I created an elegant white chocolate and fresh raspberry cake that earns its place among Frosted Desserts, and I’m eager to share the small secrets behind it.

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I never meant to invent a showstopper, but mixing silky white chocolate with bright fresh raspberries turned into something people can’t stop asking about. It reads like a Raspberries Cake you’d find in a pastry shop, yet it eats like a Dream Dessert made for sneaking a second slice.

The contrast of creamy and tart surprised me, and I kept tweaking little things until the balance felt almost wrong in the best way. I talk about cakes a lot, but this one actually makes me pause, it’s the sort of recipe that changes how you think about frosting and layers.

Ingredients

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White chocolate: Adds creamy sweetness, it’s mostly sugar and fat, melts beautifully.
Fresh raspberries: Tart and juicy, high in fiber and vitamin C, brightens cake.
Cake flour: Finer, lower protein than all purpose, creates tender delicate crumb.
Unsalted butter: Adds richness, fat and flavor, helps browning and keeps cake moist.
Eggs: Provide structure, lift, protein and moisture, add richness.
Sour cream: Gives tang and moisture, adds acidity so the crumb stays soft.
Heavy cream for frosting: Whips light, gives fat and silkiness, gelatin helps it hold.
Granulated sugar: Sweetens, tenderizes and helps browning, it’s key for proper texture.
Vanilla extract: Adds aromatic depth and enhances sweetness without extra sugar.

Ingredient Quantities

For the cake: 2 3/4 cups (345g) cake flour, sifted

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temp

1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temp

8 ounces (225g) white chocolate, chopped and melted then cooled

1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temp

1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, room temp

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Raspberry filling: 12 ounces (340g) fresh raspberries, plus extra for garnish

1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch (for thickening)

Pinch fine salt

Stabilized whipped cream frosting: 2 cups (480ml) heavy whipping cream, cold

1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons cold water (to bloom the gelatin)

Optional but handy: 1/4 cup (50g) simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water) to brush layers

Garnish: 2 ounces (50g) white chocolate, grated or shaved

Extra fresh raspberries for topping, about 6 to 12

How to Make this

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1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line three 8-inch round pans or two 9-inch pans with parchment, then lightly flour; sift 2 3/4 cups (345g) cake flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and set aside.

2. In a large bowl beat 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temp, with 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes; add 4 large eggs one at a time, mixing well after each, then stir in 8 ounces (225g) melted white chocolate that’s cooled and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

3. Combine wet and dry by alternating: add a third of the flour mixture, then about half of 1 cup (240ml) whole milk mixed with 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, then another third of flour, remaining milk/sour cream, finishing with the last of the flour; mix just until combined — don’t overmix or you’ll get a dense cake.

4. Divide batter evenly among prepared pans, smooth tops, tap to release air bubbles; bake 20–30 minutes (shorter for 9-inch, longer for 8-inch) or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Rotate pans halfway if your oven is uneven. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then turn out to wire racks to cool completely; chill layers for easier slicing if you like.

5. Make raspberry filling: in a small saucepan combine 12 oz (340g) fresh raspberries, 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water to make a slurry, stir into the raspberries, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until thickened, stirring and mashing a few berries with the back of a spoon. Cool completely, then refrigerate until set; press through a sieve to remove seeds if you prefer a smoother jam.

6. Bloom 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin in 2 tablespoons cold water for 5 minutes, then gently warm until dissolved (microwave 5–10 seconds or warm over a double boiler), let cool slightly but not set.

7. Make stabilized whipped cream frosting: chill your mixing bowl and beaters, then whip 2 cups (480ml) cold heavy cream with 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla to soft peaks; while whipping, drizzle in the dissolved gelatin and whip to firm peaks. Keep refrigerated until assembly.

8. Optional simple syrup: simmer equal parts sugar and water until sugar dissolves, cool. Level cake layers with a serrated knife, brush each layer lightly with simple syrup if using to keep them moist.

9. Assemble: place first layer on a cake board, brush with syrup, spread a thin layer of stabilized whipped cream, then spoon about a third of the raspberry filling leaving a small border so it wont ooze. Repeat with remaining layers, press gently to level. Do a thin crumb coat of whipped cream all over, chill 15–30 minutes, then finish with a smooth final coat of whipped cream.

10. Garnish and serve: grate or shave 2 ounces (50g) white chocolate over the top, arrange 6–12 fresh raspberries, chill at least 1 hour to set the filling and frosting. Tip: use room temp eggs and cooled melted chocolate, measure flour by spooning and leveling, and slice with a hot serrated knife for clean slices.

Equipment Needed

1. Oven and round cake pans, three 8-inch or two 9-inch, plus parchment paper to line them and something to grease the pans.

