This white chocolate cake is a three layer moist and fluffy lemon cake. It is filled with a white chocolate buttercream. The combination of the tart lemon cake with the sweet white chocolate frosting is a dream! This is the perfect cake to make for spring.
This post is sponsored by Vinci Housewares and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Stephanie's Sweet Treats possible!
This layered lemon cake is so incredibly soft. It is full of a fresh lemon flavor thanks to the Vinci Hands Free Juicer. Their juicer is very easy to use and let's you get lemon juice super fast!
The best part about the cake is the white chocolate frosting. The frosting tastes like a white chocolate truffle! It is a very sweet frosting which is why it is goes perfect with this lemon cake. It is the star of the show at special occasions.
For more lemon desserts, try Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes, Chewy Lemon Blueberry Cookies, and Lemon Blackberry Cake.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Lemon cake- This cake recipe makes three 8-inch cake layers that are full of fresh lemon flavor.
- White chocolate frosting- The frosting is a very rich and creamy buttercream. It has 8oz of white chocolate in this frosting!
- Layered cake- This cake is layered, but it can easily be made with other cake pans. See the FAQ for the cake pans.
The Best Hands Free Juicer
Vinci Housewares has the BEST hands free juicer. It has smart auto juicing technology that will raise up the half of the lemon (or any other type of citrus fruits) and will automatically squeeze all of the juice out!
What I loved about using the Vinci Hands Free Juicer is that it saved my hands from juicing the lemon myself. All I had to do was push half the lemon in, press a button, and it took seconds!
It also has a spout for you to pour the lemon juice right into the cup. Also, it didn't break the rind, so I was able to zest the rest of the lemon for this recipe.
All of the juicer parts are easy to dissemble ( and reassemble!) for easy clean up.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter- Pull the butter out for the cake batter 2 hours before baking. For the frosting, it needs to be slightly cold to get the best texture. Let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before using.
- Oil- Use canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Lemons- Use a zester to zest the lemons and Vinci Hands Free Juicer to get the lemon juice.
- Sour cream- Use full fat sour cream. Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Eggs- Pull the large eggs out 2 hours before baking so they are room temperature.
- Buttermilk- You can use full fat or reduced fat buttermilk. Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Powdered sugar- Make sure this is sifted to avoid a gritty frosting.
- White chocolate- Use two bars of white chocolate. Use a high quality white chocolate bar.
Substitutions
Sour cream- You can use plain greek yogurt instead.
Buttermilk- Actual buttermilk is best, however you can use 1 cup whole milk with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
I don't recommend using white chocolate chips for this recipe. It needs to be the white chocolate bars for the melted chocolate. White chocolate truffles may have the same issues as the chips.
Step By Step Instructions- Cake Layers
Here is how to make and bake the lemon cake layers. This recipe use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer (electric mixer). Heat oven to 350°F.
STEP 1: Mix the dry ingredients. First, sift the all-purpose flour in a medium bowl. Then, add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Before you start on the batter, prep the lemon zest and lemon juice.
STEP 2: Beat butter, oil, and sugar. Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil, and white sugar on high speed for 3 minutes in a large mixing bowl. Then, add in sour cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix on medium speed until just combined.
STEP 3: Add in eggs. Next, add in the eggs one a time. Mix these in for 1 minutes on high speed.
STEP 4: Alternate between flour mixture and buttermilk. Alternate between these two and mix on low speed. Make sure the batter is not over mixed.
Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
STEP 5: Pour batter. Divide batter evenly into three 8-inch cake pans. The pans needs to be sprayed with baking spray. Use a baking spray with flour, not a cooking spray for best results.
STEP 6: Bake the cake. Bake the cake for 22-24 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
STEP 7: Cool the cake. The cake layers need to be cool on a cooling rack completely before decorating.
Step By Step Instructions- White Chocolate Frosting
STEP 1: Prepare the ingredients. First, pull the butter out for 30 minutes to get slightly cold. Before making the frosting, make sure to sift the powdered sugar and melt the white chocolate in a separate bowl.
The white chocolate needs to cool before using.
STEP 2: Beat the butter. Using a mixer, beat the butter on high speed for 3 minutes in a large bowl.
STEP 3: Add the powdered sugar. The powdered sugar needs to be added on low speed. It will be very thick!
STEP 4: Add the wet ingredients. Next, pour in the melted white chocolate, vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt. The frosting needs to be beaten on high for 2-3 minutes so it is extra creamy.
