Raspberry White Chocolate Cake
Layers of yellow cake with a creamy raspberry filling, all covered with white chocolate buttercream frosting is a beautiful and delicious cake worthy of any occasion.
I’ve gone through a few variations of this cake over the years, and each time I bake it I make some small improvement, but I’m now declaring this raspberry white chocolate cake is done. It’s perfect.
It has the most tender and moist vanilla cake layers, and the frosting is my favorite whipped vanilla buttercream folded together with melted white chocolate. For the filling I’ve simply beaten fresh raspberries right into the white chocolate frosting. The combination of white chocolate, fresh raspberries, and vanilla cake is amazing and delicious.
This layer cake is perfect for whenever you can find fresh raspberries in-season, but you can also use frozen raspberries and enjoy this cake year-round!
How to Make this Raspberry White Chocolate Cake
Layer cakes are a labor of love, it’s true. But like all beautiful homemade cakes, it will be worth it in the end!
There are 3 components to this cake:
- Vanilla cake layers
- Raspberry filling
- White chocolate buttercream frosting
The Best Vanilla Cake Layers
This cake starts with my new favorite vanilla cake recipe. I played with this recipe for weeks and happily landed with what you see here.
These cake layers are tender and soft, but still very moist, with great buttery vanilla flavor. I added just a touch of almond extract to give them a little something extra.
Raspberry Filling
As I’ve already mentioned, the raspberry filling in between the vanilla cake layers is just the white chocolate buttercream mixed with fresh raspberries (you can also use frozen) until they’re broken up a bit. This is my favorite way to fill a cake, with a variation on whatever frosting I’m using on top. It keeps things easy!
I also added a few whole raspberries on top of the filling, for a little extra burst of raspberry flavor. Note, if you use frozen raspberries, thaw them first and let them drain in a colander for several hours to remove as much excess liquid as possible.
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This frosting is thick, creamy, and has a distinct white chocolate flavor. You’ll have just enough frosting to make raspberry filling for a three-layer cake and frost the whole thing, but there won’t be much left over for decorating. If you’d like to add any extra frosting decorations, I recommend making 1 ½ of this recipe.
I chose to leave decoration simple and slightly rustic, using fresh raspberries and white chocolate curls on top. If you’d like to make white chocolate curls, here’s the tutorial I used (I adjusted it to use white chocolate instead of dark).
However you decorate this cake, I can promise it will taste amazing! And if making layer cakes is slightly intimidating, read on for my best cake tips.
My Best Cake Tips
- If you’re new to baking layer cakes or need a little help, be sure to check out my complete guide for how to build a layer cake. It’s got everything you need to know!
- For the absolute best results, have the sour cream and eggs at room temperature before mixing the cake. This will help the ingredients combine better, which affects rise and texture.
- You can use either 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. (These are the pans I have and love.) 8-inch pans will yield a taller cake, 9-inch will yield one that’s wider and shorter. I like to use 3 pans to make 3 layers for this cake but you can also use more or less pans for a 2 or 4 layered cake.
- Do your cakes tend to stick inside the pan? See how I prepare my cake pans so they come out clean every single time.
- You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries to make this cake, but if you use frozen, let them thaw in a colander for several hours to drain excess moisture.
- When shopping for white chocolate look at the label to make sure it has cocoa butter listed as an ingredient. You do not want any kind of oil in place of the cocoa butter or it will not melt smoothly.
- If you need a little help frosting your cake like a (semi) pro, see my full tutorial.
- I like to store assembled cakes in the fridge to keep them firm, fresh, and safe from little hands. They will be freshest within 2-3 days of assembly but can be stored for up to a week. Pull the cake out of the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
- Cake layers can be made ahead! Wrap in plastic and store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer (double wrapped) for several months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before assembling.
