This amazing low carb cranberry white chocolate cake makes an ideal Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert recipe. It feeds a crowd and tastes like pure holiday joy.
So I appear to have entirely skipped over Thanksgiving this year and gone straight to Christmas. I don’t know why but I am ridiculously excited to get into the Christmas goodies this year. I have zillions upon zillions of ideas and not even a snowball’s chance in hell of having time to make them all. I will probably manage to make a small fraction of them but if you’re talking zillions, that’s still a lot of holiday recipes to be made. And since I actually got started on them a few weeks back, I am well on my way to making this the best low carb Christmas season ever. That’s my plan, anyway.
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I used to have a rule a silly little rule that I mustn’t start my holiday baking until after Thanksgiving. But as I’ve grown older and infinitely wiser, I’ve realized that this is an absolutely arbitrary and senseless impediment to my holiday enjoyment. ‘Tis the season of joy, after all. Why put limits on enjoying the joy? So this year, I quite unabashedly got an early jump on it and now I am bringing you the first low carb Christmas recipe of the season.
And what a recipe it is. Tender grain-free white cake, creamy white chocolate frosting, tart-sweet cranberry filling. And I maintain that because of the cranberries, this could easily be a contender for your Thanksgiving dessert instead. You know, if you aren’t like me and haven’t already skipped ahead in your mind to December.
I am also unabashedly proud of the various parts of this cake too. The white chocolate buttercream was a recent “discovery” when I was making my daughter’s birthday cupcakes. For some reason, it got lumpy and weird and I realized I’d probably added the cream when it was too cold. So I melted a little cocoa butter and beat it in, and the frosting became creamy and smooth again. And tasted delightfully like white chocolate.
And the “sugared” cranberries…I have tried making these several times by soaking fresh berries and then rolling them in Swerve. But since Swerve doesn’t get sticky like sugar, it would all fall off as the cranberries dried. But a flash of inspiration when my eye fell on some isomalt fiber syrup in my pantry. I use it sparingly because I think it’s not as diabetes-friendly as other sweeteners. But 2 little teaspoons was enough to coat my berries in something sticky so that the Swerve would stay on. Worked like a charm!
So here’s to the holiday season, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas or both. This is a showstopper of a cake and serves a crowd. Enjoy!
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/3 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 5 large egg whites room temperature
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream room temperature
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 3/4 cup whipping cream room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 ounces cocoa butter melted (and cooled a bit)
- 1/2 cup fresh cranberries
- 2 tsp isomalt fiber syrup
- 1 tbsp Swerve Sweetener
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Preheat oven to 325F and grease 3 (three) 9-inch or 8-inch round baking pans very well (if you only have two pans, you bake the cake layers in batches.
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In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, and salt.
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In a large bowl, beat butter with sweetener until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the egg whites. Add half the almond flour mixture and beat in, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the beaters as needed.
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Beat in the cream, water, and vanilla extract, then beat in the remaining almond flour mixture until well combined. Divide the batter among the prepared pans and spread to the edges. Smooth the tops.
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Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until edges are just golden and the cake layers are firm to the touch. Remove and let cool 10 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring cranberries and water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the berries have all burst and can easily be mashed with a fork, about 10 minutes. Whisk in sweetener.
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Place on cake layer on a serving plate and top with half of the cranberry filling, spreading all the way to the edges. Repeat with a second layer and the remaining filling. Top with the final layer of cake.
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In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and sweetener together until well combined. Beat in whipping cream and vanilla until smooth.
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Drizzle with melted cocoa butter and beat in until well combined. Spread frosting over top and sides of cake.
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In a bowl, combine the cranberries and syrup. Sprinkle with sweetener. Place on top of the cake.
Serves 16. Each serving has 5.79g NET CARBS.
Food energy: 392kcal
Total fat: 34.41g
Calories from fat: 309
Cholesterol: 77mg
Carbohydrate: 9.51g
Total dietary fiber: 3.72g
Protein: 8.13g
Erythritol: 31.9g
allison Gismondi says
This is just absolutely gorgeous! I cant decide if I want this for Christmas or Thanksgiving! I love white chocolate and have a little cocoa butter tucked away for something special and this will be perfect!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Allison! I posted it before Thanksgiving because even though I conceived it as a Christmas dessert, it could be both!
Christine Panka says
I was thinking the same thing…but, I can’t wait…I will make it for both holidays!
Ruth says
Looks gorgeous, can’t wait to try it!
