Pomegranate Christmas Cake Recipe
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Introducing The Christmas Pomegranate Cake. This is what I’ll be making for my family’s Christmas dinner. Honestly, I feel like every new cake I make, my sister Anna tells me it’s her new favorite. Well, guess what? This is Anna’s favorite cake! You should have heard her go on and on about it. In all seriousness, this Pomegranate Cake is fantastic; top to bottom.
I this pomegranate cake for my nieces 5th birthday party (yes, I had to cut it to take a picture of the inside for you all, but I patched it up quite nicely). I told her Mother (my sister), that’s what happens when you ask a food blogger to make the birthday cake. She didn’t seem to mind ;).
The Pomegranate Cake was an absolute hit and not a crumb was left behind. Just 15 minutes after we cut into the cake, there was only a small sliver left; toppled over. It too was destroyed. I hope this Christmas Pomegranate cake makes your holidays more merry and bright.
Ingredients for the Cake Layers:
6 large eggs, room temp (if cold, put them in warm water 15 min)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour *measured correctly
1/2 tsp vanilla
Ingredients for Pomegranate Topping:
6 ounces (3/4 cup) pomegranate juice (Pom Wonderful)
2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder (I used Knox brand)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp Sugar
Seeds of one large Pomegranate (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients for syrup:
1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice (POM brand)
2 Tbsp sugar
Ingredients For the Pomegranate Cream Frosting:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temp
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
16 oz (2 blocks) cream cheese, softened to room temp and cut into 16 pieces
4 Tbsp of Pomegranate juice (POM brand)
How to Make Pomegranate Cake:
If you never made a European Sponge Cake, watch the video before you get started:
1. Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line the bottoms of two 9″ cake pans with parchment paper.
2. Combine 6 eggs and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on high speed for 12 minutes or until tripled in volume and fluffy. Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then Sift it into the beaten eggs in 2 additions, folding it in with a spatula just until all of the flour is incorporated. Drizzle in 1/2 tsp vanilla and blend together. Remember that you are relying on the fluffy air-infused batter for the cake to rise. DO NOT OVERMIX or your cake won’t rise well.
3. Transfer your batter to your buttered and lined cake pans. Set aside.
4. Bake at 350˚F for 25-28 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean (poke the side, not the center so your center won’t cave) and don’t open the oven until 25 minutes have past. Let the cakes cool down on wire racks, then remove from the pans.
Making the Syrup for the soaking the cake Layers:
1. Combine 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice (POM brand) with 2 Tbsp sugar and stir to combine. Set aside to and stir occasionally until sugar is all dissolved.
Making the Frosting:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the 2 sticks of butter with 3 cups powdered sugar and salt on low speed or until combined (1 min) Don’t start on high speed or you will be surrounded in a cloud of powdered sugar (lessons learned). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy (2 min).
2. Add cream cheese 1-piece at a time and mix until combined. (I waited maybe 3 seconds in between each piece; toss them in one after another. Once all of the cream cheese is incorporated, scrape down the sides and continue to beat 1 more minute on med/high speed. The cream should be smooth and lump-free.
3. Add 4 Tbsp POM juice, 1 Tbsp at a time and mix on medium speed until combined (1 min). Refrigerate frosting until ready to use.
Assembling your Cake:
1. Cut the cake layers in half so you end up with 4 layers. Place the first layer, cut-side-up on your serving platter. Brush 1/4 of the POM/sugar syrup over the first layer. Frost the top. Do this with all 4 layers. You only need a very small amount of frosting on the very top of the cake since you are going to have the Pomegranate topping (and you’ll need the extra for the topping).
2. Wipe any excess syrup from the cake platter, then frost the sides. I used My large Wilton 1M star tip. You want a border that will contain a generous layer of pomegranate topping.
Refrigerate your cake for at least 30 minutes before adding the pomegranate topping.
Pomegranate Topping:
(make this after your cake is done and in the fridge):
1. Place 3/4 cup of POM juice in a small sauce pan, add 1 tsp vanilla and sprinkle in 2 tsp gelatin. Let stand 1 minute to soften gelatin before putting it on the heat.
2. Whisk in 2 Tbsp sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture is steaming.
3. Remove from heat and let it cool down a bit (or transfer into a mixing bowl if you don’t want to wait for the ice bath) then set the saucepan into a larger bowl of ice water, stirring gently until it is cold and slightly thickened but not set. It doesn’t take long so stay with it. Remove from the ice bath.
4. Stir in pomegranate seeds and immediately spoon topping onto the chilled cake. Refrigerate your cake until the topping is set (about 1 hour).
Wouldn’t you like to eat a spoon-full of that goodness?
Credits:
The brilliant idea for the Pomegranate Topping came from Chef Dennis.
Pomegranate Christmas Cake
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Cake:Ingredients for the Cake Layers:
- 6 large eggs, room temp (if cold, put them in warm water 15 min)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Ingredients for Pomegranate Topping:
- 6 ounces 3/4 cup pomegranate juice (Pom Wonderful)
- 2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder, I used Knox brand
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- Seeds of one large Pomegranate, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients for syrup:
- 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice, POM brand
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Ingredients For the Pomegranate Cream Frosting:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 16 oz cream cheese, (2 blocks) softened at room temp and cut into 16 pieces
- 4 Tbsp of Pomegranate juice, POM brand
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Line the bottoms of two 9" cake pans with parchment paper.
- Combine 6 eggs and 1 cup sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer and beat on high speed for 12 minutes or until tripled in volume and fluffy. Whisk together 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder then sift it into the beaten eggs in 2 additions, folding it in with a spatula just until all of the flour is incorporated. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla and blend together. Remember that you are relying on the fluffy air-infused batter for the cake to rise. DO NOT OVERMIX or your cake won't rise well.
- Transfer your batter to your buttered and lined cake pans. Set aside.
- Bake at 350˚F for 25-28 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean (poke the side, not the center so your center won't cave) and don't open the oven until 25 minutes have past. Let the cakes cool down on wire racks, then remove from the pans.
Making the Syrup for the soaking the cake Layers:
- Combine 1 1/2 cups Pomegranate Juice (POM brand) with 2 Tbsp sugar and stir to combine. Set aside to and stir occasionally until sugar is all dissolved.
Making the Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the 2 sticks of butter with 3 cups powdered sugar and salt on low speed or until combined (1 min). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy (2 min).
- Add cream cheese 1-piece at a time and mix until combined. (I waited maybe 3 seconds in between each piece; it's one after another really. Once all of the cream cheese is incorporated. continue to beat 1 more minute.
- Add 4 Tbsp POM juice, 1 Tbsp at a time and mix until combined (1 min). Refrigerate frosting until ready to use.
Assembling your Cake:
- Cut the cake layers in half so you end up with 4 layers. Place the first layer, cut-side-up on your serving platter. Brush 1/4 of the POM/sugar syrup over the first layer. Frost the top. Do this with all 4 layers. You only need a very small amount of frosting on the very top of the cake since you are going to have the Pomegranate topping.
- Wipe any excess syrup from the cake platter, then frost the sides. I used My large Wilton 1M star tip. You want a border that will contain a generous layer of pomegranate topping.
- Refrigerate your cake for at least 30 minutes before adding the pomegranate topping.
Pomegranate Topping.
- (make this after your cake is done and in the fridge):
- Place 3/4 cup of POM juice in a small sauce pan, add the 1 tsp vanilla and sprinkle in 2 tsp gelatin, then let stand 1 minute to soften gelatin before putting it on the heat.
- Wisk in 2 Tbsp sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves and mixture is steaming.
- Remove from heat and let it cool down a bit (or transfer into a mixing bowl if you don't want to wait) then set the saucepan into a larger bowl of ice water, stirring gently until it is cold and slightly thickened but not set. It doesn't take long so stay with it. Remove from the ice bath.
- Stir in pomegranate seeds and immediately spoon topping onto the chilled cake. Refrigerate your cake until the topping is set (about 1 hour).
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Love this cake. 3rd year im making it. is there a trick to mixing in the flour w/out over mixing the batter but getting all the flour incorporated? i either overmix or there’s flour on the bottom of the bowl. what am i missing?
Hi Sonya! Watch my video on the sponge cake process so you can see my steps and method. You could try folding it in with a whisk but treating the whisk as a spatula, following the same movements (sometimes this helps “break up” any clumping) but careful not to over-mix and push out too much air. Also, be sure to sift your dry ingredients into the egg mixture, they will incorporate better and will create an overall smoother batter. Lastly, you could try a different bowl, deeper bowls tend to make it easier to stir batter but you need to make sure your spatula is reaching down all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I hope that helps.
Thank you I do sift it but still finding patches of flour. I will watch the video before I make it next time.
