Chocolate Cake With Cranberry Buttercream
April 16, 2020
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This Chocolate Cake with Cranberry Buttercream is a super quick moist chocolate layer cake recipe made right in a saucepan! And the cranberry frosting is just about the best thing ever, don't miss this amazing holiday cake.
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Chocolate Cake With Cranberry Buttercream |
If you’re looking for a show-stopping dessert that your friends and family haven’t had a million times before, this is it. As long as there have been delicious desserts, the chocolate layer cake has been the iconic symbol of a sweet treat, and for good reaso.
This story of this dessert doesn’t end with the chocolate cake, it continues with a tart and tangy fresh cranberry frosting, which is uniquely delicious. This takes a couple of steps to make, but it’s easy, and you can break it up and do part ahead if you like.

INGREDIENTS :
cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 ounces dark chocolate
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
cranberry puree:
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
buttercream:
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted (more if needed)
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup cranberry puree (directions below, you will not need all of it)
INSTRUCTIONS :
- Preheat the oven to 375F Butter and flour two 9-inch nonstick cake pans. I like to put a round of parchment paper on the bottom of each one.
- Put the sugar, chocolate, butter, and the water in a medium to large saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat until it all melts together smoothly. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- When the mixture has cooled slightly, whisk in the milk, eggs, and vinegar.
- Whisk in the baking soda, powder, and salt. Then slowly whisk in the flour, making sure not to over mix small lumps are fine.
- Pour the batter evenly into the two pans and bake for about 25-30 minutes, or just until done in the middle and a toothpick comes out without wet batter on it. Be careful not to over bake these cakes.
- Let cool for about 20 minutes, then turn the layers out onto a rack to cool completely before frosting.
for the buttercream:
- Cook cranberries, sugar, and a splash of water in a saucepan on medium heat until the cranberries break down and into a thick, juicy mixture. This will only take about 5 minutes.
- Puree the cranberries in a high speed blender, preferably, or a food processor until perfectly smooth. Chill.
- Put the soft butter, sifted sugar, cream of tartar, and 1/2 cup of the cranberry puree (you will not need it all) into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon attachment. Beat, scraping down the sides often, for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add more sifted sugar if you want a stiffer buttercream.
- Frost the cake, and then refrigerate until ready to serve. Keep chilled.