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.
Angie says
Hi Liv just wanted to update you on the recipe, i doubled the recipe again used the same pans but i used the reverse creaming method this time! It came out amazing definitely not overmixed . Thank you so much!
Sioux says
Hey just wondering if you can share the steps you took to do the reverse creaming on this recipe. I’m having trouble with this cake, ive baked it 6 times now and each time it either sinks, or has gluey streaks in it indicating im over mixing the batter but im mixing it so ridiculously gently and by hand. I bake in 3in deep 6in wide tins.
Angie says
Hello Liv, i recently doubled this recipe and the texture and the way it baked up seem a bit off.. when i made a single batch it was fine.. wondering if doubling the recipe had to
Do with it is 1.5 batch the max i can do? Please let me know
I love love this recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Angie! Did you adjust the pan size as well? Doubling a recipe is usually ok, but it does depend somewhat on how deep the layers were etc. What size pans did you use and how tall were they?
Angie says
Hello , i used 4 7″ layers and i isually like my layers tall so i fill over half using 2″ rounds i did however adjusted the milk to 1 1/4 cup milk & 1/3 oil and it worked great! But once i made a doubled batch the texture changed had alot of wholes in it maybe i overmixed? Maybe i’ll try the reverse creaming method next time.
Olivia says
Ah yes, the holes can be due to overmixing and that can also cause a more dense cake!
Lindy says
I’d like to make this for my daughters birthday, looks amazing! If I want to use 3.x 8inch pans how may servings should I change it to to get the correct weights? Also how long will it keep? I’d like to make the sponge 2 days before and icing the day before.
Thank you!
L
Olivia says
Hi Lindy! For three 8″ pans change the Servings to 18. Baking time may differ slightly.
If it’s just a day in advance you can leave both at room temp (wrapped/covered in plastic wrap). The buttercream will need to be rewhipped before use to fluff it up again. Otherwise, if making further in advance:
For the Cake: Cool the layers, double wrap in plastic wrap, freeze for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
For the Buttercream: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 week for freeze for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
Let me know how it turns out!
B says
Hi! Just found your blog and am excited to make this (actually, your White Chocolate Mocha Cake) for my husband’s birthday. Am a bit concerned that, with all the white chocolate, it could be a bit too sweet. Do you think reducing the sugar in the cake batter by 1/4c would cause problems?
Olivia says
Hi B! Reducing the sugar by 1/4 cup should be totally fine. Let me know how you like it!
Brandi says
Also I tried this using a name brand carton egg whites for the Swiss meringue buttercream frosting and it turned out perfect. I used shell eggs the first time I made it came out just as perfectly the second time around using the carton egg whites.
Olivia says
That’s great! What brand of whites did you use?
Brandi says
Hi Liv!!! This cake has been a big hit for me!! I’ve been asked to make it in a milk chocolate version. I already know which cake recipe I’m gonna use, but for the Swiss meringue buttercream frosting can I just use milk chocolate instead of the white chocolate??
Olivia says
Hi Brandi! That should be no problem!
Marian says
Hi Liv, may I ask how to adjust the measurement if I’m using a 7″ round cake mold instead? that’s the only size I have right now. I would highly appreciate your help. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Marian! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html, but it doesn’t have 7″ on there. If you’re fine with thinner layers you can bake the recipe as is in three 7″ pans and just reduce the baking time.
Marian says
Thank you for your reply! Last question, can I out food coloring on my buttercream? I’m worried it would its consistency since there will white chocolate in it. Thank you Liv!
Olivia says
Hi Marian! Yes, that will be fine but be sure to use gel or powdered coloring, not liquid. I would add it at the very end.
Angie says
Hi Liv , can i add crushed oreo to the batter do make a cookies & cream version??
Olivia says
Hi Angie! For sure! Just toss them in some flour and fold them in gently at the end.