P.S I’m also a Russian/Ukranian transplant and you’re recipes are my goto when Im craving a taste of home.
Absolutely delicious! Have made this family, favorite cake at Christmas for the past 9 or 10 years, one of these years I may actually get it right! lolz
Is there a trick to slicing the layers in half? I’ve tried serrated knives, un-serrated knives, freezing the layers before slicing, tried splitting them with dental floss… the layers just crumble or collapse. The past few of years, I’ve resorted to two uncut layers, it works, but feel like we’re missing out on the delight of thinner layers and a better distribution of the delicious cream cheese frosting.
Hi Susan, we like to use a very sharp serrated knife. If your cake is too crumbly, you may be using too much flour. Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
Thanks Natasha, I’ll let you know how it turns out Christmas 2023! It has always been the perfect blend of creamy, spongy, juicy pomegranate deliciousness, just never completed quite as intended…
How many grams of unsalted butter for the pomegranate cake? I think it looks like our sticks of butter are a different size in Canada.
Hi Leena! Each stick is 113g (so 226g total).
This cake is truly beautiful and festive. It is slightly more exacting than the average cake to bake and assemble, but the quality of the look, taste and feeling of Christmas this cake brings makes it all worth it for me. I love this cake!
I’m so glad you loved the cake! Thank you for sharing your experience.
This cake not only looked beautiful but tasted so delicious. My daughter and I made this cake for Christmas dinner dessert last year. We had a wonderful time baking it together. Merry Christmas Natasha! Looking forward to your cookbook. Blessings
I’m so glad you loved it, Leslie! Merry Christmas!
Hi I can’t wait to try this. What type of cake pans do you recommend? Thank you
Hi Ashley, you can find my favorite kitchen tools including my most used cake pans in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
Natasha I love your recipes and all your positive energy. I can’t get powdered gelatin where I live only gelatin sheets. How
many should I use for the pomegranate topping? I’ll also be using home grown and pressed pomegranate juice..Merry Christmas from Greece !
Hi Debbie, I wish I could be more helpful here, but I have not tried a substitute for gelatin, and I also don’t have experience with gelatin sheets. While I haven’t tried this, one of my readers mentioned Agar Agar as a substitute. One of our readers posted this saying they loved it: “(i replace the gelatin with agar agar). It’s really a hit with kids!” I hope that helps.
Natasha, this was absolutely delicious! I am a pastry chef by profession and this was my first attempt at a pomegranate cake. It was spot on and my is now my husband‘s favorite cake. He would always ask for the Tres leches cakes for his birthday but I made this instead. I will be making it again for family at Christmas time. Also, I had time to put the sauce pan directly into the fridge and let it cool that way without an ice bath. It turned out perfect! Thank you!
Aww, I’m so glad you found a new favorite! This will be the perfect treat during Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Hi Natasha, I would like to try baking the sponge cake in a sheet pan and then cutting into fourths for layering. Would it be best to bake at the same temperature as the original recipe? Thank you
Hi Leah, I bet that could work! You will need to adjust the cooking time slightly!
Hi beautiful Natasha, please please make a video of how to bake a pomegranate cake bf Christmas I really need to see yr video.
Happy Christmas in advance
Love from England xx
Thank you for your suggestion, Rose. Hopefully, we can try a great recipe for that in the future!
Natasha, do you think these could work if I used ramekins as individual serve?
Hi Genya, I haven’t tried baking it that way but I suspect the cake would stick badly. If you are planning to cut out circles to make it fit to a ramekin after baking that could work but would be a lengthy and time-consuming process.
I made this for our Christmas dinner with best friends. Everyone immediately commented on how beautiful it was and I replied “well enjoy, as it will likely only be for Christmas because it is a bit time consuming to make.” Well after eating some cake I ate my words too! WOW. This really raises the bar on cakes. One of my guests who graduated as a pastry chef from NY’s School of Culinary Arts endlessly analyzed and complimented every aspect of this cake. He even texted again this morning saying the “patisserie” was my very best dessert ever (and I pride myself on always making something different!). I am excited to learn what other desserts you make with this sponge cake, Natasha. What is your favorite? Thanks for upping my game! Can’t wait to keep exploring your recipes. You are now this fan’s favorite!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful comment and compliment with us! Happy New Year, Teresa! I’m so glad this was a hit.
Hi Natasha thanks for the beautiful cake recipe. I just made the cake and put it in the fridge until tomorrow to serve it. While I was assembling it, I only used 1 cup syrup instead of 1 1/2. Still I noticed my cake was already somehow soaked. Is it how it should be? I hope it won’t fall apart until tomorrow
HI Sara, it should not fall apart. The sponge cake is great at holding syrup without getting soggy or breaking apart.
Thanks for your response. The cake came beautiful and really yummy. As you said, the syrup was just fine, I could’ve put the entire syrup (next time I will) as I noticed the top layer could still absorb more but still, it was really amazing. My family loved it. Thanks again
You’re welcome, Sara! I’m happy your family enjoyed this!
Hi, Natasha!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I am going around it for couple days already and have already everything I need to make it!
I just have a question. I have only one cake pan 9”, and the other one is 10”
Is it okay to make all the butter and bake it all in a pan 10”, or to make batter 2 times (with 3 eggs each time) and bake in 9” pan, one then another?
Thank you!
Hi Katie, to make the cake the same size, I would recommend baking in a pan of the same size for both layers. I would make the batter two times since the batter may “deflate” as it sits, waiting for the first layer to bake and cool. I hope this is helpful!
Is there a way to make this without gelatin or with a substitute for it? I love the idea of this cake but I’m a vegetarian and can’t eat gelatin.
Others used agar agar but aside from that, I have not tried any other substitute.
Hi Natasha! This is such an awesome recipe, this is on my to do list, I have a question, I am not a fan of cream cheese, can I substitute it with anything else?
Hi Remya, I have not tried a substitution to advise. I worry another substitution like plain whipped cream will be able to withstand the weight of the cake.
Hi Samira, I haven’t tried that but that should work. It would be a little like our berry tiramisu cake frosting.
hi again i made it and it became a family favorite! thank you for this beautiful recipe! ( the only problem from my family opinion was the seeds on top. but its quite personal opinion cuz i loved it even with the seeds!)
Thank you so much for sharing that with me Samira! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Found this recipe when looking for new ideas for a Christmas cake. Wells now it’s my go to cake for any occasion (even with no occasion, do we really need an excuse to eat a cake?)
I absolutely love it! I’ve made a tweak however, seeing as I absolutely can’t eat frosting I add whipped cream. Had a few issues with the gelatine, it was either too liquid so it wouldn’t stay on the top, or I’d leave it for too long when it was already solid. Other than that, I’m really grateful for the recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing that with me Sarah!
Hi Natasha, I finally got to make this cake tonight. It looks delicious, and I love the color of frosting! I didn’t have Pom juice on hand, so squeezed juice of pomegranate (had a bunch of them). I have a question on how long will the cake be good in fridge? Thank you for such an amazing blog! You are my go to any day of week!❤
Sounds great! I haven’t tried storing this cake for a very long time as it’s always gone in a few days. But I couple of days should be safe.
Hi!
I’m vegetarian and was wondering
How much Agar Agar i would need for the topping?
Hi Sina, I have not tested that with Agar Agar to advise. One of our readers posted this saying they loved it: “(i replace the gelatin with agar agar). Its really a hit with kids!” I hope that helps.
I would love to bake this cake for the coming Chinese New Year in a few weeks time.
How much is 2 sticks unsalted butter in grams? I am not a US resident and butter usually comes in 250g blocks here.
Hi, 1 stick of butter is 113 grams so 2 sticks would be 226 grams of butter.
Hello Natasha, Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe! I have just finished making the cake and frosting it. I do have one question. I noticed in your video that the cake layers were perfectly straight across the top and the sides. With my layers the cake pulled inwards quite a bit from the sides and slightly caved in the middle. What did I do wrong as I would like to make this cake again. I noticed you said that you did not butter the sides of your pan. Is this the reason why mine pulled away? I did butter the sides. Thanks very much and happy new year!
Hi Irene, it is hard to say without being there but buttering the sides could definitely be the culprit. I also recommend looking into our post on measuring to make sure the dry and wet ingredients were measured properly. Do you recall altering anything else in the recipe?
Thank you for replying. I didn’t alter anything in the recipe. I did butter the sides so maybe that is the problem. I will try the cake again with your recommendations on measuring. Thanks.
This cake is amazing, time consuming but worth it!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi, I am making this recipe for a dinner party and have made the cake layers and they seem dry. Will the pomegranate syrup add moisture? Or should I remake them? Thank you!
