less alcohol than for the beverage. This dessert sauce is heavenly and made a very festive breakfast that is just right for this season. It's perfect to balance the tart cranberries. This custard sauce is so delicious, you will want to pour it generously on everything. You could serve it with this eggnog bundt cake, for example, or French toast muffins.

The key to a thick and creamy crème anglaise is NOT in ingredients like heavy cream. There's no cream here! Instead we rely on the egg yolks and slow evaporation of the sauce over low heat to make this sauce thick and creamy!

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Eggnog Crème Anglaise

Eggnog is a pouring custard that makes a great drink but also a topping for desserts, waffles, and pancakes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 215kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO balloon whisk
• Wooden spoon

Ingredients

• 750 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 100 grams granulated sugar divided
• 2.5 mL ground nutmeg more or less depending on how much you like nutmeg
• 5 large egg yolk(s)
• 0.625 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 60 mL spiced or dark rum or you can use bourbon or even brandy

Metric - US

Instructions

• Set aside a bowl with a strainer over top.
• Combine the milk, half the sugar, and the nutmeg in a 3-quart saucepan. Set the pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Heat the mixture through but do not allow it to boil (this is key to avoid making eggnog scrambled eggs!). Remove from the heat.
• Put the egg yolks and salt in a small heatproof bowl and gently whisk to break up the yolks. Whisk in the remaining half of sugar and beat the mixture until the yolks become very pale and light. Gradually whisk in the warm sweet milk mixture. Pour the yolk mixture back into the saucepan, and whisk to combine.
• Cook over medium-low heat (slow and steady), stirring constantly with a clean wooden spoon until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and hold a line drawn through it with a finger, about 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register 170–175 °F (77–79 °C). Do not let the sauce overheat or boil because then you will probably curdle the mixture, making eggnog scrambled eggs. Immediately strain the sauce through the strainer into the bowl.
• Gently whisk in the rum and vanilla extract.
• Transfer it to a large container. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until the eggnog is velvety and slightly thick. Alternatively you can serve the custard sauce warm over waffles.

Video

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 376IU | Calcium: 157mg | Iron: 1mg

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Cranberry Waffles

These cranberry waffles are the perfect breakfast to get you through the winter, served with eggnog crème anglaise.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10 waffles

Calories 195kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• Waffle maker
• OXO balloon whisk

Ingredients

• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 15 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 375 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat)
• 50 grams light brown sugar
• 2 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 58 grams unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
• Cooking spray or melted butter to grease the waffle iron
• 100 grams fresh cranberries

Metric - US

Instructions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole milk, brown sugar, eggs, and the vanilla.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry, along with the melted butter, then stir to combine.
• Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
• Preheat a waffle iron. Grease the waffle iron then cook waffles according to waffle maker instructions, scattering each waffle with a few cranberries before shutting the lid. The amount of batter per waffle varies according to the capacity of the waffle iron.
• Keep the cooked waffles on a cookie sheet in a preheated low temperature oven until you are ready to serve.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• The number of waffles you make is entirely dependent on the type of waffle maker you use and the amount of batter per waffle.
• Calories calculated for 1 waffle

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 257mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 259IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Cranberry waffles and eggnog crème anglaise appeared first on The Bake School.

I challenged myself to take one 500-gram can of chestnut spread and make a cake, using the entire can, so there would be no leftovers! This recipe is the result of that challenge, and if you have never baked with chestnuts before, this is a great, easy recipe to get you started!

Ingredients

This chestnut cake recipe is made from a can of chestnut spread, also called crème de marrons or chestnut cream. The recipe uses the entire can! Here's what you'll need:

• chestnut spread, also called crème de marrons or chestnut cream comes in a can and is a mixture of chestnuts, sugar, and candied chestnut
• butter—preferably unsalted butter, which you will melt to incorporate into the sponge mixture. If using salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe
• eggs—use large eggs for the best texture
• sugar—use granulated sugar, or if you can, use special fine or superfine sugar which has a finer texture that will dissolve
• flour—I used bleached all-purpose flour but unbleached should also work in this recipe
• baking powder, the chemical leavening agent is used, not to be confused with baking soda. Read about baking soda versus baking powder if you aren't sure the difference
• salt—use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. Using regular table salt instead? use half the amount to avoid the cake being too salty
• cream—use 35 % whipping cream for the chestnut cream topping
• rum—I prefer to bake with spiced rum because the flavour is lovely, especially with chestnuts!