Lisa says
Just beautiful, can’t wait to make it! I’ve made so many of your recipes, especially the desserts and they’ve all been wonderful.
Tammy says
This sounds wonderful! I will definitely be making it soon since I have tons of cranberries in the freezer. I am a huge white chocolate lover! I have a recipe for a white chocolate cheesecake that calls for 12 oz of white chocolate. Do you think I could follow your lead and just use cocoa butter & extra swerve?
Carolyn says
Yes but I wouldn’t use that much cocoa butter, it would be overpowering. White chocolate is a little bit of cocoa butter, lots of milk product, lots of sugar and some vanilla. I’d say you need only about 2 to 4 ounces cocoa butter to replace that amount of white chocolate.
Tammy says
Thank you so much! I plan on experimenting over the next few days. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Alice B says
Carolyn,
What a BEAUTIFUL, GORGEOUS creation! You’ve outdone yourself this time! Amazing!!!
Can’t wait to see what all you’ve been up to with your holiday baking. Sounds like so much fun!
Sometime down the road, might this cake be one converted to the “mini” versions like you’ve done?
The happiest of Happy and merriest of Merry to you and yours!
With sincere thanks for all you do.
Alice B.
Carolyn says
I could maybe be persuaded to make a mini… 🙂
lillian sweeney says
The egg whites are not beaten before adding to the butter and sweetner right?
Carolyn says
No, not beaten.
Doris says
This looks amazing! My husband isn’t crazy about crsnberries, but I wonder how it would taste with raspberries instead…. It seems like it should work, right? I probably wouldn’t do the sugared topping in that case.
Carolyn says
Yes, it should work with raspberries as well.
Cassie says
Is there a substitute I can use for the 1/3 cup whey protein powder? Or is it ok to leave it out completely?
Carolyn says
You can use egg white protein instead. Protein powder isn’t to increase the protein content in the recipe but instead to help the cake rise and hold its shape. I suggest getting a bag for low carb baked goods, it will help a great deal.
Mary Anna says
I made this yesterday, and it turned out beautifully. I think next time I might use a bit of maybe orange extract in the cake itself (or orange zest) – Texture of the cake was nice, but I wanted a little more flavor to it, and orange plays nicely with cranberry. And OMG the frosting – my husband, who doesn’t have that much of a sweet tooth, was licking the spatula. and the beater. and the bowl… lol. I think you have a winner here!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Mary Anna!
Jackie says
This cake looks amazing.
What can I do in place of cocoa butter. I live in South Africa
And so far haven’t been able to find it.
Carolyn says
I think you’re just going to have to do a plain cream cheese frosting.
Karla says
Hi Jackie, I’m in Cape Town. You can buy Cacao Butter from several places: Wellness Warehouse, some Dischems and the lovely Faithful to Nature (online). My favourite brands are Trace the Taste and Superfoods. (B.t.w I often switch the final ao to oa in “cacao”, which obviously results in an unsuccessful search! Good luck, Karla
VHM says
Carolyn, I am not a cake fan nor a ‘white chocolate’ fan but this looks fabulous. I will make it for Chrstimas this year. Two questions:
1. Do you use ‘defatted’ almond flour? I purchased some from Sukrin. If you have used it what are your impressions/thoughts?
2. I usually make homemade cranberry sauce using liquid stevia and a few cinnamon sticks in addition to orange zest and water. Do you think something like my description of cranberry sauce will work in the filling for this cake? Especially using liquid stevia as the sweetener for the filling?
Thanks for this beautiful cake receive.
Carolyn says
No, not defatted almond flour. That has its uses but it would be much too dry for this cake. I suggest Bob’s Red Mill Super Fine. I think your cranberry sauce should be fine, as long as it’s pretty thick. You don’t want a thin, runny sauce or it will spill over the sides of the cake.
SkinnyMe says
Beautiful looking cake. I am making it for Christmas. Does it need to be refrigerated? Since the icing has cream in it I am thinking it does. I will need to make it a day or 2 before.
Carolyn says
Yes, it should stay in the refrigerator.
Sue says
This looks amazing!
I realize that using a natural sugar would raise the carb content of your recipes but I don’t feel well on highly processed sweeteners like Xylitol, Swerve and those types. So would much prefer using maple sugar, coconut sugar or even maple syrup or honey. Can you tell me how I could substitute these instead of the Swerve please? The coconut sugar would be considered more of a granular type I suppose, while the maple sugar is more powdered. Thanks for any help you can give me. I would love to make this cake for Christmas.