Hi Rachel, yes the syrup will help with that! This cake is the perfect amount of moist without getting soggy after sitting.
Hi Natasha! How far in advance could I make the cake before serving? Would it stand for 2 days or better fresh? I’m wondering if the syrup would cause the sponge to be too moist?
Thanks!
Hi Luda, I would do it the day before, and max 2 days before for it to be in it’s freshest and prettiest state. Refrigerate until ready to enjoy.
How far in advance can this cake be made, fully frosted and with the topping on? Thinking of making it for a work dinner meeting and would have to be completely done the day before.
Hi Beth! You can make it a day ahead an refrigerate.
I made this cake for Christmas dinner and it was a big hit. The sponge is so light and the overal cake was not too sweet. My adult son has declared we must have it every year. I baked the cake and made the frosting the day before so it was easy to assemble Christmas Day.
Sounds like you found a new tradition! Thank you for sharing that with me, Andrea!
Can I make this beautiful and delicious looking cake without the pomegranate seeds, as I can’t eat seeds?
Hi Vicky, you may just have to omit the topping. I’m afraid there isn’t enough substance in the topping without the pomegranate seeds. You might choose a different fruit for the top.
Thank you. Merry Christmas to all.
Natasha, has anyone in the comments below omitted the pomegranate seeds in the topping? I wonder if I can omit them but just pour the pomegranate juice gelatin mixture on top still and have good results?
Hi Oksana, you may just have to omit the topping. I’m afraid there isn’t enough substance in the topping without the pomegranate seeds. You might choose a different fruit for the top. I feel like it won’t be very pretty without the pomegranate seeds. There’s no getting around the seeds. You can just scrape them off the cake pretty easily if you don’t want them on your slice
Hi,thanks for this excellent recipe, do you mean 16 oz. or 2×16=32 oz of cream cheese ??
Which one??
Hi Shahin, I clarified the recipe but it is 16 oz total, so two 8oz packages. I hope you love this Christmas cake!
This was such a yummy and moist cake! Made it for my son’s birthday since he loves pomegranates. It’s so beautiful and I added coconut to the sides since he loves coconut too, and it made it look even more festive! Not overly sweet which we loved. Some frostings are too thick and rich and this was just perfect! I’m now thinking of other varieties I can make using this recipe. Thanks for sharing! 😊
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Do you think I can make my own pomegranate juice instead of POM? My husband came home with a huge bag of the fruits and I wanna use them up.
I think that could work!
I made the cake and it turned out delicious! Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe. I’d like to make it again sometime in the near future but would like the frosting to be less sweeter, what could I substitute or use less of to do that?
Hi Katie! I haven’t tried it with less since sugar does affect the texture. Here is what one of our readers said: ” Wanted to let you know the cake was a complete success. I made it with mango purée for the layers and passion fruit for the glaze. It was awesome. Now, I also want to share that I reduced the sugar in the cake recipe by half. And for the frosting, I only used 4/5 of one cup instead of 3 cups. It turned out very well. The cake was just nice in sweetness and my kids and husband loved it.” I hope this helps!
I made this cake for my daughter’s birthday – It is SO good. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it
I followed instructions to a ‘t’ the only thing that I left out was the lining of the pan. My cakes were nice fluffy, even with the pan rim and next thing I knew they had sunk in the middle. What could I have done wrong?
Hi Norma, The biggest reason for this not rising enough is under-beating the eggs and sugar. Here’s a great way to know if you have beaten it long enough (words of wisdom shared by one of my readers): Lift up your beater (whisk) from the batter. Make a figure “8” using the batter that drip off the beater. Then count to 10 seconds. If the figure 8 still remains on top of the batter, then u have the right consistency. If the figure 8 sinks into the batter before 10 secs, then u need to beat it longer
That is a really great trick!
Would any brand of pomegranate juice work? Since I don’t have POM available here in Pakistan. ..
And also, do you think I can substitute plain whipped cream for the cream cheese frosting? Do you think it would work?
Hi Noor, I think any drinkable pomegranate juice should work as long as it isn’t a concentrate (which would be overly bitter). I’m not sure if the plain whipped cream will be able to withstand the weight of the cake.
Excellent!! Recipe easy to follow and the cake had great taste and wonderful presentation! I was lucky to find the Pom Wonderful juice at Walmart, which, is an essential ingredient in the cake and the brand should not be substitute. Just the right balance of sweetness.
I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Beautiful cake. I will need to practice though. First time, I let the sirop set up too much and it became jello. The next time the liquid never thickened, what did I do wrong? I also had to adjust my cakes in the oven and I think the movement made them fall a bit. 🙁 Maybe next time.
Hi Malia, are you making any substitutions to the topping? I would suggesting following the timings listed in the recipe. The only other thing I can think of is if your pom seeds are chilled before adding, the mixture will thicken much faster. I hope that helps! Also, it’s best not to open the oven while baking these cakes or they can fall.
Great recipe and delicious cake. My only alteration would have been a tad less vanilla in the pomegranate topping. Nevertheless, the cake rose beautifully and the icing had that perfect pomegranate tang. Will definitely make again.
I’m glad you enjoy the recipe Maddison! Thanks for sharing your great review with other readers!
Hi Natasha, I would like to bake this cake for Christmas and would like to know if you could convert the ingredients into gramm? I live in Germany and I don’t have cups at the ready! Thank you so much in advance!
Hi Rosa, I don’t have this full recipe converted into grams, but when I need quick answers, I usually reference online sources. Here’s a great one from King Arthur (a flour and grain company). I hope that helps!
You should make a video for this cake. I would love to make it today.
I’ll keep your suggestion in mind Angela!
This is such a pretty cake, perfect for a Christmas gathering. I think i might be tempted to add a drop or two of red food coloring to the syrup that you dab onto each layer, even though i don’t like to use it but the layers don’t really look red, more brownish and I’d really like to see red once I cut into the cake. Sounds delish !
This cake is AMAZING!! Your suggestion sounds great! I hope you love the recipe as much as I do Diena! Please let me know what you think!
Im confused on the baking part, so for how long is the cake supposed to be in the oven?
Hi Katie, Bake at 350˚F for 25-28 minutes.
This is amazing! My boyfriend and I got a great deal on pomegranates and, since his birthday is this weekend, I decided to make this. The only issue I had was that it didn’t rise as much as it could/probably should have. But I’m pretty sure that’s on me; I don’t have a ton of baking experience and have never made this type of cake base before, so I probably overmixed somewhat. Will get some more advice on how to fix that and make it again at Christmas.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Katie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The biggest reason for this not rising enough is under-beating the eggs and sugar. Here’s a great way to know if you have beaten it long enough (words of wisdom shared by one of my readers): Lift up your beater (whisk) from the batter. Make a figure “8” using the batter that drip off the beater. Then count to 10 seconds. If the figure 8 still remains on top of the batter, then u have the right consistency. If the figure 8 sinks into the batter before 10 secs, then u need to beat it longer
Hi Natasha. Can I use just 2 cups of icing sugar for the frosting?
Hi Kim, you could but I think the frosting may turn out a little too loose to pipe onto the cake with less of the powdered sugar.
I made this cake for New Year! It is so very scrumptious! It is not very easy, you really have to pay attention to all the steps, but it was worth it!
Everybody in my family loved it and I plan to make it again soon, maybe with a different kind of fruit like strawberry, red berries, etc.
My next try will be your Christmas cherry cake!
Thank you so much for this recipe and all the detailed instructions, Natasha!
So glad you liked it! Hope you’re enjoying the new year!!
I made this for New Year’s Eve..it came out perfectly and numerous people told me it was the best cake they’d ever had. I followed the instructions to the letter, with two minor changes: (1) I don’t have a wisk attachment for my mixer, but the regular beaters worked just fine. (2) my cake layers were quite moist on their own, so I didn’t use all of the pomegranate syrup.
I highly recommend the recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thank you for your amazing review! 🙂
I’m so sad:(
Made this cake today for a new years party. followed the instructions exactly, the layers were falling apart but I thought I’d put them together with the frosting, the frosting wasn’t stiff as in your pictures and had a glossy look to it. basically didn’t hold up and dropped. I so wanted to be the cool baker that brought a beautiful cake to a party. what could have I done wrong?
Oh no! This is one of my most popular cakes and I am always happy to help troubleshoot. Did the cake seem to be “falling apart” because your frosting was too loose? There are several reasons why the frosting might be too loose – speed softening the butter in the microwave, using less powdered sugar, speed softening cream cheese or using too much POM juice. Were all of your proportions correct? the frosting is supposed to be thick enough to pipe as shown in the photos. I hope that helps you figure out what may have gone wrong.
Oh my..all the comments on this cake 😥
Here goes another long one..