Assembling The Cake Tips
- Pipe a small amount of frosting on the board you are decorating on. This will keep the cake locked in place as a kind of glue in the center of the cake.
- Place the first cake layer down and spread 1 ½ cups of frosting on the cake by using an offset icing spatula. Repeat with the second cake layer.
- Place the last cake layer with the bottom of the cake facing up. This gives the cake the flattest edge possible.
- Frost the cake in a thin layer of frosting the first time. Then, freeze for 15 minutes. This crumb coat will lock the cake crumbs in place.
- Frost the rest of the cake by. I used a metal cake scraper to get a semi naked look on the sides of the cake.
Decorating The Cake
I used a Wilton 1M tip and a piping bag to pipe the border on the top of the cake. Then, place lemon triangles and white chocolate chips on top of cake to finish.
FAQ
For this cake recipes it will make: 3 6-inch pans for thick layers, two 9-inch pans, or 9X13 inch cake pan. You can half the recipe to make: two 6-inch cake pans, one 9-inch cake pan, 8X8 inch cake pan or 9X9 inch cake pan.
Yes you can! Wrap the cooled cakes with plastic wrap and freeze up to 30 days. Thaw the cake layers for 1 hour before decorating.
Yes you can! Half the recipe to make 12 cupcakes in a 12-cup muffin pan.
Storing and Freezing
Store this white chocolate cake in a cake carrier or an airtight container. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
The cake taste better at room temperature, let it come to room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.
Freezing
Freeze the white chocolate cake into individual cake slices. Wrap the cake slices in plastic wrap and freeze up to 30 days.
Thaw for 1-2 hours before eating.
Other Cake Recipes To Try
Make sure to leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
📖 Recipe
White Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Lemon Cake
- 3 ½ cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¾ cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¼ cup Oil canola oil or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ cups White granulated sugar
- 3 Large lemons zested
- ¼ cup Lemon juice or one large lemon juiced
- ¼ cup Sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 4 Large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
White Chocolate Frosting
- 2 cups Unsalted butter slightly cold
- 6 cups Powdered sugar sifted
- 8 oz White Chocolate Bars melted. I used Lindt white chocolate
- ¼ cup Heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- Lemon wedges for decoration
Instructions
Lemon Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the cake pans with 8-inch parchment paper circles. Spray again.
- In a mixing bowl, sift the flour. Add the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Zest the lemons and juice one of the lemons and set aside.3 ½ cups All-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Salt, 3 Large lemons zested, ¼ cup Lemon juice
- Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high speed for 3 minutes. It will be very light and fluffy.¾ cup Unsalted butter, ¼ cup Oil, 1 ½ cups White granulated sugar
- Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and sour cream. Mix on medium until combined. Add the eggs in one at a time and mix on medium until combined.¼ cup Sour cream, 4 Large eggs, 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- Add â…“rd of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed. Add another â…“rd of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Finish with the rest of the dry ingredients. Scrape the bowl using a rubber spatula.1 cup Buttermilk
- Pour the cake batter evenly into the 3 cake pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes sit in the hot pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
White Chocolate Frosting
- Set the butter on the counter for 30 minutes for it to get slightly cold. While you wait, sift the powdered sugar. Heat the white chocolate in the microwave in 15 second intervals until melted. Let it cool.2 cups Unsalted butter, 6 cups Powdered sugar, 8 oz White Chocolate Bars
- Using a mixer, beat the butter on high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and slowly add in the powdered sugar. It will be very thick.
- Add the white chocolate, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix on low until combined. Switch to high speed and beat for 1-3 minutes. It will be a very fluffy frosting.1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon Salt, ¼ cup Heavy cream
Assembly
- Place a small amount of frosting down on the board you are decorating on.
- Place the first cake layer down. Spread 1 ½ cups of frosting over the cake. Repeat with the second layer. Place the last cake layer with the bottom of the cake facing up.
- Apply a light layer of frosting over the cake. A really light layer where you can parts of the cake sticking out. Freeze for 15 minutes to lock the crumbs into the cake.
- Frost the rest of the cake. This cake is for a semi naked look. To frost the cake normally 1.5X the frosting recipe.Lemon wedges
Margie says
You specify in the recipe that the cake batter is for three 8" pans, yet, when I read your notes you refer to three 6" pans or two 9" pans. Which is it?
Stephanie Rutherford says
So the cake batter can fit in all three options. I used three 8-inch cake layers. If you want a taller and thicker cake use the three 6-inch cake pans. For a shorter and wider cake, use two 9-inch cake pans.