Cranberry Pound Cake with White Chocolate Frosting

Christmas Cranberry Pound Cake is a perfect dessert for Christmas. It’s really moist, flavourful and easy to make. Above all, this cake topped with white cream cheese frosting, red cranberries and drizzled with more white chocolate looks so festive and pretty enough to take a central place at your Christmas table.

Cake:
1½ cups + 3 Tbsp. cake flour, before sifting (187 g)
½ tsp. baking powder
1 pinch sea salt
1 cup cranberries (fresh or thawed if frozen)
5 oz white chocolate chunk (140 g)
½ cup butter, softened at room temperature (115 g)
1½ cups Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Granular) (300 g)
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup mascarpone cheese
3 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. butter, browned

Frosting:
¼ cup butter, softened (56 g)
4 oz cream cheese, softened (112 g)
1½ cups Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Powdered)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Garnish:
1 handful dried cranberries
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
½ cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the convection air oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3) (if you don’t have convection air oven raise the temperature to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4) and you will have to rotate the pan halfway through the baking time). Butter and flour a 8.5x4.5x3” (or 9x5x3”) loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.

Combine cake flour, baking powder and salt and sift it three times, set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat brown 2½ Tbsp. butter until it’s nice amber colour, remove the foam and set aside to cool.

Whisk the egg with the vanilla extract and set aside.

Mix the butter on medium speed until it’s creamy, slowly add sugar and continue beating until it’s creamy. Add the heavy cream and mascarpone; beat on medium speed.

Turn the mixer on low speed and gradually add the dry ingredients alternately with the eggs.

Add a handful of flour in the chocolate chunks and toss them to cover evenly. Toss cranberries with a handful of flour to cover them completely.

Add the chocolate chunks to the batter and stir well, then gently stir in cranberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smooth the top and gently tap the pan on a working surface to remove the air bubbles.

With a butter knife draw a line down the center of the pound cake and pour browned butter into the line.

Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (about 55-65 minutes). If you don’t have a convection air oven, the baking time might be about 10 minutes longer. If the top starts browning too much tent the cake with aluminum foil.

Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

Make the Glaze:
When the cake is completely cooled prepare the glaze.

With a mixer, cream together softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, mix in vanilla extract. Spread on top of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge until the frosting is set.

Garnish:
When the frosting is set melt ½ cup white chocolate chips with 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s smooth (cool if it’s too thin).

Sprinkle the cake with dried cranberries and drizzle with chocolate. (You can drizzle the chocolate with a spoon or transfer it into small zip-lock bag, cut off the corner and pipe the chocolate over the cake).

Cook's Notes:  If you are using frozen cranberries, thaw them first, rinse with cold water until the water is clear, drain the cranberries and then dry them on paper towel.