Tried to make this short.i promise.
I made two of these beauties for the family Christmas parties. Turned out exactly like yours. Gone in minutes.
My 3 year old daughter is asking me to make this for her bday..which is a week after Christmas..and we are hosting new years😓 i only bake in december 😁a lot.
Would your poppy seed roll frosting work with this cake? I am not a big fan of butter frosting.
And though the pomegranate looked beautiful on top i was not a big fan of the taste..would raspberries work?
Oh and what is the best way to make the frosting pink? Naturally.
Sorry for such a long review! And thank you for all these wonderful recipes 🎂🍔🌮🍤🍝
Hi Ksusha, I’m glad your family enjoyed the cake!! Based on your questions, I think you might really like this blackberry cake and I think you could make it work well with raspberries 🙂 the only way I have discovered to add a syrup from fruit to naturally color a frosting is by using a butter-based frosting, otherwise it can get too thin. I like adding the cream cheese because it tastes less like a buttercream 🙂 Oh there’s also the cream on this raspberry cake roll that tastes great 🙂
This cake is really beautiful! It tastes amazing also. It is pretty time consuming to make and a bit technical. It was really popular at Christmas dinner!!
Thank you for the wonderful review, I’m glad everyone liked the cake 😬.
Thank you for sharing your recipe the cake turned out amazing !
Nataliya, you are very welcome and thank you for the great review 😬.
Hey Natasha, I know this comment will probably get lost. But I just wanted to tell you that I have been making this cake every Christmas for three years! It is my favorite cake to make and people really love it. In fact, I’m making the second one this year tomorrow because I just had to make one for my friends and another for my family to enjoy. So thank you so much for posting this recipe because now it’s family tradition! <3
This is definitely the best kind of review!!! Thank you so much for sharing Kayla! Merry Christmas to you and yours 🙂
Merry Christmas! ❤🙏🏼🎄
Hi Natasha. How early can I frost this cake? Party is on Sunday.
Hi Angie, I would do it the day before, and max 2 days before for it to be in it’s freshest and prettiest state. 🙂 Refrigerate until ready to enjoy.
I made this cake for a neighbor party this weekend. I was worried that the amount of syrup used would make the cake soggy. Not so. The cake was a HUGE HIT!! The sponge cake was moist, sweet but not overly sweet. The pomegranate gel on top was beautiful. Thank you for such an excellent recipe.
I am so glad you all enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing your review Melanie! 🙂
I followed this recipe exactly. The cake came out too eggy tasting for my liking. It was like an eggy angelfood cake. Not my favorite thing I have ever eaten.
I am currently waiting for a basic vanilla cake to cool to use the rest of the recipe with.
Hi Katie, I’m sorry to hear that! Did you beat your eggs and sugar long enough and did your cake rise properly as shown in the photos? It isn’t supposed to taste eggy after being whipped sufficiently. I hope you love the cake even with a vanilla cake base! 🙂
Hey Natasha!
Do you think we could use this recipe for making cupcakes?
If yes how many would you guess it would make?
Thanks a lot ☺️
Hi Anushka, I’ve never tried making this sponge cake in cupcake liners because I didn’t think it would work. If you experiment though I would love to know how you like this recipe!
I really want to make this for my birthday which is on Thanksgiving(!) but my kids dont like crunchy things. I though that the pomegrante seed would be a crunch. Is there a way to not put the seeds in?
Hi Annie, you may just have to omit the topping. I’m afraid there isn’t enough substance in the topping without the pomegranate seeds.
I was thinking of maybe a jam and to my surprise I found a small jar at a store. My sister and me had a baking contest and she made your version and I added the jam on top. It really tasted the same. It is quite expensive though.
Ooh that is so smart to use jam!! I love that idea. 🙂 thank you so much for sharing that with me!
I just made this cake today. For the pomagranate topping you just don’t put the pomegranates. Just make the topping the way it says and pour it over and it will be just as delicious😊
Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
I was looking at the ingredients to make the recipe and I noticed that the baking powder was left out of the ingredients.
Hi Rosalia, I used to not include baking powder because this cake primarily relies on the eggs for leavening. Lately I’ve been adding it since it seems to help the layers rise slightly more evenly. The cake works well either way :). I’ll go ahead and add it to reduce confusion 🙂
I’m looking forward to making this cake for my husbands 50th b’day party for 70 people – do you know if this genoise sponge freezes well? Baking it ahead of time and freezing will make it a bit easier, that way i can just frost & fill the day before the party. Also what size pan do you think would i need? i will be serving two other desserts along with the cake.
Hi Hetal, the genoise freezes really well. Place a sheet of parchment (I use the same one from the baking pan) between layers of un-cut sponge cake and loosely wrap in plastic wrap, just making sure it is covered completely but not squished by the plastic wrap). 70 people is a very large crowd! Wow!! I would probably make either 2 cakes or double everything and put it into (2) 9×13 baking pans, although you will have to mix and bake each cake layer separately (6 eggs per pan) since it will overwhelm a stand mixer and won’t whip properly to put 12 eggs into a mixer.
Great! Will make two 9′ cakes. Thank You.
Is the frosting good with other cake fillings? for example with the biskvit, but with strawberries for the inside?I need a good frosting for our gender reveal cake;)
Hi Nelly, yes it is good but the frosting needs a little juice which tints the frosting slightly. If you’re looking for a white frosting, I would recommend going with the cupcake frosting.
Now I tried to make this AMAZING cake! I got very nice cake layers. Frosting was super yummy, but next time I will do double portion of frosting, because I didn’t have enough for decoration, so this is my the biggest problem. I put more cool whip cream for my frosting and when I put pomegranates topping it started leaking(((( so sad, plus next time I will take less pomegranate seeds or more pomegranate home made jello and I will not put in it vanilla, I don’t like vanilla taste in topping at all. So at the end my cake didn’t look good, but it was delicious!!!!! Next time I know how I will make it right. Thank you for a GREAT recipe!!!! I am very happy that I described you! Thank you every time for nice yummy ideas 🙂 sorry for mistakes, my English wants to be better ))))).
Kateryna, thank you for sharing nice review and taking the time to write in. Have a great weekend. 😀.
A hit with everyone at a Christmas Family Dinner! I subbed in lactose-free cream cheese, milk and used rice flour so everyone could enjoy it. Also subbed a berry glaze for the gelatin and it turns out more like a berry pie filling than a jam topping. Excited to make it again soon!
Thank you for the nice review and nice job improvising 😁.
Loving the pomegranate cake! Thanks for the awesome recipe 😉 I’ve been wanting to make it since the day you posted the recipe… however one mistake I made~ I print all my fave recipes to keep my gadgets clean when cooking and now learning a lesson… note to self: always check the original recipe!!! I had a feeling 1 TBSP of vanilla for the topping was too much…….. should have double checked your updated recipe online… anyways, made myself a note to only use half a tsp (yes half a tsp, no more tbsp’s) next time I decide to make it!! Overall, its still a delicious tangy cake~ Hubby LOVED it :)))
Hi Lana! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake. Yes, I do go and update recipes and improve them if I re-make them and feel something could be improved. I thought that much vanilla was bit strong and overpowering to the pom seeds. I mean it works, but I thought less was better 🙂
I made this cake for this Christmas. It was loved by everyone! I was hoping to take half of it home but all the guests split it amongst themselves. I asked for just one piece to give to my neighbor whom I borrowed a blender from! I will make this again very soon.
Margaret, thank you for such a nice review on the cake. Have a great 2016! 😁.
Thank you for the recipe! I made this cake gluten free, twice already! Family loved it! The only other change I made the second time around, I did not add sugar to the juice, not for layers, not for the syrup on top. We liked it better!
Thank you for the awesome review!! What brand of gluten free flour did you use? I’m so curious and I’m sure others will want to know. Thank you so much for sharing that with me!! 🙂
I made this cake twice and I’m going to make it again for our new years family get together. Love this cake! The only change I’m doing is I’m making chocolate lace border and im going to use fresh pomegranate on top. I hope it works out 😲
I’m sure it will be gorgeous! If you post a picture online somewhere, I’d love to see it! 🙂
Well… I made the cake! It turned out really nice 😀 I’ve pinned my picture on pinterest. If you want to see it I’m plk 987 on pinterest.
I absolutely love your gorgeous cake! The chocolate lace around the borders is awesome! Thanks for sharing that with me 🙂
I only have two 8-inch cake pans. How high should I fill them? How long should I bake them? And what do you suggest I do with the excess batter? Bake a mini -loaf pan, or cupcakes, or? Thank you for any advice, and thank you for this recipe! I read it a year ago, and it took me this long to work up my courage.