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

The ingredients are fairly simple, but here are a few changes you can make to this recipe:

• Rum: replace the rum with another alcohol, like a good bourbon or even perhaps a dark rum could work. Or try a cognac or brandy.
• Sugar: granulated sugar in this recipe doesn't have a flavour that will mask the delicate chestnut spread flavour. Still, you could try a light brown sugar with mild molasses notes that would complement the chestnuts. Please note the eggs may not whip as high with brown sugar.
• Salt—use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. Using regular table salt instead? use half the amount to avoid the cake being too salty

How to Make a Chestnut Cake with Chestnut Cream

The cake is made in the same way as a génoise sponge cake, meaning the whole eggs are whipped with the sugar first before folding in the dry ingredients and the melted butter (which is mixed with chestnut spread). Here's how to make this chestnut cake:

Step 1: Whip the eggs with the sugar until they are very pale, thick, and tripled in volume (image 1) using a stand mixer. Meanwhile, whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (image 2) and combine the chestnut spread, melted butter, and rum (image 3).

Step 2: Sift in half the flour over the whipped eggs (image 4) and fold them in using a large spatula (image 5), then fold in the chestnut mixture (image 6), and finally, the last of the flour. The batter should be very airy and thick (image 7).

Step 3: Transfer the chestnut cake batter to a buttered and floured 8-inch springform pan, and then, with an offset spatula (image 8), smooth it from edge to edge of the cake pan (image 9). Bake the chestnut cake until it's golden brown and pulls away from the sides (image 10).

Step 4: Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before unmoulding on a wire rack (image 11) to cool completely. Then, you can trim and level the cake with a serrated knife (image 12)

Step 5: Once the cake has cooled completely, prepare the chestnut cream by combining the remaining chestnut spread with the rum (image 13), then whipping the cream to soft peaks (image 14) before whipping in the chestnut spread (image 15). The chestnut cream will be thick and fluffy (image 16).

Step 6: Top the levelled cake with the chestnut cream (image 17), then serve it as is or garnish with sugared cranberries (image 18).

Chestnut Cake Baking Tips

Try whipping the eggs first before slowly pouring in the sugar for the fluffiest, most stable whipped egg base. Some people will even whip the eggs with the sugar over a bain-marie to warm them slightly, which will help the sugar dissolve. This will also help the eggs expand and take on more air, creating a lighter, more stable egg foam.

Chestnut Cake FAQs

If you prefer to bake with chestnut flour instead of chestnut spread, try these gluten-free cranberry chestnut financiers with chestnut flour. If you are a fan of cranberries and sugared cranberries, you can also use them as a garnish for this white chocolate cranberry layer cake!

If you tried this chestnut cake recipe (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

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Chestnut Cake

Learn how to make the best chestnut cake from a can of chestnut spread (also called chestnut cream). You will use part of the chestnut spread in the chestnut cake and the rest goes into the chestnut whipped cream topping.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 341kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• OXO balloon whisk
• 8-in springform

Ingredients

Chestnut cake

• 3 large egg(s)
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 375 grams chestnut spread also called crème de marrons or chestnut cream
• 175 grams unsalted butter melted
• 37.5 mL spiced or dark rum
• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL baking powder
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

Chestnut whipped cream

• 250 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 125 grams chestnut spread
• 15 mL spiced or dark rum
• Sugared cranberries optional, as garnish

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Butter and flour 8-inch springform pan, lining the bottom with a piece of parchment. Set aside for later.
• Whip the eggs with the sugar until they are very pale and thick using a stand mixer. This takes several minutes so you can prepare the other cake components while waiting.
• Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine the chestnut spread, melted butter, and rum in a separate bowl. Set aside.
• Once the egg and sugar mixture is thick and ribbony, you can sift in half the flour mixture and fold it in. Fold in the chestnut spread mixture, then finish with the last of the flour.
• Transfer the chestnut cake batter to the prepared springform cake pan and smooth it out.
• Bake the cake until the edges pull away from the sides and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. This takes about 45 minutes.
• Let the cake cool slightly to firm up before unmoulding on a wire rack to cool completely.
• When the cake has cooled, whip the cream until soft peaks, then add the remaining 125 grams of chestnut spread and the last tablespoon of rum. Whip until thick.
• Level the chestnut cake with a bread knife, then spread the chestnut cream on top. Garnish with sugared cranberries if using.

Notes

• Bake this cake in an 8-inch springform pan because they are taller than regular cake pans and have nice straight edges which makes a stunning, tall cake that seems fancy!
• Chestnut spread, also called crème de marrons or chestnut cream, is a sweet chestnut spread sold in cans and jars. The product is sold in European and French stores and gourmet shops. You can also find it on Amazon. You will need one 500-gram can of chestnut spread to make both the cake and the whipped cream topping.
• You can top this cake with sugared cranberries, as I have done. Or you can top it with chopped candied chestnuts, which are also sold in European stores and gourmet shops, especially around Christmas and in the fall and winter months.
• You can replace the spiced rum with another alcohol, like dark rum, brandy, or cognac. The flavour will be different.
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 96mg | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 732IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Chestnut Cake with Chestnut Cream appeared first on The Bake School.