This White Chocolate Raspberry Cake combines white chocolate cake layers with a white chocolate swiss meringue buttercream, fresh raspberries, and raspberry jam. A perfect flavor combination!

Hi everyone! Sorry it’s been so long since my last post/recipe — this was not intended. For those of you who don’t know, we got a puppy at the end of June and it’s been pure chaos ever since. I knew that puppies were a lot of work, but this is a whole ‘nother level of craziness.
I actually made this White Chocolate Raspberry Cake weeks (months?) ago with the intent to post it in July. That obviously didn’t happen.

In addition to the puppy (who we named Zelda, after our mutual love of the video game franchise), we were also dealing with some unplanned renos due to a water leak in a neighbor’s unit that flooded our basement in early June.
I exaggerate a bit when I say flooded — it was a slow leak in a cracked pipe that cause water to seep up from under the floorboards. But still, one wall and the entire floor had to be ripped up and replaced which finally just happened last week, so we were living in a construction zone for 2 months.
This might not seem like that big of a deal, but the basement is actually where we hang out the most. It’s a walkout with huge windows and a view — it’s where we have our tv, and it’s generally the coziest room in the house. If we had a fireplace down here, I’m convinced we’ve never leave! It’s also the main puppy space, so the whole reno was really disruptive.

Ryan and I opted to do the demo and move all our furniture to save a bit of time/money. We have some rather large pieces of furniture down here that we had to move (giant sectional + chaise, book cases, tv, etc). It was a lot of work! Poor Zelda was confined to her pen for the better part of a weekend, and then got shuffled upstairs while the work was being done.
I’m complaining. I tend to do that. In the grand scheme of things, it could have been a lot worse. None of our stuff was damaged, insurance paid for the whole thing, and we have a nice new floor down here now (the old one was terrible).

Zelda though, she’s a handful omg. Potty training has been a nightmare. I think (hope) that’s mostly due to all the disruption we’ve had with the unplanned renos (literally the worst timing for that to happen). She’s been moved around from downstairs to upstairs and back again. Hoping things calm down a bit in that regard since the renos are officially done (YAY!). Now that that’s settled, I’m hoping to get a bit more consistency for her with everything.
The worst part, though, has been the biting. I know that puppies bite. But she BITES. Like, draws blood if you let her (and sometimes even if you try not to), with those razor sharp puppy teeth. I know it’s her way of playing/teething, but omg, it is brutal. My arms and hands are just shredded and bruised from those puppy teeth. It’s SO painful. Literally nothing we try has worked. We’ve tried redirecting her to toys, disengaging, yelping (which only gets her more hyper). There was honestly a point this weekend where I was like, this is hell. Wtf did we do??
But then there are times where she’s so cute and adorable I can’t imagine that I was ever mad/frustrated with her. My friend Eva said to me yesterday, “Puppies are as cute as they are for survival purposes – otherwise you’d kill them.” There has never been a more accurate statement.
Anyhow, let’s talk about this White Chocolate Raspberry Cake, because it’s crazy delicious.

I’m actually not a fan of white chocolate. It’s not really chocolate after all. It contains no cocoa solids and is made up strictly of cocoa butter, sugar, and milk. But I had a request in my Facebook Group for a White Chocolate Raspberry Cake, and who am I to turn that down? It makes perfect use of those summer berries, too.
Honestly, this cake is now one of my favorites. The white chocolate flavor is there, but it’s not overpowering like straight up white chocolate can be. And the sweet/tart fresh raspberries are a perfect compliment.
How to make this White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
To make this white chocolate cake, I modified the recipe from my White Chocolate Candy Cane Cake. Technically the ratio of sugar in this recipe is too high, because the white chocolate also has sugar in it. I didn’t find it overly sweet though, and I loved the texture, so I’m leaving the recipe as-is. Note that the cake will bake up with a darker golden crust due to the extra sugar. If you like, you can reduce the granulated sugar in the recipe to 1 1/2 cups instead.
This is considered a mud cake due to the chocolate in the cake batter. Mud cakes are dense, moist, and almost fudgy in texture. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy cake, this is not it!
I used raspberry jam between the layers along with fresh raspberries for an extra hit, but you can leave the jam out if you like. I used store-bought seeded jam (I like the seeds), but you can use any you like, or even homemade if you prefer!
The decorating style of this White Chocolate Raspberry Cake is very simple. I kept the sides semi-naked and did a design on top similar to my Lemon Elderflower Cake. I piled some fresh raspberries on top, and added some thyme sprigs for a pop of green.