How tall are the walls on your 8″ cake pans? I want to say that it would fit in an 8″ pan, but you might bake 28-30 min. Everything else should be ok to keep the same.
The pan walls are two inches. In the end, my egg/sugar mix did not increase in volume. Even after 15 minutes of whipping with a hand-held electric beater, it was frothy but thin. I very carefully folded in the flour, but the batter was skimpy and did not even fill the two 8-in pans halfway, and it did not rise at all. My baked cakes were less than an inch high. Very sad! My eggs were room temperarure but small (about 58 grams each), maybe I should have added an extra egg? I am curious why you don’t separate the eggs for this recipe, and beat the yolk/sugar, and then beat the egg whites to fold in?
Also – for me, the tablespoon of vanilla in the topping overwhelmed the delicate pomegranate taste. Next time I will use less, like a teaspoon. Thank you for this interesting recipe!
Did you have your hand mixer on high speed using whisk-type attachments? It shouldn’t have taken that long and the mixture should have been thick and fluffy, not frothy and thin. Was your bowl clean and dry (no grease or water in the bowl). If you don’t get your egg/sugar mixture to that thick/fluffy state, no amount of careful folding will help since the cake relies on the egg volume to rise. I hope that helps for he future. Also, you beat the eggs with the sugar, correct?
I made this cake last Christmas and it was loved by everyone, so naturally I had to make it again. A little time consuming but worth it! I like to make the cake a day earlier then everything else. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review! I shared your comment on Facebook. Thanks again and Merry Christmas! 🙂
What attachment did you use on the electric mixer to beat eggs and sugar? Using the whisk, is that ok? Making this beautiful cake today!
Definitely the whisk attachment. You need it to incorporate as much air as possible into the egg mixture since you are relying on the volume of the egg for the cake to rise.
I made this cake for Christmas last year and it was delicious! I didn’t change anything in the recipe. It is a little time consuming, but it is a showstopper. I served it the day after I made it, so very nice to have a delectable dessert you can just pull from the fridge.
I’m so happy you loved it. I wish I could see your masterpiece! 🙂
I’m excited to try this for Christmas, but I’m driving out on the 24th. Should I make the cake, frosting, and topping at home and then assemble it on Christmas day?
It depends on how far your drive is. If it’s just a couple of hours, you would probably be ok to make it the day before or even 2 days before Christmas, refrigerate it and put it directly from your fridge to your car so it stays cool as long as possible and refrigerate again when you get wherever you’re going. It’s probably going to be easiest to transport it in a cake carrier or a cake box if you have one. Safe and blessed travels and Merry Christmas! 🙂
I made this cake just half of the recipe and the taste is wow its very nice cake.This coming Christmas i’m going to make the whole recipe.Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review! I’m so happy you like it 🙂
i really want to try this recipe ..just wanted to ask if i can substitute the butter for butter flavored crisco and does the flour have to be unbleached.
The Crisco would not work in this recipe. You can use bleached flour if you like 🙂
My cake was very dense…duno what i did wrong :/
At what point did your dough start looking different than what was in the photos? Did you change anything in the recipe? The most likely culprit when a European sponge cake ends up dense is underbeating the eggs (the cake relies on the volume of whipped eggs to rise) or overmixing after adding flour (which can deflate your batter). I sure hope that helps!
What tool do you suggest using to frost the sides of the cake to make it look more presentable? I used a knife and even though the cake is DELISH, it looks a bit messy. So wanted to know for the next time☺
I use an offset flat spatula like this one. It makes the job a lot easier 😁.
Thank you!
Hi Natasha, I’m going to make that cake for my sons 6th birthday, for coming Sunday… I wonder, where did you buy the pomegranate juice??? Thanks
They sell it in most major grocery stores. I bought a big bottle at Costco.
Hey natasha i tried your cake..its turned out awesome…wanted to attach the pic.. But i dont see a way
I wish there was a way to do it, but as of now there is not. I’d love to see your picture though. Are you on Facebook? Could you post a picture to my Facebook page?
Sure will do that
This cake was an absolute hit at our church Harvest service last weekend! Tried making it for the first time and this cake was the first one gone! Had very good reviews from everyone, and my family is begging me to make it again this weekend! Thank You for this recipe! It’s my new favorite cake by far!! 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks Maria! 🙂
This was amazing! I made it for my book club and everyone loved it. The cake wasn’t hard to make, just several steps. Several people wanted the recipe 🙂
Thanks for the great addition to my recipes!
That is so great! I’m so happy everyone in your book club loved it. Thank you for the awesome review!
Natasha, can I reduce the sugar in the frosting to 1 cup? I notice that for the strawberry layer cake, you use only 3/4 cup of sugar. But here, it is 3 cups to about the same amount of cream cheese. I am making this cake but using mango and passion fruit for glazing instead. Thanks.
I haven’t tried this particular frosting with only 1 cup. I guess you could add it to taste, but the sugar also helps with the texture of the frosting. It might taste ok with less sugar in the frosting if you are using mango and passion fruit since those are sweeter than the pomegranate seeds and juice.
Hi Natasha. Wanted to let you know the cake was a complete success. I made it with mango purée for the layers and passion fruit for the glaze. It was awesome. Now, I also want to share that I reduced the sugar in the cake recipe by half. And for the frosting, I only used 4/5 of one cup instead of 3 cups. It turned out very well. The cake was just nice in sweetness and my kids and husband loved it. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Will be making the Black Forest tomorrow. Wish me luck.
Sabrina, thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful review and your variations. I hope you’ll love Black Forest cake just as much 😀 .
Question: the video on making the cake batter says not to butter/grease the sides, but the written instructions say to pour it into a buttered/lined pan. Do I butter the sides or no?
I actually didn’t butter the sides of the pan in the video
Hi, This recipe looks great! I want to make it non-dairy which will only involve substituting the frosting. My plan is to buy pre-made frosting (Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, etc.) and add some POM juice. Would that work? If so, about how much frosting will I need? Do you have any other suggestions instead? Thanks!
I’ve never tried mixing juice into pre-made frosting so I can’t really say if that would work or not. If you try it, mix in a little bit of juice in a small amount of frosting. That would be a bummer if the whole batch of frosting turned weird or separated. I just haven’t tested that to know.
Natasha, Thank you very much for posting this recipe. The cake looks great. Is it possible to make it a week in advance and freeze (without topping)?
Thank you!!!
You can freeze the actual cake layers in advance but before frosting or soaking them. I like to keep a good sponge cake in the freezer for last minute cake assembly 🙂 Place parchment paper between the layers and wrap around semi-loosely with plastic wrap.
If you don’t mind, Natasha, can this cake be kept overnight in the refrigerator after being frosted? I imagine the pomegranate topping cannot be left overnight.
Yes, it can be left overnight just fine. Be sure to cover it with plastic wrap or keep it in a cake box or carrier so it doesn’t take on any food smells from the fridge 🙂
My mother in law asked me to make this cake for her birthday gathering on Sunday but she asked that I would leave the pomegranate topping off and using something else instead. Do you think I can use like raspberries instead of pomegranate seeds or any other fruit that you would suggest? Or should I just decorated with raspberries and call it a day…
Yes, you can totally decorate with raspberries and call it a day! You can also buy some raspberry juice for the cake layers if you wanted it to make it a raspberry cake. Also use a little bit of the raspberry juice (if you decide to) in the frosting in leu of POM juice 🙂
No I will still do everything according to the recipe because they love the pomegranate stuff but I guess not the seeds so i guess I will just decorate it with raspberries.. But if I did want to add raspberries to gelatin would it work as pomegranate seeds worked? You think?
The raspberries might be a little large to add to the gelatin and I’m thinking you might lose some of the gelatin inside the raspberries…? Oh, also, if you do try adding raspberries to the gelatin, you might add just have of the vanilla to the gelatin or it might overpower the raspberries and taste off.
This is a great recipe! I made a few days ago and it was delicious. I wanted to make some for a family gathering, and just tried to make it again in cupcake form, with the pomegranate topping as a filling instead.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I got the cooking time right, since they sank, with sticky tops and doughy taste. Do you know how long might be appropriate for a sponge cake like this? I’d like to try one more time!
I’ve never tried making this sponge cake in cupcake liners because I didn’t think it would work. It’s a great idea with teh pomegranate as a filling, but I think this cake would be much better for what you are trying to do: https://natashaskitchen.com/2013/09/26/cherry-surprise-honey-cupcakes-recipe/
I was so excited to make this cake because of the presentation and it sounded amazing. But, although beautiful, no one seemed to care for it. Perhaps I brushed too much of the juice on the cake but because the layers were so thin, the juice soaked into the cake so much that it didn’t taste like cake at all but more like a wet mush. And the pomegranate seeds were way too seedy and crunchy. After all that work we ended up throwing it out.
