This White Chocolate Cake is both decadent and delicious! White chocolate is incorporated into the cake layers, the frosting, and the drip for a stunning monochrome effect.
I may be just a little bit obsessed with how pretty and perfectly matchy the monochrome colors worked out here. It’s the ultimate White Chocolate Cake!
I’m going to let you in on a little secret though… I actually don’t like white chocolate. Not on its own, anyhow, and rarely as part of something else. Something about the flavor is just too sweet or artificial tasting, I don’t know. BUT, this White Chocolate Cake is all sorts of deliciousness.
Even though the white chocolate is incorporated into every element, it’s not overpowering. Each element on its own is completely delicious, and they all combine to make the perfect White Chocolate Cake.
What is White Chocolate?
White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, and milk solids. It doesn’t contain any cocoa solids, which are found in milk and dark chocolate varieties.
Cocoa butter is separated from the cocoa solids (cocoa nibs), which are used to make milk & dark chocolate. The remaining cocoa butter doesn’t have a ton of flavor on its own, so sugar and milk solids are added to transform it into white chocolate.
Is White Chocolate Chocolate?
There is some contention about this but, technically, no. In order to be classified as chocolate, there must be cocoa solids present. Even though it’s made from part of the cocoa bean (the cocoa butter), it’s not actually considered “true” chocolate.
Does it really matter though?? I didn’t think so.
How to make this White Chocolate Cake
I have made variations of this cake a couple times before, but I wanted to have a smaller pure white chocolate cake on the blog, as many people have asked for it. The recipe here will work perfectly for three 6″ pans or two 8″ pans. See the Tips section below for other modifications.
The cake layers of this White Chocolate Cake have white chocolate incorporated right into them. I melt down some white chocolate with the milk, and add that to the cake batter once it’s cooled. The flavor isn’t crazy strong, but it is quite noticeable, especially to anyone who loves white chocolate.
White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Despite not being a white chocolate fan myself, I LOVE this buttercream. There’s something about the subtle white chocolate flavor in it that makes it so delicious you’ll want to eat it with a spoon.
Adding chocolate to buttercream is very simple. You just need to melt the chocolate down, then cool it before adding it to the buttercream. It’s important that your buttercream isn’t too cold, as it could cause the chocolate to solidify into chunks when you’re adding it. I like to have both at room temperature, and add the chocolate to the buttercream while the mixer is running (on low). This helps ensure they are perfectly incorporated together.
White Chocolate Ganache Drip
White chocolate can be trickier to work with than dark. You need to adjust the chocolate:cream ratio for it not to be a complete runny mess.
For my dark chocolate ganache drip, I do a 1:1 ratio of chocolate to cream. For a white chocolate ganache drip, I recommend a 2.5:1 or even a 3:1 ratio. I used a 2.5:1 ratio here, and it worked well. I heated the chopped chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl at small intervals (5-10 seconds) until it was perfectly smooth and silky. Except it wasn’t actually, and I ended up straining the last bits of white chocolate out of there. Whatever, it worked fine!
The white chocolate I used for the drip was more on the yellow side, so I added a few drops of bright white color gel to it once I strained it. Just eyeball this until you get the color you’re looking for. It can vary depending on how white (or yellow) your white chocolate is.
Make sure your cake is well chilled before applying the ganache. And be sure to let the ganache cool completely and thicken a bit before using on the cake. I let my ganache sit out for over an hour. It was actually a bit too thick at this point, so I microwaved it a bit (again, in very small intervals – 3-5 seconds) until it was the right consistency.
It’s hard to describe the right consistency. Thick, but pourable. I always do a test drip first to see how it drips down the cake. If it’s too thick, I warm it up a bit. I find it’s easier to start with a ganache that’s too thick vs. too thin. Easier to warm up than cool down.
I chilled my cake for 30mins in the fridge to make sure the frosting was firm and cold, and then used a teaspoon to apply the ganache to the edges. I like to use a teaspoon because I can control it better and be heavier handed in some areas if I want. I prefer an uneven look to my drips. You can also use a squeeze bottle if you prefer. This is most common I think.
For the texture on the sides of the cake, I used a cake comb from this set. I’ve used a few combs from this set now, and they work great. I do think metal ones would be better overall, but this is a much more affordable option.
I did a thicker layer of frosting on the sides first, smoothed that out, and then ran the cake comb over it a few times. I cleaned up the top a bit. That area wasn’t perfect, but I knew I’d be dripping a ganache over it anyhow.
Final decorating touches are some Lindt White Chocolate Truffles and some white chocolate shavings that I made using a vegetable peeler and a block of white chocolate. I chilled the shavings before adding them to the cake so they would be less fragile.