Helen Rigby says
Made this for my daughters 18th birthday. Added pink gel colouring to the drip icing and decorated with pink and white chocolates. I was a bit worried about using plain flour but needed have, it tasted amazing and will be a cake recipe I will keep
Olivia says
Hi Helen! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
Ezinne says
Hello Liv, I’m looking to try out this recipe & I’m wondering if I can use oil in place of butter?
Olivia says
Hi Ezzine! For best results use butter. I haven’t tested it with oil or margarine. I don’t think it would be a disaster but it will affect the flavor and texture.
Leilani says
Can i use cake flour instead of all purpose? Will that make the white chocolate cake lighter and fluffier? thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Leilani! Yes, you can try it with cake flour and it should make for a slightly fluffier cake.
Leilani says
How much cake flour would should i use to replace the all purpose flour? TIA
Olivia says
Hi Leilani! I would just swap it one for one.
SIM says
Dying to try this recipe but i was just wondering if someone knows hos many gram each ingredient needs. I find it very difficult to calculate cups to grams because there are so many schedules who says different thing. Here in the Netherlands we work with grams.
Hope someone can help, would really appreciate it !
Olivia says
Hi SIM! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients 🙂
Shreya says
How many layers should we cut the cake in ? And in the recipe of the cake that you’ve give can we make this tall cake in the picture ?
Olivia says
Hi Shreya! The recipe makes the cake pictured. I didn’t cut the cake into layers, but baked in three separate pans.
Carmen Hislop says
Hi would it be possible to make this a whiteboard chocolate passionfruit cake? With some passion fruit pulp and essence or something? 🙂 thanks
Olivia says
Hi Carmen! You could do a passion fruit filling for it 🙂
Kathryn says
Hi! I am planning to do this cake right now actually for my birthday in few minutes (UK time) and just wondering if there is still a need to drizzle sugar syrup on to the sponge when assembling because you had it written on the tips but not on the recipe. Or is the cake sponge moist enough to leave the syrup out? Thanks in advance.
Olivia says
Hi Kathryn! The syrup is optional and really only necessary if adding flavour or moisture due to an overbaked cake. The cake is moist enough without it for sure!
Simone says
Made this cake twice already. Delicious. Currently making it in the form of cupcakes. Where were you all my life Liv. Thank you very much. From Trinidad and Tobago btw.
Olivia says
Hi Simone! I’m so happy you love it! 🙂
EA says
Hi Olivia, How should I edit the recipe if I want to prepare a dozen cupcakes
Olivia says
Hi EA! The recipe makes about 18-24 cupcakes, depending on size. So you could halve the recipe (adjust the Servings to get the amounts). Bake at the same temperature but start checking them at 15mins or so.
Arshia says
I was considering using blueberry compote as a filling between the layers to make it a blueberry-white chocolate cake. Will the flavours compliment each other and would you suggest using blueberry filling?
Olivia says
Hi Arshia! I think that would taste delicious!
Donna says
Hi, I made this cake & it was my first time making SMBC & thanks to your easy to follow instructions it was a success, only problem was I made the buttercream the day before & it was a lovely pale colour but when I rewhipped it to decorate the cake it seemed to turn very yellow. Would decorating the cake immediately prevent this happening? Other than that the cake tasted & looked amazing.
Olivia says
Hi Donna! It sounds like maybe it just needed a bit more whipping. I’ve had the yellow thing happen when the buttercream separates a bit and needs a good whip. Was it at room temperature or very soft when you rewhipped it?
Donna says
Hi Olivia, thank you for replying so quickly. It was at room temperature when I rewhipped it but by the time I had finished decorating the cake it was quite soft so I guess I mustn’t have whipped it long enough.
Olivia says
I sometimes have to rewhip my buttercream while I’m frosting the cake if it’s taking a long time. Especially if my place is a bit hot.
Georgie says
Hello, I’m hoping to make this cake to be eating in 1 weeks time. Is it OK to make a week early then freeze?
Olivia says
Hi Georgie! Yes, the cake freezes fine!
Dolores Jones says
I love this I must make it at least three times for me to master it. An I will
Olivia says
Hi Dolores! So happy you love it! 🙂