Thanks so much.
Carolyn says
I’m sorry but as I don’t use these things, I really can’t tell you. I do know that you won’t get a “white chocolate” frosting using these things. Their flavour is overpowering for the delicate flavour of the frosting. FYI, though, Swerve measures like sugar so you can use whatever sweetener you like in terms of how it measures like sugar.
Lisa Fetty says
If I use Pyure, I should use 1/2 the amount listed for Swerve? Since Swerve is powdery, will a granular sugar substitute still work?
Carolyn says
I don’t know how Pyure measures compared to sugar but if it’s cup for cup, then you should use the exact same amount as I used. If you want a powdered sweetener for the frosting, try powdering your Pyure in a coffee grinder.
Jeanne says
Looks like another WINNER Carolyn! My daughter is having dairy issues, so I’m already calculating my swaps for a dairy free version. I’ll let you know if I am successful…?
Carolyn says
Good luck, let me know how it turns out. The best non-dairy cream cheese I know of is from Kite Hill
Maya | Wholesome Yum says
This cake is absolutely beautiful! Like you said, perfect for Thanksgiving OR Christmas. The cranberries look like they add just enough tartness so the cake isn’t too sweet, love it!
Denise says
Hi Carolyn,
This cake was a big hit at a family birthday today. You weren’t kidding when you wrote that the cake is tender – the layers need to be treated with kid gloves as they can break really easily! Funnily enough, the icing got weirdly lumpy after I added the melted cocoa butter. (I had microwaved the cream for 45 seconds to take the chill off) The texture didn’t affect the taste or presentation.
Thanks for the great basic white cake recipe. It’s a great canvas for any type of filling!
All the best for the holidays!
Denise
Carolyn says
Oh yes, definitely don’t microwave the cream. Every time I do that, my frosting goes wonky like that. It should be room temp but don’t try to warm it up!
Rachel Arnette says
Carolyn, you are definitely my bfff (best friend for food) lol 🙂 I LOVE all of your recipes! Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
Ohhh, I like that! 😉
Anita Paul says
Turned out AMAZING!! Thanks so much for the recipe. The cake is so delicate and moist I wanted to cut in to it and eat it straight away but had to make do with the cake mix and licking the icing bowl instead. Can’t believe this is low carb!
Anita Paul says
Re the comment above re not being able to find cocoa butter .. I just used melted unsweeted white chocolate that I bought from Amazon.
Anita Paul says
unsweetened not unsweeted!
Kelly says
Is there anyway I could use blackberries instead of cranberries ? Not a cranberry lover ? Lol
Carolyn says
Yes but blackberries are much juicier so you will want to drain some of that extra liquid. Or thicken it with xanthan gum or ground chia seed.
Diane Downing says
I made the fatal error of using strawberries and it was so soupy. Did put a little glucomanan in it but not enough. Question about the frosting. Had cream at room temp. Melted cocoa butter in micro and let it cool. Butter and cream cheese soft at room temp. Used my kitchenaid with whisk but it turned out soupy and not stiff. What do you think I did wrong. Was cocoa butter suppose to be warm? It was very delish even though it did not turn out pretty! Almost like strawberry shortcake cake!
Carolyn says
What sweetener did you use for the frosting?
Diane Downing says
This sugar blend. I pretty much exclusively use this now because it doesn’t have a funky aftertaste.
Sugar Blend & Baking blend
(Trim Healthy mama gentle sweet sweetener substitute)
http://joyfilledeats.com/sweetener/
Cup measurements:
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 T. erythritol
• 2 cups plus 2 T. xylitol
• 2 tsp. Better Stevia
Carolyn says
Well, that would be why your frosting was soupy. Because the frosting relies on a certain amount of powdered erythritol to hold its shape. When you use a sweetener that’s more concentrated, you don’t use as much. Additionally, xylitol doesn’t give frosting as much structure.
Diane Downing says
I forgot to mention that I put all of the sugars in my vitamix and make it into a powder. So would the xylitol still be an issue? I really like the blend than straight up erythritol.
Carolyn says
Probably.
Cheryl says
Tried another of your cakes..another winner! Thank you for all your recipes!
Lucinda says
Could i sub the cranberries for something else like raspberries, also do you put the filling on warm or do you let it cool first?
Carolyn says
Sure, any berry will be fine. Let the filling cool a bit because it thickens up.
Tess says
I live in Central Queensland Australia and I cannot get fresh cranberries or cocoa butter, however I can get dried cranberries and copha. Could I soak the dried berries over night and what replacement would work for cocoa butter please.