Oh I’m so bummed to hear that; this is always a favorite at parties, especially during the holidays. I wonder if your cake layers ended up too thin? Did you beat the eggs per the instructions for the full time? That usually helps them to maintain their volume; also, were you careful not to overmix once the flour was in the batter? With European sponge cakes, you are really relying on the volume from the eggs for the cake to rise properly. I hope that’s helpful.
Hi Natasha,
I came across your blog recently while browsing for some recipes. You have a great blog, details recipes with instructions. I love this pomegranate cake and am preparing myself mentally to make it. I don’t know much about frosting and wanted to know what kind or brand of cream cheese can be used for this cake. Also doesn’t the salt in the cream cheese matter? Thanks
Any brand of cream cheese will work. I’ve used Philadelphia brand, the big block one at Costco and also the store-brand from Fred Meyer. As long as it’s not low fat, it will work well. What do you mean by the salt in the cream cheese?
Hi Natasha, I made this cake and it was great. It wasn’t a hit with my kids but my friends loved it. Your detailed instructions helped all the way. It was my first time ever making a cake with frosting so mine did not look as pretty as yours but overtime I should be able to work on my frosting skills. Thanks.
Hi Pooja! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Did your kids not like the seeds on top, or just in general?
Thank you for this recipe. This cake is as delicious as it is beautiful. I made one for our Christmas gathering and also made mini cakes with a mini bundt pan. I piped a small amount of the frosting in the center and filled the rest with the topping. They were a hit!
I bet it was beautiful! If you posted pictures online somewhere, I’d love to see it :).
Do you really beat the eggs for 12 minutes? Or until triple in volume? Because within 5 mins it’s tripled in volume. And it says to not overbeat. But isn’t 12 minutes considered overbearing it? I’m just wondering because I tried making the cake twice and I didn’t go the full 12 minutes because it tripled in volume. And looked nice when setting into oven. But after it came out of the oven it didn’t look as tall as yours. Looked like it had less cake in it and as if it’s a little spotty on top. I don’t know how to describe it. Would you know why it happened? Should I have really beat it for 12 minutes?
And my Pomogrants on top didn’t turn out. Was the liquid supposed to look that thick when setting it in the cake or still in a liquid form like when pouring jello into bowl to place in fridge? I used the clear gelatin stuff.
I’ve found that the longer you beat your eggs, the better the cake will rise. I meant not to overmix after adding the flour; this can cause your cake to deflate as you are relying on the volume from the eggs for the cake to rise. Do you think maybe you were overmixing after adding the flour? It was supposed to be more soft set and starting to thicken (but not watery), but you also don’t want to wait for it to get so thick that it won’t spread easily. Did you use the unflavored gelatin packets like in the prep picture to the left of the pomegranate?
I made this cake for Christmas dinner this year. The cake texture was different than I was used to, more of a sponge European type, and despite the sugar, it seemed less sweet. When they say immedietly put the pomegranate topping on the cake, they mean NOW. I was keeping the cake chilled in the garage and ran out to get it to add the topping and it had started to set. The frosting is sublime and I could have eaten it by itself! All in all, I found it easy to make, different enough to be a challenge, the presentation wowed my guests, and it tasted delicious. Thanks for posting and I will definitely make this again.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! The cake texture is different than American cakes, but it’s great for a moist cake; it doesn’t get soggy even after several days in the fridge 🙂
can I use a different pomegranate juice. I couldn’t find the POM version. So I bought juice that is from concentrate
Absolutely! Use any brand of pomegranate juice 🙂
This reminds me to our popular Mexican cake 3 Leches which base is a sponge cake. This looks amazing and I am making it for Christmas 🙂 do you think I can add rum to the syrup? and do you think I could also add whipped cream between the layers instead of frosting? I am just afraid it will be too sweet with syrup and frosting. Anyhow, it looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it!! Thanks for the recipe 😀
The pomegranate juice is actually not to sweet which offsets the sweetness of the frosting. You could use whipped cream between the layers. I think that ould work fine :). I haven’t tried rum with pomegranate juice so I’m not sure how that would taste together. It might be a little strong. You might add it slowly and taste the syrup as you add it.
Thanks so much for replying. If I do decide to add rum I’ll let you know how it turns out. All your recipes look incredible! 🙂
Happy Holidays!
Do you think I could make two cakes out of this using 6 inch pans?
I think you would end up with two very short cakes. You would probably have to increase the recipe in order to make two cakes out of it even in 6 inch pans. Also this batter is best baked right away. It would not be a good idea to leave it on the counter while half of it bakes. I hope that answer is helpful to you.
It does. I opted against it. I was thinking the ingredients for this cake were going to be really expensive, so I was trying to stretch it out. But I ended up having most of them already. One cake it it!
I hope you love it Kayla 🙂
Quick question, I always wonder this whenever I use gelatin for purposes like this.. Did you mix in the gelatin when you left it to soften up, or just sprinkled on top and left it like that untill it “набухнет”?
Thank you..
You can do it either way. It turns into a jelly-consistency. You can give it a stir 🙂
What if I made this cake 9 by 13 instead of round?
Hi Masha :). If you make it in a 9×13 pan, you probably should increase the recipe or it will be a little bit of a short cake.
I made this cake round… I just borrowed a pan from my mother in law.. Cake didnt rise to well so I just end up making an extra layer.. I always have issues with my biskvit part.. How long do you mix it for with the flour? I am always paranoid that i am over mixing it. But it turned out pretty good other than that..
It might help to watch this video that I made on my tiramisu cake; it’s a biskvit cake base.
We tried the cake yesterday and it was very good. Everyone liked it. However it was I felt like biskvit was a little too sweet to my liking. If I added less sugar would that ruin the recipe for next time?
You can cut down the sugar; also you might consider cutting the sugar from the syrup; that may help too 🙂
Natasha! I simply cannot get enough of your webiste! I am so glad I got introduced to it. I wil be giving this a try this weekend!!
Elena, thank you so much :). I hope you absolutely love the recipe 🙂
Hey Natasha, I was wondering if you could squeeze your own pomegranate juice for this recipe?
That would probably be expensive. I’m sure you can although I’ve never tried to squeeze my own pomegranate juice. If you have a cheap source of pomegranates, it might be worthwhile. You might have to google how to do it best though if you don’t have a juicer :).
Hi! I’ll be making this cake today for a Christmas party tomorrow and I was wondering if you think it would be okay to add some of the topping (without the seeds) between the layers, just for a little more tart/sweet flavor contrast. Or do you think it would get soggy?
I wouldn’t get soggy; it might just be difficult to put it between the layers. You can make the entire cake the day before and it would be great the next day. This sponge cake doesn’t really get soggy even with day 3 leftovers 🙂
This cake looks amazing. I am thinking to make it for Christmas. And my questions..
I have only one cake pan. Is it nescessary to bake both cakes at the same time or the batter can wait?
2. After it is baked- should I take it out of the oven to cool or leave it there? I am just confused by racks.
3. Pomegranate on top- I usually don’t eat it with the seeds. Is it a special kind with soft seeds? Should I just make a jello with a fewer amount of pomegranate? Or without seeds at all- just juice?
I have never baked a cake in my life. But your work is very inspiring!
Biskvit is best baked once it’s mixed or you run the risk of having it deflate on the counter. When it’s baked, take it out and let it cool on the counter. You can put it on a kitchen towel if you don’t have a cooling rack. You might choose a different fruit for the top. I feel like it won’t be very pretty without the pomegranate seeds. There’s no getting around the seeds. You can just scrape them off the cake pretty easily if you don’t want them on your slice 😉
Thank you. I feel very adventurous now. Will definitely make this cake!
How many pomegranates do you use for the topping? I see one in your picture, then I see two?
Hi Derryanne, the final pictures have 2 just for effect. There are seeds from 1 pomegranate as listed in the instructions: “Seeds of one large Pomegranate (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups)” 🙂
Do you think you could use white cake mix
I haven’t tried with white cake mix. I wonder if it would become soggy from the syrup with a white cake mix. This cake recipe creates a sponge cake so even several days later, it’s moist but not soggy. If you do try it, let me know how it worked out.
hi Natasha. Gorgeous cake recipes! I have one suggestion… Can you write in your further recipes also in grams? Here in continental part of the Europe we are not used for US measures.. I always have trouble with converting cups to grams and no recipe turns good.. I’m such a dummie
It’s something that will be more time intensive for me since I will have to weight everything. I’ll definitely consider it though. Thanks for the tip! Do you use different kinds of measuring cups that we do in the U.S.?
Is this 8, 9 or 10″ pan?