This truly is a delicious flavor combination, and the fresh berries make it so perfect for summer!
Looking for more berry desserts?
- Strawberry Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream
- Vanilla Custard Cookie Cups
- Raspberry Mango Cake
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Blueberry Shortcake
Tips for making this White Chocolate Cake with Raspberries
- This is considered a mud cake due to the chocolate in the cake batter. Mud cakes are dense, moist, and almost fudgy in texture. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy cake, this is not it!
- The ratio of sugar in this recipe is high due to the addition of the white chocolate. This will give a darker crust. I did not find it overly sweet, but you can reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups instead.
- Try to use the best quality white chocolate you can find. White chocolate chips will do, but the flavor will be better with good quality white chocolate.
- If you don’t like raspberries, this white chocolate cake would be just as delicious with blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, check out my Flat Top Cakes post!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
White Chocolate Cake:
- 6 oz white chocolate chopped (or white chocolate chips)
- 2 cups milk
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz white chocolate chopped, melted, cooled
Assembly:
- 500 g fresh raspberries divided
- 6 Tbsp raspberry jam seeded or seedless (optional)
Instructions
White Chocolate Cake:
- Heat milk and chocolate until melted and combined, cool to room temperature.*
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour three 8″ 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 approx. 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 white chocolate and whip until smooth.
Assembly:
- Reserve 1/3rd of the prettiest raspberries (160g) for the top of the cake. Very roughly chop remaining 2/3rds of the raspberries (330g). I basically just made sure each was cut in half.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Spread approx. 3 Tbsp of raspberry jam evenly across the layer, right to the edges. Top with 1 cup of buttercream and spread evenly. Press half of the chopped raspberries evenly into the frosting. Repeat with next layer.
- Top with final layer of cake and crumb coat. Add 1 cup of buttercream to the very top and smooth until it hangs over the sides. Use an icing smoother to smooth the sides and create a lip on the top with the frosting.
- Dollop a bit of frosting on the top and spread out in a rustic manner. Top with fresh raspberries and thyme sprigs if desired.
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.
Victoria G says
Enjoyed eating this cake! I baked at 10 deg less than recipe (my oven runs hot) for 35 min. BC Meringue was a little too much (volume wise) had an extra cup left over (will likely re-use for Christmas cookies). would suggest 5 EW, 1.5 cup of butter and 1.5 cup of sugar instead of 6 EW and 2 cups each?
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! So glad you liked it! The buttercream recipe makes enough to fully frost the cake (not naked style). I forgot to mention that in my post! Thanks for the feedback.
Alexandra Moon says
I was actually really disappointed with this recipe and am surprised it received such a high rating. The sponge came out heavy and dense (I make cake regularly and this is never usually the case) and the proportions for the icing seemed totally out – producing way more than was necessary and it felt like a real waste of ingredients 🙁
Olivia says
Hi Alexandra! Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. This recipe is considered a mud cake (due to the melted chocolate in it). Mud cakes are known to be more on the dense side but it should not be unpleasantly dense. That can be due to a couple of factors:
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.
This is quite a large cake and I did not have much frosting left over myself.
Holly says
The flavors are there and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and I feel 40 minutes was too long of a bake time. My cake ended up over-baked. I would suggest cooking it for a shorter amount of time and then increasing if needed.
Olivia says
Hi Holly! Sorry, this one turned out overbaked for you! Baking times are just a guideline as every oven bakes differently. Some run hot, some run cold. It’s important to check on your cakes as they are cooking to see if they need longer/shorter. You can save overbaked cakes by drizzling some simple syrup on the cake layers (https://livforcake.com/simple-syrup-recipe/). It really helps!
Soozie says
Can this recipe be done with milk or dark chocolate instead? Would it make a difference to the texture etc?
I’ve made this cake for 4 separate occasions now and everyone loves it. The Swiss Meringue buttercream Makes it less sweet
Olivia says
Hi Soozie! I haven’t done it with milk or dark myself. The texture shouldn’t be affected too much but I’d not sure the milk/dark chocolate will really come through as well as the white does. Let me know if you give it a try!
El says
Hello! Is there any way I can make this gluten free? What GF flour measurements would I use to replace All purpose?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi El! If you use a proper GF all-purpose flour blend then you can replace it cup for cup.
Emma says
I made this cake for my daughters birthday in May, it was delicious and got many lovely comments. My son’s birthday is fast approaching and he wants a milk chocolate sponge, can I substitute the white chocolate with milk chocolate?
Olivia says
