Ready to make Southern Living’s 2020 White Cake? For this year’s 25th anniversary cake, we pulled out all the stops, not only giving you a recipe for decadent Coconut Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting, but also giving you three different filling options: Lemon Curd Filling, Cranberry Filling, or Whipped Chocolate Ganache Filling. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure layer cake for the holidays.

If your home is bursting with holiday spirit, our Cranberry Filling is for you. This smooth Cranberry Filling boasts a rich, ruby-red color that’s appropriately festive for the season. Use fresh or frozen cranberries for this filling, which comes together rather quickly—the cranberries get stewed on the stovetop with sugar, lemon juice, water, and corn starch to make a thick and fruity jam that pairs beautifully with the coconut cake. Your guests will be wowed when you slice into your stunning layer cake.

Prepare the filling at least four hours before you plan to make the cake so it has time to chill completely. The Cranberry Filling can sit in the fridge for up to 3 days, so this is a step you can execute ahead of time.