If you’re a white chocolate fan you will LOVE this cake! If you don’t care for white chocolate, I hope you try it anyhow, because it’s nothing like eating it straight up and it’s perfectly delicious.
Looking for more drip cakes?
- Caramel Cake (Salted Caramel Cake)
- Nutella Cake
- Oreo Cake
- Chocolate Mocha Cake
- Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
Tips for making this White Chocolate Cake
- The recipe as-is will also work in two 8″ pans. For three 8″ pans, 1.5x the recipe.
- To make cupcakes, all you need to do is reduce the baking time — start checking at 15mins or so.
- I used a cake comb from this set for the texture on the sides of the cake.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- Learn how to keep your cakes moist using Simple Syrup.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!
White Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
White Chocolate Cake:
- 5 oz white chocolate chopped (or white chocolate chips)
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 6 oz white chocolate chopped, melted, cooled
White Chocolate Ganache:
- 3.75 oz white chocolate finely chopped
- 1.5 oz heavy cream
- 5 drops bright white color gel
Assembly:
- 12 white chocolate Lindt truffles
- white chocolate shavings
Instructions
White Chocolate Cake:
- Heat milk and chocolate until melted and combined, cool to room temperature.*
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 6" cake rounds and line with parchment.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on med-high until pale and fluffy (approx 3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time fully incorporating after each addition. Add vanilla.
- Alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour (4 additions of flour and 3 of milk). Fully incorporating after each addition.
- Bake for about 40mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean.
- Place cakes on wire rack to cool for 10mins then turn out onto wire rack and cool completely.
White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.**
- Place bowl over a pot with 1-2" of simmering water and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch or reads 160F on a candy thermometer (approx. 3mins)
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.***
- Add melted, cooled white chocolate and whip until smooth.
White Chocolate Ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 5-10 second increments, stirring in between, until smooth and combined. Add a few drops of bright white color gel to get the desired color. Set aside to thicken and cool completely.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with 1 cup of buttercream and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers and crumb coat the cake. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost and smooth the sides with the remaining frosting. Use a scalloped cake comb to create the textured effect on the sides. Smooth the top. Chill for 30mins until frosting is cold and firm.
- Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the chilled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Chill to set ganache (5 mins).
- Pipe dollops of buttercream on top using an Ateco or Wilton 1M tip, top each with a Lindt White Chocolate Truffle if desired. Sprinkle chocolate shavings along the bottom and to fill in the top.
Notes
** Wipe your mixer bowl and whisk down with lemon juice or vinegar to make sure it is completely grease free and make sure there is no trace of yolk in your whites or your meringue will not stiffen.
*** The buttercream may look like it’s curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth. If it looks soupy, place it in the fridge for 20mins and rewhip.
Chandana says
For my birthday I was craving a white chocolate cake, so I spun the wheel and this is the recipe I landed on! First of all i’d like to mention that the butter cream recipe was perfection! I even made a little extra for my waffles in the morning! So perfect, in taste and texture, and how well it holds! and tbh this was my first time ever making buttercream because i’ve always been too nervous! So i’m pretty excited it came out great. But the cake itself, was extremely dense, and hardly rose above the actual initial batter size, its like biting into an actual white chocolate – so definitely a very dense mud cake! So if you’re looking for a fudgy white chocolate cake, this is a great. Personally I think I would’ve enjoyed something a little softer, – but the combo w/the butter cream has turned me into the cookie monster ! I made the cake for 8 servings, so maybe the proportions were a little off, but we move..! Definitely glad to have experimented and tried this easy recipe out :))
Olivia says
Hi Chandana! So happy you loved the buttercream. It’s a tricky one to make for your first try so way to go! For the cake — this one is considered to be a mud cake due to the white chocolate in the batter so it’s meant to be quite dense. It sounds like yours was a bit more than that though, especially if it didn’t rise. Is your baking powder still fresh and active? That would make a difference! Additionally, overly dense cakes can be from overmixing the cake batter once the flour is added (it develops too much gluten) or not using room temperature ingredients so the cake batter doesn’t emulsify properly. I hope that helps!
Christopher Bang says
Hi! To make just one 8” cake, should I half the recipe? Thank you in advance!
Olivia says
Hi Christopher! Yes, exactly. Baking time may differ slightly.
Carol says
Everything about this cake was spectacular! It was beautiful and delicious, and made a perfect 50th anniversary cake for our friends. It was a huge hit with all, and they couldn’t stop talking about it. Thanks for the great recipe.
Olivia says
Thanks so much, Carol! Glad everyone loved it 🙂
Grace says
This is a good recipe! I was wondering if I could make cupcakes, how long should I bake it for?