More Layer Cakes to Love
- Lemon Blueberry Cake
- Funfetti Layer Cake
- Coconut Lime Cake
- Fresh Strawberry Layer Cake
- Brown Sugar Cinnamon Layer Cake
Shop Tools for this Recipe
This recipe was originally published July 2015.
Raspberry White Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 ½ cups cake flour (283 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream , at room temperature (240 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (226 grams)
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar (350 grams)
For the buttercream:
- 4 ounces quality white chocolate , chopped (113 grams)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (1 lb, 455 grams), sifted after measuring
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226 grams), at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh raspberries (120 grams), plus more for decorating
Instructions
To make the cake layers:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two or three 8 or 9-inch round cake pans (see Notes) with parchment paper and grease with nonstick baking spray.
- In a bowl sift together the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl whisk together the sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla and almond extracts.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl down as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with the wet ingredients, mixing after each. Scrape down the bowl between additions as needed. Batter will be thick
- Divide the batter between the 2 pans, using a spatula to spread it into an even layer. Bake until edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 30 minutes.
- Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and let cool on a wire rack completely. If making cake layers ahead, wrap in plastic and store in the fridge overnight and up to 3 days.
To make the white chocolate buttercream frosting and raspberry filling:
- Place the chopped white chocolate in a large bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir frequently as the chocolate melts, removing it from the heat when only a few lumps remain. Stir until smooth and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, mix all of the ingredients on low speed until it starts to come together.
- Increase speed to high and beat for 4-5 minutes until frosting is fluffy, pausing once or twice to scrape the bowl down.
- Add melted white chocolate and fold into the frosting by hand.
- Remove all but about 1 ½ cups of the frosting from the mixer bowl and set aside. Add the fresh raspberries to the mixer and beat on low speed until raspberries have been broken up and incorporated into the buttercream. You can also do this by hand.
To assemble the cake:
- Place on cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread ½ of raspberry filling onto the top. Cover with another cake layer and repeat.
- Frost entire cake with the white chocolate buttercream. Decorate as desired with more frosting, raspberries, etc.
- Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. If cake is stored in the fridge for an hour or longer, let it come to room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Notes:
- You can use either 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. (These are the pans I have and love.) 8-inch pans will yield a taller cake, 9-inch will yield one that’s wider. I like to use 3 pans to make 3 layers for this cake but you can also use more or less pans for a 2, 4 (or more) layered cake.
- You can use either fresh or frozen raspberries to make this cake, but if you use frozen, let them thaw in a colander for several hours to drain excess moisture.
- When shopping for white chocolate look at the label to make sure it has cocoa butter listed as an ingredient. You do not want any kind of oil in place of the cocoa butter or it will not melt smoothly.
This is sooooo pretty! And I think you are always a classy lady, Annalise! Can’t wait for the new arrival! XO
Wow! How did you get your raspberry frosting to not be all wet? That is truly beautiful and perfect for summer. I’d go at it with a fork, too, and I’m stone cold unpregnant.
Thanks Erin! I simply just mixed in a handful of dry, non-mushy raspberries to the frosting. The mixer breaks them down but leaves them chunky enough so you can see pieces of raspberry in the frosting. Wasn’t wet at all. Hope this helps!
This is a great dish to have.. Thank you for sharing this Annalise.
Woww great
Do you think it would keep in fridge if I made it the day before party?
My all time favorite. Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing this.
Simon
Is there an easier way to make the buttercream?? It seems that the efforts of two people are required to make the buttercream and I am single handed!
Hi Anna! While I agree this frosting is more involved than classical buttercream, it does not require two people. I’ve made it dozens of times solo. For a step-by-step tutorial, see this post. Or if you’d like to stick to a simpler frosting recipe, you can use my whipped vanilla buttercream recipe instead.
If I were to make this recipe in 2 6″ round 2″ high cakes pans how high would I have to fill my calendar pans and how should I adjust the cooking time?