Carolyn says
I have no idea what “copha” is? Yes, you can soak some berries. For the frosting, I suggest more cream cheese and just leaving out the cocoa butter.
Carol Verge says
I am so making this! Thanks again Carolyn. You are so awesome. One question: do I have to use the isomalt fiber syrup in the frosting? I will buy it, but it is kind of expensive for 2 tsp. Thanks again.
Leonor says
I was wondering the same exact thing. What would be a good substitute for the syrup?
Carol Verge says
I wonder if we could use vegetable glycerin instead if the syrup?
Carolyn says
Sure.
Michele says
The cake layers did not hold together for me, but that turned out to be a happy accident! I shifted to Plan B and made a trifle, and it was the most beautiful trifle in its clear glass bowl with those alternating red and white layers. Fortunately I made extra cranberry sauce, so I layered cake pieces, frosting, and cranberry sauce three times. It was a hit with my family. Thank you, Carolyn, for creating recipes that work even when everything doesn’t turn out as planned.
Carolyn says
Glad you found a way to make it work! That’s so creative.
Barbara says
This is a delicious cake but as others have said very fragile. All three layers broke apart as I took them out of the pan. I had to put them together like a puzzle on the cake plate. It really didn’t matter since I covered one layer up with lemon curd and the other layer with raspberry sauce. After I covered the whole cake with whipped cream and coconut, no one knew the difference. Family loved it. Winner!
Carolyn, is this just typical of this cake? Did I do something wrong? I use honeyville and swerve so not that. I’d really like to rely on this cake to be a regular.
Thanks so much for all your recipes. They are great as I’ve said many times.
Kristine Cavanagh says
Is there an alternative to isomalt fiber syrup?
Carolyn says
Not really, no. Nothing that will get the sweetener to adhere to the cranberries.
Rebekkah Davies says
Excellent recipe! I make it often, comes out beautiful. I love everything Carolyn does!
Anu says
I’m so looking forward to trying this for a birthday celebration this weekend, thank you SO much for a gorgeous cake 🙂 A quick question – Could I make the sponge and filling a couple of days in advance and then make the buttercream and assemble it after? If yes, how should I store the sponges for the two days? Fridge? Freezer? Wrapped in cling wrap, maybe?
Carolyn says
Yes, as long as you wrap it up tightly and refrigerate, it should be fine.
Anu says
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the quick reply, and will let you know how it goes 🙂
Anu says
So I made this over Thursday-Saturday last week, trying to collect all the advice and tips from the wonderfully written recipe and the others that have tried it, but sadly my baking skills were just not up to the task. One of the cake layers completely disintegrated as I was taking it out of the pan, the second one developed a crack in the middle and only the third one survived unscathed. Not one to give up, however, I crumbled the first layer onto a baking tray and dehydrated it on a low oven overnight, planning on using it as a crumb topping – worked a charm! My fatal mistake, however, was using the good layer at the bottom and the one with the crack on the top. Needless to say once this layer was placed on the cranberry filling, the crack basically broke the layer into two halves and I watched in dismay as the two tectonic plates of my top layer floated gently away from each other. And that’s when the trifle plan was put into place, and what I ended up with was a delicious trifle, but sadly not a birthday cake. Still, the yummy flavours more than made up for it – as suggested by one user I added some orange zest to the cake and it was gorgeous! Thanks again, maybe some day I’ll improve my baking skills enough to attempt this again with more success! 😊
Carolyn says
What kind of pans are you using? Do you line them with parchment? That helps a LOT!
Anu says
I used 8-inch metal pans, greased generously with butter and lined with this wonderful reusable baking parchment I found here in the UK (Lakeland). The problem wasn’t that anything stuck to the sides or bottom, the crumbling/disintegration was when I flipped them onto a cooling rack from the pan, the layers are sooooo delicate. I got one right, though, so I must have some technique, I guess I just wasn’t consistent with it. Oh well, you live and learn 😊
Carolyn says
Okay, so the best way to flip out a cake is to put the wire rack right on top of the pan and hold them together, and then turn the whole thing upside down. Make sure you’ve loosened the sides of the cake already, if it’s sticking to the sides. Mine usually don’t stick but I use very good non stick cake pans.
Anu says
Thank you, Carolyn, you are so kind to reply so quickly, and always with very useful information. I will give this a go next time (with a little more patience and care than before!!) and let you know how it turns out.