9″. 🙂
Hi Natasha, made this cake today for my husbands birthday and it was a hit with the fam. I changed the pomegranate to strawberries as my kids are not a fan of it, unfortunately, but its really good! The Only part I was a bit dissapointed with was with my top layer cake (which is turned upside down before frosting) that was hard and very crusty for some reason but the rest of the cake was super soft! Oh and my cake was not as high as yours, perhaps because I had to mix it more since I could see lots of unmixed flour on the batter. Also since I don’t have large eggs, I used 8 medium eggs (I think I will stick with 6 med eggs next time as the batter was a bit runny although it did triple in vol but didn’t seem as thick as yours). I also changed the gelatin to a plant based gelatin called Agar Agar. The consistency is harder but u do get similar results. I used about 2 table spoon of the thread type variety and increased the juice to a cup. You need to bring it to boiling point and when it cools down, it will quickly harden so you need to work quickly.
Thanks for recipe and I’m going to try your vanilla cupcake next (I have so much frosting left from this recipe, yummy!)
I’m so glad the strawberries worked out 🙂 I’ll have to try your gelatin suggestion; I’ve never worked with Agar Agar before. It might have something to do with the eggs; You may have ended up with more yolk in the cake using 8 medium eggs. Did you bake the cake layers at the same time or did one sit on the counter while the first one was in the oven?
Yes agar agar is fun..it’s harder than jello but my kids seems to love it! I just add some sugar, vanilla extract and coloring and cool it in the fridge and its good to go. This is my fav but I replace gelatine with agar agar.
Yes I think I went overboard with the egg because the cake had strong eggy smell which was subdued after applying Pom juice and frosting. And yes, I did bake one at a time as I only have one 9″ cake pan.
Am not giving up…I will definately try again. 🙂
That may be part of the reason why one layer was dense. This cake needs to go into the oven fairly soon after the batter is done or it settles and can become dense. You are relying on the volume of the eggs for the cake to rise. I strongly recommend a second cake pan. Hope that helps! 🙂
Haha yes time to go shopping! Oh by the way, i meant to paste this url in my previous comment for the agar agar recipe (i replace the gelatin with agar agar). Its really a hit with kids!
http://www.foodlibrarian.com/2009/03/broken-glass-jello.html
Thank you for your help! Keep on cooking..you are great!
Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Hi Natasha, I love all your receipes! I’ve tried a few and it comes out great Most of the time haha. I am planning this cake for my husband’s birthday but my kids are not fans of The Pom. Do you think I could switch to strawberries? Would it make the topping runny? Any other suggestions?
Thank you!
I think you could do strawberries, sure! You probably want to use fresh strawberries though since frozen would be too juicy. Even if you just layered strawberries all over the top and didn’t do the jello part, it would still be amazing. It’s a very tasty cake. I hope you love it!
It’s my first cake ever and I did everything like u told, but as soon as I put the pomegranate topping on top the liquid went over the top and my some of my frosting fell off….can you please let me know what I did wrong???thanks
The pomegranate topping should have been thick enough to spoon over the top without any liquid coming off. Did you use unflavored jello? Someone wrote in earlier with the same problem but they used regular Jello which won’t make your topping stiff enough to stay put.
I used the knox brand same as u… ohh well nothing left of the cake anyways i’ll try to make it again sometime see if same thing happens. thanks
Hey Natasha, I’m in the process of making this cake right now and i have a lot of kiwi’s that i need to use up.. Do you think it would be okay if i put a thin layer of kiwi’s in between each biskvit layer? Or pomegranates and kiwi’s don’t go together and I’d ruin the cake?
To be honest, I haven’t tried them together, but it might work. The color contrast would probably be gorgeous. Let me know how it works out!
I did put them in and my friends and family loved it! They actually kept saying how much they liked the kiwis’ sweet/sour taste with the sweet frosting. It was my first time making the cake and it turned out great. thanks for the great recipe and easy to follow instructions!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy for your success with the cake 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration to keep cooking and posting and cooking and posting (for the rest of my life it seems). 🙂
God bless you!
Thanks and God bless you too!!
Delicious and gorgeous cake! Made it for the first time yesterday and it came out pretty good. I had a little trouble with the topping, though. I did as was written and mine just didn’t thicken, so you can imagine what a disaster that was, but I cleaned everything up and my cake just had pomegranate seeds on top lol
Someone else had the same problem when they used regular flavored jello rather than the unflavored gelatin. Could that have been the problem?
I’ve made this cake 3 times now and its delicious!! My guests loved it! Another great variation is blueberry flavored POM and fresh blueberries on top of the cake. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Ooh that does sound wonderful! Thanks for the tip! Looks like I’ll be making a blueberry cake soon 🙂
Natashenka,
Thank you very much for this recipe! Made this cake for my daughters birthday. It was super delicious and unusual cake due to pomegranate’s seeds. It was gone so quickly, that my 4year old got upset because she wanted another slice but found empty platter. 🙂
Happy birthday to your daughter! Oh how sad to want another slice and to only see the platter. I’m so glad the cake was a success for you! 🙂
so, im thinking to make this cake today, lol..
made your meringue finnish cookies, and they almost all gone, in few hours :))))))
i wanted to ask, can i just make usual frosting (cream cheese, heavy whipped cream and sour crea ) without butter, and if i still add the POM , would it not ruin the cream?.. (im just not a butter frosting lover) lol 🙂 thank you darling for answers and greatest recipes! 🙂
I probably wouldn’t add the POM to the frosting unless it was a thick frosting. You could use another frosting, definitely! 🙂
I love this cake. First time that I made it my family loved a lot, so now I end up making this cake for every occasion. 🙂 Thank you so much for posting it.
That’s fantastic!!! I’m so glad it has been a big success for you 🙂
Love the look of the cake. Am apprehensive about making it, coz I am not much of a baker but have the nudge deep down to attempt this. But supercool Natasha, great cake. Thanks for sharing inputs with people like us who want to try and learn.
You can do it!!! Many if my readers have shared with me that they’ve made the cake and loved it and even share pictures. It’s totally do-able!
Why is my gelatin so foamy ?
Just want to make sure you used gelatin and not jello. 🙂 It shouldn’t get foamy. Were you whisking vigorously? 😉
Hi Natasha, I’m attempting to make this cake, but my biscvits always sink in the middle in the oven, I follow instructions very carefully but still sinks, do you know what could cause that?
Without being there, it’s hard to say exactly what caused it. I haven’t had that issue with the biskvit. Do you open the oven to check on it? You’ll have best results if you don’t open your oven during baking. Also, if you poke it with a toothpick to check for doneness, don’t poke directly in the center because if it’s not done, it will sink. It’s most likely one of two things: Either the biskvit was overmixed and got a little deflated or the oven was opened too early. Does that help?
Natasha, i only have 1 9in springform pan, would it be possible to split the ingredients and bake one at time? Also if it’s a springform pan, does it require a liner?
I would still butter and line the pan. You would probably have to cut the batter in half and make it twice because you are relying on the fluffiness of the eggs for the cake to rise. Leaving the batter on the counter for 25 or more minutes might make a flat cake. It would be best to barrow a second pan and divide batter in to two pans to save yourself some trouble.
can you substitute Splenda or something for the sugar in the batter? Trying to keep the sugar consumption low. Will this cake freeze?
I have never tried to freeze it or use splenda. You could cut the sugar down to 3/4 cup without noticing much of a difference. I just honestly haven’t tried it with splenda to see if it would work or taste different. I wish I had more answers for you.
mine isn’t as pretty, but it tastes good!
Thanks so much for sharing that with me! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Natasha I really wanna make this cake but can’t find that pomegranate juice. Where did you buy it?
I bought it at Costco. I’ve also seen it sold at Winco. Check the refrigerated juice drinks in the grocery stores. It’s usually next to the green smoothie drinks.
What a lovely cake!!!!!! I think I like to make it one of these days. Thanks for the posting.
Thanks Aileen 🙂 I’ve made it twice this month and it’s always a crowd pleaser 🙂
This looks SO good! There are so many wonderful cakes out there. I want to make em all!, Literally, 4 cakes in 1-2 weeks. Just might do that. Since discovering your site, I’ve been making cakes constantly. Tiramisu is now my go to cake when i want something sweet. Its so easy to make and have the ingridents for it almost all the time.
So I’m wondering, how often do you make a cake for your family?
Maybe every 2 weeks or so and maybe more when I’m experimenting with a new recipe. My family now expects me to bring Dessert every Sunday and they tease me when I don’t.
or make your own POM juice. right?
You totally could. I don’t see why not 😉
So I made today for my hubbies birthday turned out perfect, I need to practice a bit more on decorating it be my family loved it. Thank you for your post.
