No knitting needles needed to make this cozy winter bonnet! With a variety of pastry tip shapes, you can create a knitted-wool look on your cake, too. And after your guests are finished admiring this culinary masterpiece, just slice it into a cranberry-chip-filled surprise. Today’s creation is raw (no baking required), vegan, and gluten-free. Heck, it doesn’t even require dehydration; it just requires some imagination and the desire to have fun.

I titled this recipe Cranberry Chip Winter Bonnet because the cake batter reminded me of my all-time favorite childhood cake — Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake, which my mother used to make every year. In fact, my mother still sends me Cherry Chip cake on my birthdays.

Actually–she sends the empty box with fun little notes written all over it since I no longer eat the ingredients used in it. I will post a photo of them toward the end of the post. I am going to put a pause on getting too caught up in childhood memories and dive into this recipe. I have a lot of technical details to cover in hopes of building your confidence so you will decide to make this cake yourself.  Plus all the tips and tricks that I share can be used later down the road in other culinary creations. Ready?!

Cake Batter and Cake Shaping Tips

Cake Batter

• This recipe makes 3 cups of batter, so you might need to double the amount of batter, depending on the size of cake you plan on making. I doubled the batter for my creation.

Selecting the Cake Shape

• When selecting the cake mold (shape) I suggest using a mixing bowl that has an inner rounded bottom.
• Avoid a mold that is shallow and wide. Envision what a stocking hat looks like when on, and try to mimic that. The bowl I used was 6.25″ tall x 4.75″ wide.
• To determine how many cups of cake batter you will need, select the bowl/mold of choice and pour 3 cups of water in it to see how full it gets. Not enough? Add another 3 cups of water… you get the idea.

Taste and Texture

This cake doesn’t require baking or dehydration. The cake is creamy white, moist, and has beautiful chewy flecks of red dried cranberries laced throughout. Despite not being baked, it holds its form and slices up wonderfully. It is sweet as a cake should be, but not overwhelmingly so. The sweet and tart cranberries pair superbly with the coconut cake base, giving you a mouthwatering bite that keeps you coming back for more. Please be sure to leave a comment down below. Have a blessed day, amie sue

Ingredients

Yields 3 cups batter

• 1 1/2 cups (150 g) shredded dried coconut
• 1 1/2 cups (225 g) raw cashews
• 1/4 cup (525 g)  fine coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp (3 g) Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 cup (80 g) maple syrup
• 1/2 cup water
• 8 drops liquid NuNaturals stevia
• 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Frosting

yields 5 cups frosting

• White Frosting recipe

Preparation

Frosting

1. I recommend making the frosting first, since it takes 8+ hours for it to firm up enough to use for decorating.
2. Click on the link above to get to the frosting recipe.

Cake Batter

1. While the frosting is setting up, make the cake.
2. Place the shredded coconut, cashews, coconut flour, and salt in the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade,  and process to a powder.
   • At first, it will sound like pebbles spinning around in there, and then it changes to a sound of sand when it’s done.
3. Add the maple syrup, water, stevia, and vanilla to the food processor and process until the batter is well mixed. Add the dried cranberries and let it process until the cranberries start to break up into small flecks.
4. Line whatever vessel you choose to use to shape your cake with plastic wrap, and press the cake batter into the mold. Place in the fridge to chill while the frosting is setting up.
   • Hold back some batter so you can roll it into a ball for the pom-pom. I used 1/2 cup of batter but it just depends on the size of the bonnet you plan on making.

Decorating the Cake (refer to photos below as well)

1. After the frosting has set up (according to the recipe instructions), scoop about 2 cups’ worth into a bowl and give a good whipping with a spoon. This will remove any air bubbles and smooth it out.
2. Fill the piping bag (already fitted with a piping tip) with frosting as instructed above, and set aside.
3. Place the cake on a serving plate, cake stand, or whatever you plan to serve it on. You can use a cardboard cake round as well. If you don’t, it will be challenging to transfer the cake from the countertop to another surface.
4. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and smooth out as evenly as possible.
5. Create guide lines with a piece of string on the cake to follow when piping vertical rows of frosting.
6. Pipe the frosting designs as close together as possible so that you don’t see any cake underneath.
   • If at any point the frosting is starting to soften too much, just place the piping bag and cake in the fridge so it can firm back up.
7. As far as the pom-pom goes, place it on top of the decorated winter bonnet and decorate it with frosting. I used (this) piping tip to create the yarn effect.

Storage and Shelf Life

1. Enjoy right away; store leftovers in the fridge for three to five days.
   • If you are making the cake in advance, you can tent the cake by sliding toothpicks around it and then lay plastic wrap around it. This should stop the plastic from ruining your design.
2. If you wish to freeze any leftovers (as I did), slice the cake into portion sizes and place in freezer-safe containers. That way you can remove just one slice at a time.
   • Make sure that you store it in a container that blocks odors, whether it be in the fridge or freezer.

As mentioned above… here is a picture of the Cherry Chip cake mix boxes that my mom sends to me for my birthdays.

4 thoughts on “Cranberry Chip Winter Bonnet Cake | No Baking or Dehydration Required”

1. Mary S. says:

   November 24, 2021 at 12:22 am

   I can’t believe nobody has made a comment here yet! This is just such an impressive looking cake…I wonder if anyone else here has made it. Amie-Sue you are such an artist. I see this cake in my future. :)

   Reply
   • amie-sue says:

     November 24, 2021 at 9:02 am

     Good morning Mary,

     I must have a hard crowd to impress. I hope you feel inspired to give the recipe a try. Have a wonderful holiday season, blessings. amie sue

     Reply
2. Ann says:

   August 18, 2024 at 10:48 am

   I’m going to make this Amie.

   Also-are you ever coming back to us?

   Reply
   • amie-sue says:

     August 18, 2024 at 11:15 am

     Good morning Ann,

     Keep me posted if you do. :) I had so much fun making this cake.

     I hope to come back. My life has been so busy and I have to find a balance to where I can. I sure do miss it, I will tell you that!! Thank you asking, it was really sweet.

     Have a blessed day, amie sue

     Reply

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