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 flavour 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 flavour 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 flavour 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 flavour 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
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 double boiler on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins). Or registers 160F on a candy thermometer.
- 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 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.
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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.
Lisa says
This cake base is amazing. Used it with a lemon and raspberry curd filling and raspberry frosting. SO GOOD!
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! So happy to hear you liked it 🙂
Marilyn says
Does this cake freeze well?
Olivia says
Hi Marilyn! Yes, the cake freezes great! If you plan to freeze the whole finished cake though I would skip the drip and do that after. I’ve had drip crack on me in the fridge/freezer.
Tara says
This cake was absolutely delicious and a massive hit at both Christmas and my birthday the following day. It’s so rich and moist, you only need a tiny sliver which basically served 30 people at two parties and still had left overs for me to take home 🙂 I incorporated another recipe to make this cake a Christmas theme by melting white chocolate to look like that of birch bark which I placed all around the cake and made a little nativity scene on top with trees, birds and a deer 🙂 It was so beautiful and honestly one of the best cakes I have ever tried and i am a major dessert feine and have eaten a lot of cake in my time! It took me about 3-3.5 hours from start to finish and people were impressed that I could create something like that in such a short time frame! SO this cake will help show how creative and talented you are too, lol. I used Lindt white chocolate in the cake and bark and white chocolate chips for the buttercream. I love white chocolate so this cake is a definite for the white chocolate fans. I will save this recipe for future, thank you so much for sharing it!
Olivia says
Hi Tara! Your cake sounds beautiful! I would love to see a photo if you took one 🙂 I’m so happy you loved the recipe. Thanks so much for the amazing feedback and happy belated birthday!
Tash says
Hey Liv, I’m not keen on SMBC, is there a way to incorporate white chocolate into a regular ABC?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Tash! You should just be able to add it at the end no problem. Just make sure it’s no longer warm to the touch. Add as much or as little as you like. Just note that if chilled, the frosting will firm up more than a normal one would.
Marianne Brabant says
Can you assemble the cake in advance and freeze it for a couple of days?
Olivia says
Hi Marianne! For sure! I would do the drip the day-of though, I’ve had drips crack on me once frozen.
Cecilia says
Hi! I am so excited to make this cake! However, I only have buttermilk right now. Would it be okay to substitute the milk for buttermilk? I was just curious because I wasn’t sure if it would work with the white chocolate. Thanks so much!
Olivia says
Hi Cecilia! I haven’t tried it with buttermilk myself. I think, flavour and texture wise it would be best with milk, but if you only have buttermilk you can give it a try. I don’t think it would be a disaster at any rate! The cake might be a bit more dense and have a bit of a tang to it.
Cecilia says
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to bake today!
Victoria says
Cake was great fresh out of the even but turn really dense after refrigeration overnight. Any ideas as to why?
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! Did you let the cake come to room temperature again? It will become more dense in the fridge (and is a more dense cake in general), but should soften at room temp.
Sue says
A huge hit! I was told that this cake was more delicious than one from a bakery. 5 stars!!
Olivia says
Wow! That is high praise, so glad you liked it 🙂
Christine Chapdelaine says
Made this cake for my husband birthday and the crowd went wild,my nephew loves white chocolate so requested I make him one for his birtday🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗the only changes I did was sugar reduction on to both the cake and meringue,I did on 2 round pans and it turn out beautiful.thank you for the recipe
Olivia says
Hi Christine! So happy to hear everyone loved it!
Michele says
Hi Olivia
I’m going to be making this cake today for a friends granddaughter birthday, can you confirm it is 2 1/2 tablespoons of baking powder and not tea spoons.
Olivia says
Hi Michele! It is TEASPOONS, not Tbsp. Does it still say tablespoons somewhere? I had made that error in the recipe initially but I thought I changed it!
Michele says
Thank you for your reply,
Just got a little confusing as there are two recipes still on the internet .
I will let you no how the cake turns out
Adela says
Hi! I have a question. Is it 40 minutes for both three 6-inch cakes and two 8-inch cakes? I’ve read somewhere that smaller cake pans require less time. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Adela! If you make not adjustments to the recipe then the baking time will be relatively similar.