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve found that having the large frosting tips and a flat spatula (or a food scraper) to make the frosting flat makes all the difference! 🙂
Natasha,
This cake looks wayyyy delicious!!! I love your blog and you do a wonderful job with ALL of your recipes…
I was wondering would the pomegranate seeds be kinda hard or crunchy on the tooth or does it taste a little softer in this cake??
It’s just like a gelatin layer on top with the seeds and the texture was nice. If you like pomegranate seeds, you’ll love this! 🙂 I only received compliments from the crowd when I made this cake and I never thought twice about the texture of the seeds. 🙂
Natasha, I dont have a stand alone mixer yet… do you think its still possible to make with just a hand mizer?
Yes it will work but it’s just a little bit of a pain in the but to stand and mix that long. It will work though 🙂
Did you buy the bigger size pom too?
The juice is Costco size 🙂 You definitely don’t need that much! 😉
Where did you buy the gelatin? I saw onr at winco but its a pack of 32. Seems a lot to keep.
I think they have a pack of 32 and then a pack of 4 or 6. I bought the big one because I knew I’d use it eventually. It does have a pretty good shelf life. I bought it at Winco.
If I use agar-agar instead of gelatin…how much do you think I will need??
I’ve never used that product before so I have no idea how it substitutes. Sorry, I wish I had an answer for you.
Ooh looks incredibly delicious!! Btw, wondering why ‘Cherry Cream Frosting’ w only pomegranates in the ingredients… or did I overlook!? ;P
That was merely an embarrassing typo. 😉 I fixed it to say Pomegranate cream frosting 🙂 Thanks so much for pointing that out!!!
this cake looks Yummy! I wanna make it and try it 🙂 gonna do it for sure either before Christmas or before this coming up weekend.
I hope you love it! I’ve seen alot of folks testing this out early and sharing their pictures on Instagram. Some look even prettier than mine. lol.
Can this cake be made a day ahead and be kept in the fridge??
You can make it a day ahead an refrigerate 🙂
Update this dessert was a total hit at my Christmas dinner I had was so moist and yummy will be making it again 😉
Awesome!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for the fantastic review! I’m so glad it was a success at your Christmas dinner. I’m honored that you made it for Christmas 🙂
I just finished making it, now it’s setting for the fridge 1 hr. I cant wait to try it!! Your snail shaped border looks soo much better than mine because I used the wrong tip. 🙁 But it’s still containing the topping pretty good. It would be helpful if you put the #of the Wilton tip you use for your recipes, please 🙂
Thank you so much for this recipe! You’re great at decorating it’s very neat-looking!
Oh you’re right! It’s a Wilton 1M. I’ll add it to this post 🙂 Have you posted a picture of it online yet? I’d love to see it! You’re very sweet. I’m not that great at decorating but I think I’m improving. Even a year ago it was bordering hideous. lol. A blog puts alot of pressure on. 😉
No, I haven’t made an instagram yet, yupp a little behind, 🙂 lol But it came out very good!! The whole cake was gone in less than 1 day. I will probably be making it again for Christmas!
That’s awesome!!! Hurry on up and make an Instagram account. It is a little addictive though; kind of like pinterest. Consider yourself warned. 😉
Looks so delicious. Can’t wait to try making this one. The ingredients speak for themselves. I bet it would taste something like the cake from an expensive bakery like the one in California called Ettoreys I think. Anyway…hope I can make it look as good as yours because yours is just Perfect. Thank you so much for the recipe. And Marry Christmas!
I’ve had one of their cakes before and it was very good! Although (and maybe I’m biased), this one is better. Don’t tell them I said that 😉 You just can’t beat a sea of pomegranate seeds 😉 Merry Christmas Ilona!
Can you clarify how much vanilla you use in the cake batter? Ingredient list states one tsp and instructions state half tsp. Thanks in advance!
Thank you for catching that Katerina, it should be 1/2 tsp. I also updated the recipe to reflect that.
This cake is GORGEOUS! And I bet it’s absolutely delicious. Pinning!
Thank you so much Norma. 🙂 and I always appreciate a pin 😉 you’re awesome!!
Sounds like biskwit batter…I usually add a pinch of baking powder …you think it can be done in this case?
It is a biskvit base. I haven’t had good results adding it but maybe when I tested it, I just added too much?
The cake looks delicious!! Where did you get your 9in pans or what brand are they. Need some myself. Thanks
I purchased mine at home goods. I believe they are KitchenAid brand 🙂
Oh my, oh my! This cake looks amazing! I am inspired to make it for my Ukrainian in-laws! It would make a festive and yummy Christmas dessert! Thanks Natasha for so many brilliant and delicious culinary creations!
You’re welcome. I hope you all love it and I hope you impress the in-laws lol.
It looks very beautiful. I will try to make it. I like your kiev cake recipe. But I had a problem. I assembled the cake a day ahead before the serving day. The miring became soggy. What is the trick to keep it crunchy?
Thanks, I love lots of your other recipes.
Did you have any of the apricot spread touching the meringue? That could have been a culprit. I think to keep its crunchiness overnight, it might need a more buttery/buttercream sort of frosting. I’ll have to experiment.
Late to comment but I saw this cake as soon as you published and pinned. 🙂 It is VERY popular! I have no words, it looks BEAUTIFUL! I have to make it asap. 🙂 What cake pans do you use? I am looking for new ones but not sure what to choose.
Thank you!! You can use 8″or 9″ cake pans. Mine are non-stick 🙂
Thank you for posting this beautiful cake. I made it last night. The cake did not rise enough for me to cut it in two so it is a two layer cake. Still gorgeous. Cannot wait to tast it tonight.
You’re quick! How long did you beat the eggs? Have you seen my tiramisu video tutorial? The base of the cake is the same as this one. That might help to see what might have gone wrong. I’m sure it will still taste delicious and look gorgeous as a two layer cake! I hope you love it as much as we did. Have a Merry Christmas!
I kind of, sort of, really want to dive into that pool of pomegranate topping! Yum!
Wait for me! Lol
Just beautiful, Natasha! Cannot wait to make this stunning cake. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Stacy 🙂
Looks gorgeous!!!!!!!! I’ll eat with my eyes.:) Did you bake it in your new oven with light and window?:) Man, I have no idea how could you bake so much without those features.:)
Haha it was actually with my old oven. The last cake it made. It was a trooper. I am pretty excited though about the new oven 😉
Deff going to try this one…. That will be my like my 6th cake I’ve baked from ur site, such an inspiration! Did the guests say anything about the seeds do you try chew them or just swallow them whole?
Wow! You are on a roll! If you’re like me, this might be your favorite! I hope you absolutely love it.
You just chew em up. I guess you could just swallow them. Not one person had a problem with them and I bet 18-20 people tasted it 🙂
This cake looks delicious. I am wondering what the cake would be like if made a few days prior to Christmas? Maybe put the topping on just before serving?
This one can be made the day before and maybe even two days before but a day before would be best. The raspberry pretzel jello might be good for making it 2 days ahead if time.
Love love Pomogranates can’t wait to make this!!!!!
Oh then you with LOVE this!! 🙂
do you eat the pomegranate seeds when you eat the fruit in general?
Just eat it with the slice of cake just like you would frosting. It’s so good!
AWESOME recipe! Excited to try it even though I am not good at baking. Nervous about cutting the cakes in half!! In any event, I’m going to attempt to make this for Christmas. If I make this cake a day or two before our Christmas gathering should I hold off on adding the pomegranate topping so it doesn’t get soggy or do you think it would hold okay? Thanks!
If you are really nervous to cut it in half, you can make it a two layer cake 🙂 I hope you Love it!!
It’s not a soggy type of topping. You can totally make it a day ahead.
Wow nice cake!! Looks yummy ♥ =)
Thank you Karolina :).
Oooohhh this cake looks AMAZING!! I will most definitely be making this for our Christmas party- thank you so much!! I bet a little sweet red wine in the syrup/frosting would really bring the flavors home too 😉
I like the idea of adding a little red wine in the syrup. Let me know how it turns out :).
You got me drooling Natasha :). I’ve never heard of this type of cake before, a must try for sure!
It was fun cake to make, and than see it disappear before my eyes when everyone wanted to have a slice of it :).
Eating the seeds? aren’t they bitter?
Seeds were not bitter at all :).
Oh, wow! I’m going to make it for this weekend to give it a try before Christmas. Looks so good, and my family loves pomegranate!!!!
I would love to hear the results :).
Yum!!! This looks great! I will have to try to make it soon! Thanks Natasha!
You are welcome Alina, let me know how it turns out :).
your cake is gorgeous Natasha and thanks so much for the shout out on the recipe!
Dennis
You are welcome Dennis and thank you for the inspiration, we loved it!