Description
This White Chocolate Raspberry Cake is a moist, tender cake layered with homemade raspberry jam, soaked in a vanilla milk mixture, and topped with a luscious white chocolate raspberry cream cheese frosting. Perfectly balanced with sweet white chocolate and tart raspberries, this cake is an elegant dessert for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Raspberry Jam:
- 24 oz (680 g) frozen raspberries
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp (6 g) cornstarch
For the White Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups (280 g) cake flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
- 4 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
- 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
For the Vanilla Milk Soak:
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) half & half, or whole milk
- 1/3 cup (100 g / 120 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
For the White Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, cold
- 6 oz (170 g) white chocolate bar, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 1/2 cups (130 g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) raspberry jam from above
- 2 tbsp raspberry jam from above, for swirling into the frosting
Instructions
- Prepare Raspberry Jam: Add the frozen raspberries to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring and mashing occasionally, until the raspberries begin to break down and become liquidy.
- Strain Seeds: Pass the raspberry mixture through a sieve to remove seeds; you should have just under 2 cups (480 ml) of raspberry liquid.
- Mix Jam Ingredients: Return liquid to the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the sugar and cornstarch thoroughly.
- Cook Jam: Heat over medium heat for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the jam thickens to approximately 1 1/2 cups (360 ml). Transfer jam to a bowl and chill.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×9 inch pan and line with parchment paper.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes until creamy.
- Add Egg Whites and Vanilla: Mix in egg whites and vanilla bean paste on medium speed until pale and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk to wet mixture on low speed, mixing just until combined. Scrape bowl edges as needed.
- Bake Cake: Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cake: Let cake cool in pan on wire rack for 30 minutes, then lift out using parchment and cool completely on rack.
- Prepare Vanilla Milk Soak: Whisk half & half, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla bean paste together in a measuring cup. Chill until ready to use.
- Prepare Frosting: Beat softened butter in a large bowl on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add Cream Cheese: Mix in cold cream cheese on high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add White Chocolate: Mix melted, slightly cooled white chocolate into frosting on medium speed until combined.
- Add Raspberry Jam: Stir in 1/4 cup raspberry jam into frosting on medium speed until fully incorporated.
- Add Powdered Sugar: Sift powdered sugar into frosting, mix on low speed until combined, then on high speed for 1 minute until fluffy.
- Prepare Cake for Soaking: Once completely cooled, slice off a very thin layer from top of cake to help milk soak in. Transfer cake to serving plate and poke holes all over surface using wooden stick or handle of wooden spoon.
- Soak Cake: Slowly pour vanilla milk soak evenly over the top allowing it to absorb into cake through the holes.
- Add Jam to Cake: Reserve 2 tbsp jam for swirling. Fill remaining jam into a piping bag, pipe into the holes of the cake. Spread any leaked jam evenly over cake surface with an offset spatula.
- Frost the Cake: Spread a thick layer of white chocolate raspberry cream cheese frosting over the cake using an offset spatula.
- Swirl Jam into Frosting: Use the back of a spoon to swirl the reserved 2 tbsp raspberry jam into the frosting for a pretty marbled effect.
- Serve: Cut into 16 slices and enjoy.
Notes
- Make sure all ingredients like egg whites and buttermilk are at room temperature for best texture.
- Removing the top crumb layer and poking holes helps the milk soak evenly absorb, making the cake moist.
- The raspberry jam can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge.
- If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, use pure vanilla extract as a substitute.
- For best results, use quality white chocolate for melting and frosting to ensure smooth texture and flavor.
- Store left over cake covered tightly in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/16 of cake)
- Calories: 390 kcal
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