2. Sifter or fine mesh sieve for the flour and for pressing raspberry seeds if you want a smooth filling.

3. Electric mixer (stand or hand) with chilled bowl and beaters for the butter/sugar and whipped cream.

4. A set of mixing bowls, rubber spatula and a whisk for folding and mixing.

5. Measuring cups and spoons and a kitchen scale for accuracy.

6. Small saucepan and wooden spoon for the raspberry filling and to make simple syrup.

7. Small heatproof bowl and microwave or double boiler to bloom/dissolve gelatin and melt white chocolate safely.

8. Wire racks for cooling and a cake board or plate for assembly, plus a pastry brush to apply simple syrup.

9. Serrated knife for leveling and slicing, and an offset spatula or bench scraper to crumb coat and smooth the frosting; plus a grater for shaving white chocolate.

FAQ

Can I use frozen raspberries for the filling?

Yes, you can, but thaw them first and drain off extra juice, then simmer the berries with the sugar, lemon and cornstarch until thick. Frozen berries release more liquid so you might need to cook a little longer, and taste for sweetness, it can be a bit tarter.

How do I melt the white chocolate without it seizing?

Use a double boiler or microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring between each one. Let it cool a bit before adding to batter so it doesnt scramble the eggs, and dont get any steam or water in the chocolate or it will seize.

Whats the easiest way to stabilize the whipped cream so it holds up on a warm day?

Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over 2 tablespoons cold water, wait 5 minutes, then gently melt it and whisk a little into the whipped cream as you beat it. Chill the bowl first and use cold cream, that helps. If you dont want gelatin mascarpone mixed with the cream also helps.

Can I make parts of this cake ahead of time?

Definitely. Cake layers keep wrapped in plastic in the fridge 2 days or frozen up to 2 months. Raspberry filling keeps 3 days in the fridge. Make the stabilized cream a day ahead and keep it chilled, rewhip briefly if it loses texture.

Any tips to prevent soggy layers from the raspberry filling?

Chill the filling until thick before assembling, brush each cake layer lightly with simple syrup to seal it, and build a thin ring of frosting in the outer edge of each layer to hold the filling in place. Also dont overfill, less is more.

Can I swap ingredients if I dont have sour cream or cake flour?

For sour cream use plain Greek yogurt 1 to 1, and for cake flour you can make a substitute by removing 2 tablespoons per cup of all purpose flour and replacing with 2 tablespoons cornstarch, then sift, but cake flour is best if you can get it.

White Chocolate Raspberry Dream Cake Recipe Revealed Substitutions and Variations

Cake flour: use all purpose flour plus cornstarch. For each cup of cake flour measure 1 cup all purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons, then whisk in 2 tablespoons cornstarch and sift. Gives a lighter crumb, not exactly the same but really close.
White chocolate: swap in white chocolate chips or melting wafers, by weight. They melt and fold in the same, though chips with stabilizers can be a touch less silky.
Sour cream: replace with an equal amount of plain full fat Greek yogurt. Texture and tang are nearly the same, just stir it smooth before measuring.
Heavy whipping cream: for a dairy free option use chilled canned full fat coconut milk or coconut cream, scoop the solid part and whip. The flavor is coconut forward so it changes the cake a bit, and you may want a bit more powdered sugar to help it hold.

Pro Tips

– Get everything truly room temp. Cold butter or eggs will make the batter curdle and the cake end up dense, so plan ahead or sit eggs in warm water for 5 minutes to speed it up. Melted white chocolate should be cooled to barely warm before you add it or it can scramble the batter.

– Weigh and divide the batter for even layers. Spoon and level flour or better yet use a scale, then weigh the total batter and split it between pans so you don’t end up with one thick layer and one thin one. If your layers dome, chill them for 20 minutes before leveling.

– Take the stabilized cream slow. Bloom the gelatin fully and warm it just enough to dissolve, then drizzle it into the cream while whipping so it blends without clumping. If the frosting gets too stiff, fold in a little cold cream to loosen it rather than overbeating.

– Keep the raspberry filling and frosting cold while assembling. Cool the filling completely and press it through a sieve if you want smoothness, and build a thin cream “dam” around the edge of each layer so the jam wont ooze out. For neat slices, chill the finished cake for at least an hour and slice with a hot serrated knife, wiping the blade between cuts.

White Chocolate Raspberry Dream Cake Recipe Revealed

Recipe by Tina Bueller

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I created an elegant white chocolate and fresh raspberry cake that earns its place among Frosted Desserts, and I'm eager to share the small secrets behind it.

Servings

servings

Calories

666

kcal

Equipment: 1. Oven and round cake pans, three 8-inch or two 9-inch, plus parchment paper to line them and something to grease the pans.