Moist White Chocolate Cake Recipe
White chocolate is a creamier, richer, and more elegant version of milk chocolate. It can be found as the scrumptious center of some M&M candies, as a festive fudge that's fun to enjoy with family on special occasions, and as a form of baking chips perfect for sprucing up traditional milk chocolate chip cookies or complementing the flavors of dark chocolate cookies. Out of all the amazing uses of white chocolate, you may not have thought about using it as an ingredient in cake. How is it even possible?
Recipe developer and food blogger Jennine Bryant of The Marshide Pantry cleverly came up with a method for melting fresh white chocolate pieces and blending them into the batter for a resulting taste that literally melts in your mouth with every forkful. Bryant's recipe takes slightly more than an hour from start to finish, and the finished product truly is magazine cover-worthy — it's that beautiful, and it's also delicious. Give it a try and see for yourself.
Gather the ingredients to prepare this moist white chocolate cake
In order to prepare this decadent recipe, you'll need to round up milk, white cooking chocolate, butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, self-rising flour, and powdered sugar. Bryant uses whole milk because of its creaminess and richness, but this ingredient could be subbed for a dairy-free alternative if needed, such as almond milk, she explains. "You don't need to change any of the recipe steps to do that or change any quantities, just melt the white chocolate in with your chosen milk or milk alternative," Bryant says, which means it is still going to be delicious regardless of your milk choice.
The butter Bryant prefers to use is unsalted, because it allows you to have control over the amount of salt added to the cake. "Though, admittedly if I only have salted butter in the house, I'll use that," she says.
What form of white chocolate should you use?
For this recipe, you will need 2 cups of white cooking chocolate. Bryant says you can use white chocolate drops, which are similar to melting candy discs, candy melts, or melting candy wafers. Otherwise, almond bark or white baking chocolate bars ought to work just fine for this recipe, she notes.
Being a sweeter chocolate, white chocolate is comprised of cocoa butter, vanilla, sugar, lecithin, and milk products (via Bon Appétit). Most cooks will agree that for baking, it's best to use baking bars or chocolate chips. "The most important thing is that you stick to the measurements, whichever form your white chocolate comes in," Bryant says. So, use what you are most comfortable using or what you happen to have at home in your pantry for this recipe. It's going to be delicious regardless of the white chocolate source.
Start with the liquid ingredients
To get started with this recipe, preheat the oven to 350 F, then butter two 8-inch round cake pans. Melt 1 ¼ cups of white chocolate together with ¾ cup of milk in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water, a method called a bain-marie. Continue stirring the melted chocolate until everything is thoroughly combined and melted. Then, remove the bowl from the heat source, and set it aside to cool.
Beat together 1 cup of butter, ⅓ cup of granulated sugar, and ⅓ cup of light brown sugar for three to four minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extra, then add the three eggs one at a time, making sure they are completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to get any excess mixture.
The bain-marie method
Let's discuss the bain-marie technique here for just a moment. Bain-marie uses hot water for cooking delicate foods like custards or chocolate. This bath of hot water heats up the food that's contained in the bowl very delicately while it's sitting over boiling water. This process encourages the food item to melt evenly without burning. Bryant prefers the bain-marie process for this recipe because it allows for more control when melting the chocolate and milk together, she explains.
"White chocolate can be quite delicate and easy to burn, which is much more likely to happen in the microwave due to how it heats food. I do definitely use the microwave for melting chocolate too, though," Bryant says. You can use whatever method you are most comfortable with, but at least now you may have learned a new way of doing it.
Incorporate the dry ingredients
Add ⅓ of the self-rising flour to the batter, and mix until it's combined. Then, add in ⅓ of the cooled white chocolate mixture, and blend it together well.
"Self-rising flour is super useful. It's basically just flour with the baking powder already mixed in. It's perfectly possible to substitute with plain flour and the appropriate amount of baking powder. We use self-rising flour a lot in England," Bryant explains.