Lyndi Miller says
Hi Olivia, can’t wait to try this! Just a quick question. I prefer a lighter cake and was wondering if I substitute cake flour for the APF, would the measurements be the same?
This is gonna be my birthday cake😊!
Thanks, Lyndi
Olivia says
Hi Lyndi! You can try with cake flour for sure, same measurements, but I think the cake will still be on the denser side due to all the white chocolate. Let me know how it turns out!
Lyndi miller says
I will, thanks for the quick response!
Sarah Eagles says
Love this cake, so much so I’ve been asked to use it for my brothers wedding cake. I followed you advice and used 2x 8″ rather than the 3x 6″ pans, but how would you scale the recipe for both 10″ and 12″ cakes?
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Gowmee says
I tried this today and it came so well and tasty too.. Thanks for sharing such a scrumptious recipe. Can add simple syrup to it before frosting..
Olivia says
Hi Gowmee! So happy you loved it. You can totally add a simple syrup to the cake layers if you like.
Maggie says
I made this yesterday for my daughters birthday and it looked and tasted excellent! Thank you for doing the hard work and sharing it 😊 I had a question regarding apf vs cake flour ? What differences have you noticed and how to choose one over the other – also my cake itself tasted kind off like a pound cake – is that how it’s meant to be ? Just curious –
Olivia says
Hi Maggie! So happy to hear you loved it. Cake flour makes for lighter cakes, but I tend to bake with AP only because it’s what I (and most people) most often have in their pantry. For certain recipes though, that I know tend to be more dense (banana based cakes) I often use cake flour to try and lighten them up. My cake recipes in general tend to be more on the dense side (vs light and fluffy), because that’s how I prefer them 🙂
Elise says
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder? Not teaspoons?
Olivia says
Teaspoons!! Yikes. Thank you for catching that. Recipe updated!
Elise says
Glad to help! Thanks for the recipe!
Koula says
This recipe seems very similar to what we here in Australia call a Mud Cake, except all wet ingredients are combined and then added to the dry ingredients. We also use both Plain Flour (all purpose flour) and Self Raising Flour. It’s baked at a lower temperature for over an hour. The result is a very tight crumb, it’s moist and it holds it shape making it excellent for carving which is why it is commonly used for 3D cakes by cake decorators. It’s added bonuses are that it lasts for a week and the taste gets better with age.
I’m very curious now how this white chocolate cake compares to my go to white chocolate mud cake. Does it have the same properties, similar taste, etc. I wonder if yours leans more towards s sponge cake in comparison to a dense cake. Only one way to found out and I’m excited to give it a try. You’re cakes are amazing and I’m sure this won’t disappoint.
Olivia says
Hi Koula! I’ve had Mud Cake before, but only once and it was chocolate (my sister lives in Sydney btw!). This one isn’t as dense as those. It’s more of a denser sponge with white chocolate flavour. I look forward to hearing what you think about it and the differences!
Erin says
Just when we were contemplating what to make with the white chocolate in the pantry…this cake appears on your website! You must be psychic 🙂 You always seem to know exactly what your readers would love and want to make. Considering the amount of white chocolate in this cake, I know two things: (1), I am going to completely and utterly LOVE this cake, and (2), I’m gonna need to go over to Vancouver and have a shopping spree at The Gourmet Warehouse (I checked that store out one time while in Vancouver, after reading about it on your blog, and I could practically live in there) and purchase one of those 2 kilogram bars of white chocolate. My eyes practically popped out of my head when I saw those ginormous chocolate bars, and any excuse to buy one…I’m taking it.
Olivia says
Haha, I try! 😉 Glad the timing was good for this one and I hope you love it. LOVE the Gourmet Warehouse! I don’t get out there too often (it’s a bit out of the way) but when I do I stock up. It’s hard not to walk out of there with bags of goodies and their chocolate selection is particularly amazing. I hope you plan another trip soon!
Sarah says
I feel myself being pulled towards the kitchen already. I ADORE white chocolate! And I’ve always wanted to make a cake like this, but I’ve never found a recipe! How could I make this work for 3 9-inch round pans though? I don’t own any 6 or 8-inch pans. This cake looks amazing 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! So glad you’re in the white chocolate LOVE camp! I would 2x the recipe for three 9″ pans. You can just double the Servings and it should update all of the amounts. Let me know how it turns out!