Cranberry Orange Cake with Cranberry Jam Filling

If you don't have buttermilk, you can easily make it yourself by adding vinegar to milk. You'll need one cup of buttermilk for this recipe. To make it, add a tablespoon of white vinegar to a 1-cup measuring cup and fill the remainder of the cup with milk (whole or 2% works). Let sit for about 5 minutes. If it curdles, that is completely normal!

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add water and 1/2 cup granulated sugar (save the other 3/4 cup of sugar for the end) to a saucepan over medium heat. Mix with a large spoon.
After 5-7 minutes, the mixture will begin to boil. Once it has become thick and syrupy, add the cranberries. Remove from heat and coat the cranberries with the syrup.
Transfer the cranberries to the baking sheet and allow them to cool for 1-2 hours. Once cooled, use a spoon to roll the cranberries in the remaining 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. Set aside or in an airtight container until you are ready to decorate the cake with them.

Preheat the oven to 350℉. Prepare 2 round 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Set aside. Use a cheese grater or citrus zest to zest an orange (about 2 teaspoons). Add the zest to a large mixing bowl. Add the granulated sugar. Use your hands to combine the sugar and zest together.
Add the butter and mix with a hand mixer until medium for about 2 minutes or until creamed together. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract, almond extract, buttermilk, and orange juice.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to incorporate all the ingredients.
Finally, fold the cranberries in. If using frozen cranberries, keep them frozen until just before adding to the batter. Evenly divide the batter between the two cake pans. Bake for 32-37 minutes. The cakes are ready if you stick a toothpick in the center of them and the toothpick has moist crumbs on it. If there is still wet batter on the toothpick, bake the cakes longer.
Allow the cakes to sit in the pans for about 10-20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. To help the cakes release, gently guide a butter knife around the edge of them to help them easily fall out of the cake pans.

Add the cranberries, orange juice, water, and sugar to a medium-sized saucepan and cook on the stove over medium heat. Mix continuously as the jam starts to boil and thicken. Once it has reached a thick jammy-like consistency (about 7-10 minutes), take off the heat and allow it to cool.

Use a hand mixer to mix the cream cheese until it is soft (about 2 minutes). Then, add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar and mix on high speed for about 3-5 minutes or until the frosting is whipped and thick. Add the orange juice and orange zest until just combined.

Wait until the cakes are completely cooled before frosting them. You can also place them in the fridge for about an hour before frosting. This helps keep the cake together and results in fewer crumbs in your frosting.
If you want to make sure the cakes are flat and even, you can use a serrated knife to take off the tops of them.
Pipe about 1/2 cup of frosting around the edge of the bottom layer of the cake. Then, add the cranberry jam filling to the top of the bottom layer cake. Frost over the jam. Then top the bottom layer with the top layer of cake. Frost the rest of the cake.
Decorate the cake with orange slices, sugared cranberries, and perhaps a pop of evergreen or spruce tips. Store in the fridge until you're ready to serve.