This white chocolate raspberry cake is a three layer vanilla cake filled with white chocolate frosting and raspberry jam. It is a perfect balance of sweet white chocolate and tart raspberry.
This white chocolate raspberry cake is the perfect way to celebrate special occasions with a dessert that you will remember. It tastes amazing and always impresses. It is the perfect cake for a fan of white chocolate or events where you need to impress like a bridal shower or baby showers.
For more cake recipes, try The Best Carrot Cake, Nutella Cake, and Moist Chocolate Cake.
Jump to:
- Why This White Chocolate Raspberry Cake Recipe Works
- Ingredient Notes for White Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
- Ingredient Substitutions
- Step By Step Instructions - Vanilla Cake
- Step By Step Instructions - Raspberry Jam and White Chocolate Frosting
- Step By Step Instructions - Assembling the Cake
- Expert Baking Tips
- FAQ
- Recipe Variations
- Special Tools
- Storing and Freezing
- 📖 Recipe
Why This White Chocolate Raspberry Cake Recipe Works
- Raspberry flavor- The raspberry jam brings a strong raspberry flavor to this delicious cake.
- White chocolate frosting- The sweet white chocolate flavor is the perfect counterpart to the tartness of the raspberries.
- Homemade jam- The raspberry jam is super simple to make and tastes so good you may want to make extra for later!
Ingredient Notes for White Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
Here are some notes on the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Unsalted butter- Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Oil- Use canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil.
- Eggs- Pull the large eggs out 2 hours before baking to get to room temperature.
- Buttermilk- Use full fat or reduced fat buttermilk. Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Sour cream- Pull this out 2 hours before baking.
- Powdered sugar- Make sure this is sifted to avoid gritty frosting.
- Raspberries- You can use fresh berries or frozen raspberries for this. The frozen will simply take a little longer to cook into jam.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Dairy free- You can use your favorite dairy free options for this recipe!
- Gluten free- I haven't tested this gluten free. Let me know if you do.
- Buttermilk- You can also do 1 cup of milk with 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
Step By Step Instructions - Vanilla Cake
Here is how to make and bake this white chocolate raspberry cake.
STEP 1: Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper and spray them again.
STEP 2: Dry ingredients. Sift the cake flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl.
STEP 3: Beat butter, oil, and sugar. Use a separate bowl and a mixer to beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes.
STEP 4: Wet ingredients. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and sour cream to the butter mixture. Mix them in on medium speed until combined. It is okay if it is a little chunky due to the sour cream.
STEP 5: Combine. Add â…“ of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk and mix on low. Add another â…“ of the flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk, mix on low speed. Finish with the remaining dry ingredients.
STEP 6: Bake cakes. Pour the batter into the 3 pans equally. Bake them for 22-25 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Start the jam and frosting during this baking time.
STEP 7: Cool. Let the cakes cool in their hot pans for 10 minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Step By Step Instructions - Raspberry Jam and White Chocolate Frosting
Here is how to make the raspberry jam and white chocolate frosting for the white chocolate raspberry cake.
STEP 1: Cook jam. Heat the raspberries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue to heat them as the berries soften and begin leaking juices. Eventually the heating will cause the jam to thicken. It should be 1 cup of jam. If you have more, continue to cook for a few minutes.
STEP 2: Cool jam. Pour the jam into a heat resistant container and let it cool completely before using it.
STEP 3: Melt white chocolate. Melt the white chocolate chips for the frosting in the microwave in 20 second intervals. Continue to stir and heat until the chocolate is melted. While it heats, sift your powdered sugar into a medium bowl.
STEP 4: Beat butter. Use a mixer to beat the butter for 3 minutes on high speed. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
STEP 5: Combine. Add the powdered sugar to the butter and mix it in on low speed.
STEP 6: Beat frosting. Add the vanilla extract, salt, and melted white chocolate. Mix it in on low speed until combined, then switch to high speed and beat until the frosting is creamy.
Step By Step Instructions - Assembling the Cake
Here is how to assemble the white chocolate raspberry cake.
STEP 1: Shape cakes. Use a serrated knife to cut off any uneven domes on top of the cakes. Place a small spot of frosting on your decorating board to act as adhesive while you decorate.
STEP 2: First layer. Place the first cake layer down and frost the top of the cake with ¾ cups of frosting. Pipe a border of frosting around the edge and fill it with ½ of the raspberry jam.
STEP 3: Second layer. Place the second layer down and repeat STEP 2.
STEP 4: Final layer. For the last layer, place the cake layer upside down so that the flattest side is on top.
STEP 5: Crumb coat. Frost the entire outside of the cake in a very light layer of frosting. Then, place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes to make the frosting set and lock in crumbs.
STEP 6: Frost the cake. Frost the cake the rest of the way all around. Place it in the freezer again for 10 minutes.
Expert Baking Tips
- Properly measure the flour- Make sure the flour is spooned and leveled. If you stick the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will compact the flour. Compacted flour can cause the cake to be dry.
- To easily remove the cake from the pan, make sure to first spray the pan with baking nonstick spray. Then, line bottom with parchment paper and spray it again to make sure that the paper does not stick to the bottom of the cake too much. If you miss any spots with the spray they can stick and tear the cake so be thorough.
- For high altitudes add 2 tablespoon of flour to the cake batter.
FAQ
Yes you can make the cake ahead of time! Once the cake layers are done cooling, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Then, freeze up to 30 days. Pull them out 1 hour before decorating.