Olivia says
Hi Grace! Start checking them at 15mins or so.
Mon says
Hi Liv
My cake came out dense, do you know where l could’ve gone wrong?
Olivia says
Hi Mon! This cake is meant to be dense. The addition of white chocolate makes it a “mud cake” which are quite dense in texture.
Stacey says
Made this today and it was a huge hit!!
Wondering if the cake layers can be made ahead of time and frozen?
Olivia says
Hi Stacey! Yes for sure. Double wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Eline says
Hi Olivia,
I would love to make this recipe for my fathers birthday, but was wondering if i take the measurements of “1x” does that mean 1 threelayerd cake of does it mean 1 layer? (probably a stupid question sorry🙈
Greetings from Holland and Thank you in advance😊)
Eline
Olivia says
Hi Eline! Not a stupid question at all. 1x the recipe makes the three layered cake pictured. I hope you both love it!
Shannon says
Hi Olivia,
I would like to use this recipe for a baby shower cake serving 60 people. I was going to use two 12″ and 2 10″ pans. If I scale the recipe to 60 do you think it will work? I need about 45 cups of batter. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Shannon! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here are some sites I use as a guideline:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
https://www.cookipedia.co.uk/recipes_wiki/Cake_tin_conversion_charts
Theresa says
This was SO So good!
Olivia says
So glad you loved it, Theresa!
Gioia says
Hello! Could I ask what quantities I should use if I want to use 3x 8” pans rather than 6”? Thank you so much
Olivia says
Hi Gioia! I would 1.5x the recipe for three 8″ pans.
Steve Conway says
I’m going to do this for Easter Sunday. We are having a family cake bake off competition. Everyone is making their cakes the day before. I’m not telling my wife even though she is dying to know what I’m going to do. 8 people taking part… I hope I win…
Olivia says
Ohhh good luck!! I hope this one is a winner for you. Please come back and let me know!
Janvi says
Can I make this into a sheet cake? If yes what size pan and how long would you suggest?
Olivia says
Hi Janvi! I think is should work in a 9×13″ pan. Baking time is hard to say as ovens vary. I would plan for around the same time listed here but make sure to check on the cake as it’s baking in case it needs less/more time.
Gabby says
Amazing recipe, it was probably the best cake I’ve ever made and I am certainly not a baker. I had some left over icing and white chocolate so was thinking of scaling down and making cupcakes – would you have any idea whether halving the cake quantity would make 12 cupcakes?
Olivia says
Hi Gabby! I am so happy you loved it! Half a recipe should make about that many depending on size.
Ruby says
Can I substitute the butter with canola oil? And the milk with buttermilk?
Olivia says
Hi Ruby! For best results make the recipe as written.
Julie says
Hi, I made this cake a few days ago for my daughter’s birthday. In the end it turned out great and everyone was in love with it. But there were a few hiccups. First I made a batch of the meringue but didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to mix it “super well” before cooking it – so by the time I went to cook it, it was already in full meringue mode. I threw it all away out of fear it would not cook away any bad bacteria. The next mistake I made was using “room temperature butter” – I had it out for a few hours, and didn’t realize until after that I should have only taken it out 30 minutes before use. SO – the batter was super soupy. I tried refrigerating it 30 minutes but it wasn’t enough. Luckily, an overnight fridge stay did the trick and it was perfect for use as frosting the next day. I hope someone will learn from my mistakes! In the end it was great and I’d make it again. Used pink food coloring in the white chocolate ganache for my 6-year old, along with a cascade of edible butterflies. Divine!
Olivia says
Hi Julie! I’m so glad it turned out well in the end and that everyone loved it 🙂
Manisha says
Hi, what ratios would I use to make this into a Bundt cake? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Manisha! It should work as-is in a Bundt pan, you’ll just need to increase the baking time.
Sandy says
Would love to try this recipe out for a tiered wedding cake. Do you think this batter can hold up for a 3-tier cake? I will use supports.
Olivia says
Hi Sandy! As long as each tier is properly supported I imagine it would be fine. It’s a fairly dense and heavy cake.
Renae says
My go to recipe, thank you! Would this recipe still work if you use gluten free flour instead of normal?
Olivia says
Hi Renae! As long as you use a proper all-purpose GF flour blend it should work ok.
Patricia Grana Mata says
hi , the cake looks amazing. Just not sure about the 12.32ml baking powder?
Olivia says
Hi Patricia! If you convert to metric this is the amount it gives — 2.5 teaspoons.
Rose says
My cakes came out supper thin
Olivia says
Hi Rose! I’m sorry to hear that. They should bake up quite tall (almost 2″) in three 6″ pans. Did you use larger pans? If not then I would check to make sure your baking powder is still fresh and active.