Fluffy White Cake Recipe with Whipped Cream & Cranberries

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Kick off the holiday the right way with this fluffy white cake recipe with whipped cream and cranberries! It’s a beautiful non-cookie dessert for any parties or family celebrations. 

Fluffy white cranberry cake

I have a slight confession to make. Sometimes I get so excited about the prospect of a new recipe that I completely forget to check in my fridge and pantry to see if I have the right ingredients to make it.

White cake with whipped cream

I actually can’t count on my two hands how many times I’ve had to run to the store mid-mix, whip and stir to get a necessary ingredient I totally forget I ran out of. And of course, it’s usually something like eggs, sugar, flour or baking powder. I also always vow that I’ll never do that again and two days later I’m cursing at the slow check out line because my meringue is in serious need of some cream of tartar.

whipped cream

I guess in my defense, my excitement takes over my need for responsibility. And thats not something I entirely want to get rid of. See, when this cake happened, I was SO excited about the prospect of a fluffy white cake with cranberries that I forgot to check my supply of butter and confirm that I had powdered sugar to make a vanilla bean buttercream.

White cake with cranberries

Well, as you can guess, I used all of the butter in the cake and realized I was out of powdered sugar as it cooled. However, it was pouring down rain that day and I had no desire to run to the store and waste my precious natural daylight hours to get it, so I improvised.

Easy fluffy white cranberry cake

I had a carton of whipping cream and just enough white sugar left to make a fluffy whipped cream. So I thought back to the rustic dessert trend and had an idea. Instead of frosting, I’d used whipped cream! In my head I was really only doing this for photo purposes, but when I took that first bite after the photos were taken, I nearly passed out.

Easy white fluffy cake

It tasted like a souped-up version of strawberry shortcake, only with way more butter and tart cranberries. So obviously it’s heavenly and you need to make it immediately.Plus it looks so much cooler without all that frosting. And I’m a frosting girl, so that’s a bold statement coming from me.

Fluffy White Cake Recipe with Whipped Cream & Cranberries

Best white cake with cranberries

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Serves about 12. Inspired and adapted by All Recipes.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 – 32 minutes
Chill time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the cake:

  • 2 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons white vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

  • 2 cups heavy whipped cream
  • 4 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped

For the topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped

Directions:

  1. To make the cake, carefully whisk the sifted cake flour and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, beat the butter, unsweetened applesauce and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
  2. In another bowl whisk the buttermilk and heavy cream together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk/cream and ending with the flour. Mix until just incorporated (do NOT overmix).
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease two 9 x 9 cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and then dust with a bit of cake flour. Evenly pour the batter into the two pans and smooth the top with a spatula.
  4. Bake for about 30 – 32 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely (for about an hour) before topping.
  5. To make the topping, whisk the whipped cream, sugar and vanilla bean insides until a stiff peak forms, about 4 – 6 minutes.
  6. To assemble the cake, add a generous spoonful of whipped cream (about one cup) on top of one of the layers. Top with about 1/2 – 2/3 cup chopped cranberries. Carefully place the second cake layer over the whipped cream and top with remaining one cup of whipped cream and remaining cranberries.
  7. Serve immediately or chill until serving.

Nutritional information per serving (1 slice):

Calories: 316.6
Fat: 12 grams
Carbohydrates: 49.3 grams
Fiber: 1.2 grams
Protein: 4.91 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 12

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Comments

  1. Posted by Liz @ The Lemon Bowl on
    Friday, December 12th, 2014
    I want this. In a bad way.
  2. Saturday, December 13th, 2014
    This recipe is perfect and I love that you use applesauce in the mix. The tart cranberries would be a perfect contrast to the sweetness of the whipped cream and cake!
  3. Posted by Josie Johnston on
    Saturday, December 27th, 2014
    This recipi looks amazing. I can't wait to share it with my family. Thank you for your amazing blog. Next time you run out of icing sugar use your blender to make some. I do this all the time.
  4. Posted by StefZero on
    Monday, January 19th, 2015
    This recipe is perfect to me. I want to ask something. Can I change the cream with something else?