Yes you can. You can use 9 inch cake pans, but it will be thinner. You can also use 6 inch cake pans for thicker layers.
Yes it can! This recipe will make roughly 24 white chocolate raspberry cupcakes. You can halve the recipe for 12 cupcakes. Cut a hole in the top of the cupcakes to stuff the raspberry jam inside.
Recipe Variations
- White chocolate strawberry cake- You can substitute strawberries for the raspberries if you prefer.
- Cream cheese frosting- If you would prefer a raspberry jam cake with cream cheese frosting you can use the frosting from this recipe instead.
- Store-bought jam- If you do not want to make homemade jam, you can use a store-bought raspberry jam instead. I recommend homemade jam for best results because it has a better texture and flavor, but it is not necessary.
Special Tools
- Cake pans: I use Wilton 8-inch cake pans.
- Parchment paper circles: I used 8-inch parchment paper circles for the bottom of the pan. I love to use the premade circles, so I don't have to cut it out of regular parchment paper.
- Baking spray: I use the nonstick spray that has flour in it.
- Offset spatula: I use this to easily spread the frosting or fillings.
- Cake turntable: I use this nice Ateco cast iron turntable because it is high quality and it spins seamlessly. Some other turntables are a little jerky when they turn.
- Cake scraper: I use a metal scraper to get smooth cakes.
- Piping bags: I like these 18- inch piping bags since they hold more.
- Piping tip: I love this Wilton 1M to pipe frosting.
Storing and Freezing
Store this white chocolate raspberry cake in an airtight container like a cake carrier. Store in the fridge up to 5 days.
You can freeze the white chocolate raspberry cake in individual slices. Place the cake slices in an airtight container and freeze up to 30 days.
Other Fruity Cake Recipes To Try
Try these raspberry recipes too!
- Lemon Raspberry Rolls
- Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- Raspberry Muffins
- Vanilla Raspberry Cake
- Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies
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 Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake
- 3 ¼ cups Cake flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 tablespoon Oil canola or vegetable
- 1 ½ cups White granulated sugar
- 4 Large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Sour cream room temperature or greek yogurt
- 1 cup Buttermilk room temperature
Raspberry Jam
- 3 cups Raspberries fresh or frozen
- ¾ cup White granulated sugar
White Chocolate Frosting
- 2 ½ cups Unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 cups Powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups White chocolate chips or a whole bag
Instructions
Vanilla Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottoms with 8-inch parchment paper circles and spray again.
- In a medium bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.3 ¼ cups Cake flour, 2 teaspoon Baking powder, 1 teaspoon Baking soda, 1 teaspoon Salt
- Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy.1 cup Unsalted butter, 3 tablespoon Oil, 1 ½ cups White granulated sugar
- Add in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Mix on medium speed until combined. It will appear a little chunky due to the sour cream.4 Large eggs, 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, 1 cup Sour cream
- Add â…“rd of the dry ingredients and half of the buttermilk and mix on low speed. Add anotherâ…“rd of the dry ingredients and the rest of the buttermilk. Then, finish with the rest of the dry ingredients.1 cup Buttermilk
- Pour evenly between the three cake pans. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes sit in the hot pans for 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before decorating.
Raspberry Jam
- Start this ahead of time or while the cakes are in the oven.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix the raspberries and the sugar. Heat until berries start to soften and leak juices. Heat until the jam is thickened. IT will equal to 1 cup of jam. If more than that, cook for a few more minutes.3 cups Raspberries, ¾ cup White granulated sugar
- Cool the jam completely before using.
White Chocolate Frosting
- In a medium bowl, sift the powdered sugar. Set aside. Melt the white chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave. Heat for 20 second intervals until melted. Make sure to stir well.2 cups Powdered sugar, 2 cups White chocolate chips
- Using a mixer, beat the butter on high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl using a rubber spatula.2 ½ cups Unsalted butter
- Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low until combined.1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract, Pinch of salt
- Add in the vanilla, salt, and melted white chocolate. Mix on low until combined. Then, switch to high speed and beat until creamy.
Assembly
- Use a serrated knife to cut off any uneven domes on the cakes. Pipe a small amount of frosting on the board you are decorating on.
- Place the 1st layer of cake down on the board. Frost ¾ cups of frosting over the cake. Pipe a border of frosting around the edges of the cake. Add in ½ of the raspberry jam.
- Repeat with the second cake layer. Place the last layer of cake with the bottom of the cake facing up.
- Fill any of the cracks of the cake with frosting (on the sides). Then, frost the cake in a very light layer of frosting. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes. This will lock the crumbs into the cake.
- Frost the rest of the cake. Freeze for 10 minutes.
Steven says
This cake is SO delicious!
Latrice says
Can I color this buttercream and if so when would you suggest I add the coloring?
Rachel says
When you say to add in eggs and whites one at a time, do you mean to add each egg white in one at a time? Thanks.
Stephanie Rutherford says
Yes, add them one at a time!
Rachel says
Thank you.
Sam says
Directions are confusing.. in blog post above, it says to cook jam for 2 hours, then 20 min. In the actual recipe, it says 2 minutes, then 20 minutes. There's a big time difference between the two...
Stephanie Rutherford says
Thank you for letting me know. It was a typo in the blog. It is supposed to cook for 2 minutes at medium-high and 20 minutes at medium low. Sorry about that, it is fixed now!
Danielle says
How many boxes of jello do you need for 1/2 cup?
Stephanie Rutherford says
Just 1 box!