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.
Donna says
My cousin wants me to bake this white chocolate cake for her birthday, can anyone tell me how long it will last for please, thank you. Donna
Olivia says
Hi Donna! The cake will last for 2-3 days (refrigerated) after that it will start to dry out.
NK says
Hi Olivia,
I stay in a very hot and humid climate. Can I add hi ratio shortening instead of butter or half butter half shortening instead of all butter.
Olivia says
Hi NK! I’ve never tried adding shortening to meringue buttercream so I can’t say for sure. You can definitely give it a try or make an American buttercream instead and add white chocolate to that 🙂 https://livforcake.com/simple-vanilla-buttercream/
Angelique says
I love the cake but Very difficult to get the exact measurements. I am in Mauritius we do not use 0z. Using Geneal measurements would greatly help
Olivia says
Hi Angelique! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.
Risse says
Hi! How many cupcakes will this recipe produce.
Olivia says
Hi Risse! It should make 18-24 depending on size.
Micha says
I made this cake for my MIL’s birthday and it was so very decadent! I didn’t change a thing, except for using fewer truffles on top. I will make it again for sure. Next time I will choose a day when my kitchen is not 80 degrees 😂. Thank you for this recipe.
Olivia says
Hi Micha! So glad you loved it. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Emma says
I can’t wait to try this next week for my boyfriends birthday. He LOVES white chocolate. If I need to make this in advance, how long will it keep and how would you recommend storing it? Does it need to go in the fridge due to the meringue?
Olivia says
Hi Emma! Here are my tips for baking 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.
The finished cake will be fine at room temperature for a day or two or in the fridge for 2-3 days. After that it will start to dry out.
Teresa says
Hello!
I’ve backed it and the taste is really nice. Thank you for the recipe!
The cake was quite challenging to manouver and one of the layers even broke in half. The sides and bottom part got stuck to the backing paper and “pilled off”. Do you think I might have done something wrong or is it normal with a mud cake? I’ve never made one before so not too sure.
Thank you!!
Olivia says
Hi Teresa! Sorry to hear that you had trouble with the cake. I’m surprised a layer broke in half as the cake should be quite sturdy and dense! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe or pan size? Re: sticking to the baking paper, I find it best to pull the paper off as soon as I take the cakes out of their pans (and I only cool them in their pans for 10mins). As an extra step, you could grease the paper so that it comes off more easily.
Emma says
Have you got the recipe in grams? Really want to make this!
Olivia says
Hi Emma! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.
dalila says
Hi, so I’m wondering if I can half the amount of sugar that goes into the buttercream since there’s lots of sweets from the chocolate
Olivia says
Hi Dalila! No, cutting back on the sugar that much will affect the structure of the meringue.
Kristen says
Does anyone have tips for making this work with a hand mixer? My merengue won’t get stiff. I’ve been beating for 20 min or more and it’s still a droopy mess. My arm, and mixer, can’t take any longer. I’m so sad. I wanted this to work so bad for a super special occasion. I’ve restarted 3 times now, carefully followed all the tips. What happens if I mix the butter in without it being stiff? I don’t think I can try again 🙁
Olivia says
Hi Kristen! A hand mixer is more challenging but doable. It sounds like something else is the issue though. See this post for all my tips and troubleshooting: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Tanya says
Hi Olivia! I recent discovered you and made your German chocolate cake. It was my first time making GCC and SMBC, huge success! So now I’m back for more. I’ve noticed the measurements for the base white chocolate cake recipe here and the one for white chocolate cake with raspberries is different. Do you have a preference on taste? I’m unsure which one to use but would prefer to use a recipe of yours. Thanks so much!
Olivia says
Hi Tanya! So glad you liked the GCC! Both of the white chocolate cake recipes are equally delicious and very similar, just formulated for different sized pans.
Janelle says
Could the milk be substituted for buttermilk in the recipe? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Janelle! Normally I would say yes, but I find buttermilk cakes to be a bit more dense and this cake is already on the dense side due to being a mud cake.
Alexandra says
Hi there – I want to make this cake but also decorate it as a succulent cake. Is this frosting good for piping? Specifically for flowers/succulents?
Olivia says
Hi Alexandra! The frosting is great for piping! 🙂
Renee says
I look to make this cake for my sisters birthday this week. What would happen if I substituted all-purpose flour for cake flour? Would the cake be fluffier or the same?
Thanks so much !!
Olivia says
Hi Renee! Cake flour should work fine and will lighten the cake slightly, but it will still be on the dense side due to the white chocolate.
Bronte says
Hello how many batches would I need if I wanted to use a 10’ inch tin? And it be a decent height for a wedding cake? Or what sizes would you suggest for a two tiered wedding cake please!
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Bronte! Are you looking at one three-layer 10″ cake? 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
The size of the cake usually depends on how many guests are expected. What do the bride and groom want? 🙂
Renae says
Hi there! Would this better be enough for two 7” pans? Would the cake from one tin be thick enough to slick to make two layers with buttercream inbetween?
Olivia says
Hi Renae! 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
The cake recipe as-is will work for two 8″ pans. If your 7″ pans are 3″ tall then it could work and then you should be able to cut them in half.
Renae says
Hi Olivia, thank you! I will make one batch of batter and use it amongst two 7″ tins. Would you suggest altering the baking time? I was going to bake in a 160C fan forced oven. Would the recipe also work well if I use milk chocolate instead of white chocolate?
Thanks,
Renae 🙂
Olivia says
Yes, baking time will be longer since the cakes will be thicker. Hard to say how long exactly so be sure to check on them 🙂 And yes, milk chocolate would be totally fine!
Sophia says
I would recommend you to do the same with milk chocolate
Olivia says
Hi Sophia! You should be able to replace white chocolate with milk chocolate in this recipe.
Lide says
Hi Liv! I love your recipes and am excited to try this one in the week!
I just wanted to know if there is a way to make the cake more airy and fluffy instead of as dense as a mud cake?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Lide! This recipe will be inherently denser due to the white chocolate in the cake batter. You can try to use cake flour to fluff it up a little bit but I haven’t tried it myself. You won’t be able to make it airy and fluffy though since it is more of a mud cake and meant to be dense.
Nicole says
It came out super super dense. It had the taste of cornbread. I’m pretty sure I messed up something in the recipe so will try again but first go round was a disaster.
Olivia says
Hi Nicole! This is considered a mud cake due to the white chocolate so it is more on the dense side. It should not taste like cornbread, but that can happen for a couple of reasons:
1. Too much flour was used — be sure to spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off rather than using it as a scoop.
2. The batter was overmixed — once you start adding the flour, mix on low and only just until the flour is incorporated. Overmixing develops too much gluten which can lead to a cornbread taste.
Jennifer DN says
Hi! What sizing pan did you use for this recipe? How many layers were you able to make with this amount?