Continue to alternate adding the self-rising flour and the white chocolate until everything is blended thoroughly. "This cake batter is better mixed by alternating adding the flour and melted chocolate bit by bit. It's a very wet cake batter, and if the white chocolate and milk mixture is added to the sugar, butter, and eggs mix, it could cause everything to separate and ruin the batter. The flour gives the batter more structure and thickens it, but if it is mixed too much, the gluten in the flour will be activated and make the cake tougher. Alternating the wet and dry ingredients and adding them in increments allows for the ingredients to combine properly and makes a soft, light sponge," Bryant says.
Pop the pans in the oven to bake
Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake pans, and bake them for 35 to 45 minutes until a toothpick or skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then turn them over, and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
While the cakes are cooling, melt the remaining ¾ cup of white chocolate using the bain-marie process until smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat, and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup of butter to a bowl and, using a stand mixer, add in 1 cup of powdered sugar. Once combined, slowly add the cooled white chocolate, and mix until incorporated. If the mixture seems a bit stiff, add a few drops of milk.
Add the finishing touches
When the two round cakes you baked have cooled completely, place one on a serving platter, cake stand, or cake plate, and spoon ⅓ of the white chocolate buttercream on top. Gently spread the frosting with a spoon or knife. Once it's covered evenly, place the second cake layer on top. Then, you are going to put the icing on the cake, which is the best part! Frost the tops and sides of the cake generously with the rest of the white chocolate buttercream.
This decadent cake will look like a complete and utter masterpiece, and it will be difficult not to dig right in. It can be left frosted pure white, or you can garnish this scrumptious dessert with some bright red, fresh raspberries for an extra kick of flavor and a beautiful adornment. The next step is, of course, grabbing some forks and plates, dig right in with friends or family, and enjoy! This is the ultimate recipe to prepare for a backyard summer dinner party, a special birthday, a bridal shower, or even Sunday brunch. It will be a recipe you will love to make for years to come. Get ready to snap away, because this is totally a Pinterest-worthy dessert to be proud of and show off.
- 2 cups white cooking chocolate, divided
- ¾ cup milk (plus a little extra, if needed, for the buttercream)
- 2 cups butter, divided
- ⅓ cup caster sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and butter and line two 8-inch round cake tins.
- Melt 1 ¼ cups of white chocolate together with the milk in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water (a bain-marie). Keep mixing until everything is melted and combined, then take the bowl off the heat source, and set it aside to cool.
- Beat together 1 cup of butter, the caster sugar, and the light brown sugar for 3 to 4 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract, and then add the eggs one at a time, making sure they are properly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Add ⅓ of the self-rising flour, and mix until combined. Then add ⅓ of the cooled white chocolate mixture, and combine. Keep alternating between the self-rising flour and the white chocolate until everything is fully incorporated.
- Divide the cake batter between the two prepared cake tins, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes until a skewer poked into the cake comes out mostly clean.
- Take the cakes out to cool. After 10 minutes, turn them over, and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cakes are cooling, melt the final ¾ cup of white chocolate over a bain-marie until smooth. Take it off the heat, and let it cool for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the other 1 cup of butter to a stand mixer, and mix in the icing sugar. Once these are combined, slowly add the cooled white chocolate, and mix until incorporated. If the mixture is a little stiff, add a few drops of milk.
- Once the cake sponges have cooled, place one on a cake plate, cake stand, or serving platter, and spoon ⅓ of the white chocolate buttercream on to the first sponge cake. Spread the frosting with a spoon or knife.
- Place the second cake on top, then coat the top and sides of the cake with the rest of the white chocolate buttercream.
- Leave as it is or decorate with some fresh raspberries for a delicious tang.
| Calories per Serving | 683 |
| Total Fat | 49.4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 30.3 g |
| Trans Fat | 1.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 155.2 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 60.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.5 g |
| Total Sugars | 42.8 g |
| Sodium | 263.4 mg |
| Protein | 6.2 g |