Hi Emma! I’m so happy you loved it! You should be able to swap the chocolate no problem. I haven’t tried it myself with milk chocolate so not sure how strong the flavour will come through.
Arshia says
Hello, I was wondering if this cake would taste good with a blueberry filling instead of raspberry.
Will blueberry and white chocolate complement each other?
Olivia says
Hi Arshia! I think it would be delicious with blueberry!
Ejones says
Didn’t like this cake at all. Did not turn out nice and light and spongey like the pictures look, instead very dense and cornbread like. Taste wasn’t anything great either. Won’t be using again.
Olivia says
Hi Ejones! Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. This recipe is considered a mud cake (due to the melted chocolate in it). Mud cakes are known to be more on the dense side, but it should not be unpleasantly dense or taste like cornbread. Those can be due to a couple factors:
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.
April says
Hi,
I want to try this cake but instead of Swiss Meringue Buttercream i want to use Ermine Frosting. Would that work?
Olivia says
Hi April! I haven’t tried adding white chocolate to ermine, but in theory it should work. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Chantalle says
Hi Olivia! How much of milk does one add to the chocolate when melting it?
Olivia says
Hi Chantalle! The 2 cups milk listed in the recipe.
Sanjana says
Hi Olivia, I absolutely love all your recipes they’re so good.
Just wanted to know if the Eggs in the White chocolate cake recipe can be replaced by Flax seeds
Olivia says
Hi Sanjana! I haven’t tried that myself so can’t say what affect it will have on the texture.
Sharyn Critch says
Can I freeze the white chocolate and raspberry cake fully assembled please.
Olivia says
Hi Sharyn! Yes, that will be fine 🙂
Mikayla says
Hi! I absolutely love your cakes. I made your caramel apple cake the other day and it was a hit! Everyone loved it and thought it was the best cake. I am going to make this one next, and I was wondering if I could add raspberries to the buttercream? Or will that mess up the texture. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Mikayla! So happy you love my cakes! For best results, I would use freeze-dried raspberry powderif you can get some. Or pulverize FD raspberries yourself and use that. The fresh berries will work “ok” but adding too many may cause the buttercream to split due to the extra moisture. Raspberry jam is also a great option!
Olivia says
I am making an 8″ 4 layer cake however I want a full coating (crumb coat and then a coat on top sort of thing) do you know the quantities best for the buttercream? xx
Olivia says
Hi Olivia! I’m not totally sure but it sounds like you’re doubling the cake recipe? I would do the same for the buttercream.
Autumn says
I am very excited to give this a try. I only have 9 inch round pans though. Will this effect the outcome of the cakes? What could I do to ensure they turn out correctly?
Olivia says
Hi Autumn! You can try baking the recipe as-is in two 9″ pans, but you’ll need to increase the baking time. And don’t fill the pans more than 2/3 full.
Hariette says
Hi, This cake caught my attention, looks very decadent therefore I’m thinking of making this cake for my sons 4th Birthday, but I’m thinking if this recipe would be enough for a 30×38 cm rectangular pan? As I’m thinking of making a rocket shaped cake for him. And lastly, will the buttercream be enough if use both as filling and frosting for that size of pan? Thanks in advance.
Olivia says
Hi Hariette! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html
Jacqui says
Hi Liv!
I am so keen to try this recipe tomorrow!
I only have one cake pan to bake one cake layer at a time; will that be ok for the remaining mixed cake batter to wait standby on the counter until I finish baking each layer separately to then use the same pan again? Or should I try and mix the cake batter just before each bake? Hope that makes sense!
Olivia says
Hi Jacqui! Sorry for the delayed reply. Ideally you’d bake the cakes all at the same time since the raising agent is activated as soon as the batter is mixed. What did you end up doing and how did it work out??
Elisabeth says
Hello do hou have the recipe in grams pleas
Olivia says
Hi Elisabeth! There is a metric converter below the list of ingredients.
Teresa says
Hi,
Would it be possible to add frozen raspberries to the batter or would they sink all the way to the bottom?
Olivia says
Hi Teresa! You could give it a try, but be sure to toss them in flour first and fold them in at the end.
Donna Snape says
Hi,
Could this be converted to bake in one tin and then sliced into 3? (eg 8 x 4 inch tin. Also can I just check that it’s definitely 1 tablespoon of baking powder?
Thank you 😊
Olivia says
Hi Donna! You could try and bake it in one 8 inch round, but I worry that 4″ tall isn’t quite enough. It will be close anyhow, you can give it a try 🙂 Also, it will need much longer in the oven and worry that the cake edges might dry out because of that. Again, give it a try and let me know how it works out 🙂 And yes, just 1 Tbsp (3 tsp) baking powder.
Dani says
Hi. I would like to try this for my daughters birthday but she’s 4 and loves frosting so I’m thinking the naked cake look won’t go over well.
Does this make enough icing to fully ice the cake normally?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Dani! I would use these amounts to be safe:
8 large egg whites
2.5 cups granulated sugar
2.5 cups unsalted butter room temperature
10 oz white chocolate chopped, melted, cooled
This might make a bit too much but I always prefer to have extra frosting rather than too little!