Chocolate Christmas Celebration Cake

Prep 60 min
Total 4 hr 40 min
Servings 12

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This stunning cake will be the centre of attention at any Christmas gathering. Three layers of perfectly moist chocolate cake are filled with fluffy white frosting (with a secret ingredient!) and sparkling sugared cranberries. Only you’ll know how easy it is to make!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
1 cup frozen cranberries, thawed

1 box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ chocolate fudge cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
1 box (4 serving size) Jell-O™ chocolate-flavour instant pudding & pie filling mix

2 cups Kraft™ Jet-Puffed™ marshmallow creme (from two 198 g jars)
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
3 1/4 cups icing sugar

Fresh rosemary sprigs

Steps

1

In 1-quart saucepan, mix 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar and 3/4 cup water. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes. In small bowl, place cranberries. Pour syrup over berries; stir to blend. Refrigerate, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2

Remove berries from refrigerator and drain; discard liquid. In small bowl, place remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Working with a few berries at a time, roll one by one in the sugar to completely coat. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour or until dry. Set aside.
3

Meanwhile, heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Spray bottoms and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray.
4

In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour 1 2/3 cups of the batter in each pan.
5

Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
6

In large bowl, beat marshmallow creme, softened butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in icing sugar until fluffy. If necessary, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time, until spreading consistency.
7

Place one cake layer on serving plate. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on top; top with second cake layer. Spread 3/4 cup frosting on top; top with third cake layer. Frost sides with a thin layer of frosting so sides are covered but cake still shows through. Spread remaining frosting on top.
8

Place sugared cranberries around base of cake, and press in slightly to adhere to frosting. Place remaining cranberries on top, mounding in centre of cake; garnish with sprigs of rosemary. Loosely cover and refrigerate any remaining cake.

Trademarks referred to herein are the properties of their respective owners.
The “half-dressed” or thin layer of frosting on the outside of a cake allows the layers to show through. It’s impressive and easy!
Multitask the steps for this recipe while the cranberries are cooling in the refrigerator, you can begin to bake the cake and then work in the step of sugaring berries while cake layers cool.
Sugaring the cranberries will go much quicker if you always use the same hand to pick up the wet cranberries while keeping the other hand dry to roll the berries in sugar.