3 cups cake flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups of sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Cream cheese frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 (8-ounce) blocks of cream cheese, softened
4 to 5 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
tons of white sparkle sprinkles, for throwing on the frosting!
Sugar cranberries and rosemary:
6 ounces fresh cranberries
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup water
5 to 6 sprigs fresh rosemary
NOTE: YOU CAN TOTALLY USE WHITE CAKE MIX HERE TO MAKE THIS EASIER! I’VE DONE IT TWICE ALREADY. IT’S FINE! USE 2 BOXES OF YOUR FAVORITE WHITE CAKE MIX FOR 3 OR 4 LAYERS OF CAKE. I would still suggest adding the vanilla extract and almond extract to the white cake mix. Or just use this recipe below. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 3 9-inch round cake pans with non-stick baking spray liberally. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides when needed, for 3 to 4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add each egg one at a time and beat after each addition, beating just until combined. Beat in the extracts. Gradually beat in half of the dry ingredients, then add in the milk. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl and make sure all of the ingredients are combined. Evenly pour the cake batter into the pans (I like to do this using a measuring cup!). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan and then gently remove onto a cooling rack to cool completely. To frost these successfully, once they are cool, I wrap each cake in plastic wrap and place is in the freezer overnight. I remove and frost the cake while frozen, just because it’s easier for me. To make the “naked” frosting look, I layered the frosting in the centers of the layers, then spread some on the sides but used a large spatula to scrape most of it off. As soon as I frosted the cakes, I threw white sparkle sprinkles on it (like these). Right before setting it out, you can top with the sugared cranberries and rosemary. Cream cheese frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add in the powdered sugar with the mixer on low speed, increasing the speed once all of the sugar is added. Add in the vanilla extract, then beat on medium to medium-high speed for a good 2 to 3 minutes until creamy, scraping down the sides if needed. If you find the frosting it a bit too thick, add in some milk 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Sugared cranberries: Add 1 cup of the sugar and the water to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and bring the mixture to a boil, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. Set it aside until it is cool enough to touch. Once the syrup is cool, either dunk the cranberries in it or pour the liquid over top of them in a bowl. Place the remaining sugar on a plate. I find the cranberries stay the prettiest if you try to remove any syrup “globs” and roll them in sugar one at a time. Same goes for the rosemary! Simply “dip” it in the sugar syrup mixture and them roll it in the sugar. Let it set before shaking off any excess sugar.