Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (will reduce to 325 before baking).

Combine the milk and lemon juice together and let sit for 10 minutes.

Using a hand mixer, mix the cake mix and the milk and lemon juice mixture together in a large mixing bowl.

Mix in sour cream and melted butter.

Add eggs and mix well.

Next, add the unsweetened baking cocoa and pure vanilla extract.

Once the batter is smooth, add the red food coloring and mix well.

Spray two 8” round cake pans with cooking spray and dust with flour.

Transfer batter evenly between two cake pans.

Reduce oven to 325 degrees and bake for 26-31 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the cake and comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, make your sugar cranberries.

Once your cakes are done, remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

While the cakes cool, make the frosting.

For the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter together.

Add the vanilla and mix well.

Slowly stir in the powdered sugar until smooth.

Put your first cake bottom down on the cake stand. You can put a little frosting on the cake stand before adding the cake.

Frost the first layer and then put the second layer top down. If your cake has a little dome, you may want to trim the dome off so it’s flat.

Frost cake and garnish with sugared cranberries and a few regular cranberries for an extra pop of red. Sprinkle any excess sugar mixture from cranberries on the top of the cake (optional).

Store cake in the refrigerator because of the cream cheese frosting. Remove cake 30-45 minutes before serving so that it can get soft.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Combine 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar in a sauce pan and heat on medium heat.

Once sugar is dissolved completely and starts to boil, remove from heat and add cranberries to the mixture and coat completely.

In two bowls, divide the 1 cup of sugar.

Spoon cranberries into one of the bowls of sugar and coat.

Then using a fork or your fingers, roll cranberries a few at a time in the other bowl of sugar to get it even more coated with dry sugar.

Place cranberries on a cooling rack to dry completely. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.