Hi Leanna! I would recommend filling your 6-inch pans no more 2/3 full. You’ll probably need to bake 4 different 6-inch layers to use up all the batter, but since I haven’t done it myself I can’t say for sure. If you only have 2 pans, you can bake just 2 at a time. Remove first 2 layers and let them cool while you bake the second 2. Be sure to re-grease your pans each time. I’m not sure on baking time, but I would start checking after 20 minutes. Hope this helps!
How long is the raspberry frosting good for?
Hello. I was wondering if you dowel layer cakes of this size?
Thanks so much! Am excited to make!
Hi Lucy! No, I’ve never doweled any layer cake smaller than 10 inches, and then only if I’m staking another cake on top. An 8 or 9-inch cake will be just fine on its own! 🙂
My batter turned out to be really thick – almost dough like. I baked it anyway but the cakes did not rise. 🙁 Do you have any ideas as to what went wrong? I am making it for a friends baby shower so want it to be perfect!
For some darn reason my buttercream do not thicken? I’m so bummed!! My cakes turned beautiful tho! Hopefully sticking the frosting in the fridge will do the trick; this was supposed to be Thanksgivings dessert. #Fingerscrossed
I tried this cake recipe TWICE and had the same issue both times. The cake batter bubbled up and spilled over the cake pans and made a huge mess in my oven. I even tried different pans but had the same problem. Also, the edges burnt and the middle was still raw. I’ve never had this issue with a cake recipe before so I’m wondering if anyone had the same experience or can offer any advice?
I tried making this cake recipe TWICE and had the same problem both times. Each time, the cake batter bubbled up and spilled over the edge of the cake pans, making a huge mess in the oven. I even tried it with different pans but the same thing happened. Also, the edges burnt and the middle was still undercooked. I’ve never experienced this before with a cake recipe so I’m wondering if anyone can offer some advice here?
This sounds so good! Can I do something to remove the seeds from the raspberries because they bother my stomach?
Hi! I was wondering how deep the cake pans need to be? Congrats on the baby! I know this is so late but I hope you can take the time out of your day to respond!
Hi Ari! My baking pans are 3 inches deep. You’d probably be okay with 2-inch deep pans, though don’t fill them more than 2/3 full. If needed, divide the batter up to make 3 layers. Hope this helps!
Thanks so much! I’m making this for my moms birthday so I need it to be perfect just like yours!
Is the buttercream overly sweet? Cake looks amazing!!
Can these be made into cupcakes?
I have made white mountain frosting as well as buttercream frosting many, many times but this frosting just did not turn out. It was so runny, I knew right away it was not going well. If it doesn’t firm up in fridge, I will have to find a different recipe online.
Why are you posting the same pics as https://www.scoutandbandit.com/blog/2017/10/22/white-chocolate-raspberry-mudcake. Whose photos are they?
They are my photos. Thank you for alerting me to this, I will reach out to them.
Made this yesterday and subbed the egg yolks for some yoghurt to make it a white cake and it was delicious! Did a rose pink ombré with the butter cream and made some roses to top the cake with matcha leaves. Such a great recipe, thank you so much for sharing!
Could you make it without the almond extract for a nut allergy?
Sure! Feel free to use vanilla extract instead.
I made this for my daughter’s 16th birthday. The buttercream frosting and raspberry filling was good but the cake was very dry.
I may have done the buttercream wrong but my initial impression was that the raspberries were going to leak and cause the buttercream to split… And it did! It was all going so well up to that point. I also cut the sugar in the recipe because it was way too sweet for my personal taste I felt the white chocolate overpowered the tartness of the raspberries so I garnished the entire top of the cake with raspberries. Just plainly because of the frosting I don’t think I will return to this recipe again.
Depending on how much sugar you cut from the recipe, that could be why the filling split when you mixed in the raspberries. I have only tested it with the amounts given here.
I made the icing several times and always turned out more like a whipped cream than a buttercream. also separated really bad. good cake tho