This white chocolate raspberry cake features sweet white chocolate cake layers, a tart raspberry filling, and plenty of white chocolate buttercream. Just try to stop at one slice!
Hey guys! Are you ready for some delicious, delicious cake? I know I am! It’s been, like, weeks (!!) since my last layer cake post and I’m going into withdrawals. Cake DTs are really unpleasant.
Do you love making layer cakes like I do? I know they can be sort of a pain what with baking the layers, filling the layers, frosting the layers. . .but nothing is quite as satisfying as slicing into a layer cake.
Except, obviously, for taking that first bite of your gorgeously filled and frosted cake.
And never was that more true than when I took a bite of this white chocolate cake with RASPBERRY FILLING! That little pop of tart berry is so perfect when paired with the creamy sweetness of the white chocolate.
It’s totally swoon-worthy.
And hey, guess what? The filling is made with frozen raspberries so this cake is totally do-able year-round. (I love that!) I’m thinking this would be a pretty great holiday cake because of the bright pop of red.
I’m sorry to bring up the h-word but I like to plan menus way ahead of time. Remember Bree on Desperate Housewives, doing a Christmas dry run? She was channeling me. (At least I think that happened on Desperate Housewives and not just in my actual life.)
White chocolate raspberry cake: the process
The white chocolate cake layers are simple to make because we use a box mix doctored up with sour cream and pudding. I used white chocolate pudding but you can substitute vanilla or cheesecake—just as long as it’s white-ish—if you don’t have white chocolate pudding on hand.
Tip: be sure you use instant pudding mix, NOT cook and serve. I’ve used both Godiva and Jell-o pudding in this cake and preferred Godiva, but use whichever you like.
Start by melting your white chocolate and butter together in the microwave at 50% power in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval. Melting white chocolate slowly is important so it doesn’t scorch; I thought I got a picture of this process but apparently not. I’m sorry!
Next, combine your cake mix (I used Duncan Hines) along with the pudding mix, milk, egg whites, sour cream, a little vanilla, and salt. Beat all of that with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. The batter will be very thick. Add the white chocolate-butter mixture and beat again until fully incorporated.
Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Because the batter is thick, it will not spread on its own so spreading it out is necessary.
Bake for about 25 minutes, then cool the cake layers in the pans for 20 minutes and carefully invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely. The cake layers will turn out to be slightly concave in the center, as in the second picture above. This is fine.
If the concavity bothers you, you can use a long serrated knife to trim off the tops and even them out. If you go that route, chill the cake layers in the fridge until they’re cold enough to cut through. The cake is very soft and if you try to trim the layers without chilling them, they’ll crumble.
The filling is just a matter of boiling the frozen raspberries with sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch until the berries are thick and spreadable. Be sure when you fill and frost your cake that you don’t spread the jam all the way to the edge (see last picture above); this prevents jam from getting in your frosting.
If you wanted to substitute store-bought raspberry jam, I think that would be just fine.
After you make your filling, frost the cake with a simple white chocolate buttercream and you’re ready to eat! I won’t tell you to have dinner first. . .because, I confess, I had a slice of white chocolate raspberry cake for dinner the day I did these photos.
It was the best dinner I had all week 🙂
PS, for tips on frosting your cake, see this post!
If you make this white chocolate raspberry cake–or any of my recipes–be sure to let me know what you think by leaving a comment and rating below. And post a pic on Insta too—tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see!
- 6 ounces white chocolate finely chopped
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 1 15.25-ounce box white cake mix*
- 1 3-ounce box instant white chocolate pudding mix**
- 1/2 cup whole milk at room temperature
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream at room temperature
- 4 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups frozen raspberries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 ounces white chocolate finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
- 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 4 to 6 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- fresh raspberries for garnish
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 8-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray and set pans aside.
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Place the white chocolate and the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on 50% powder in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer set to medium for 2 minutes. Beat in the white chocolate until combined. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans and smooth with a spatula.
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Bake 24 to 28 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in pans for 20 minutes, then carefully invert onto a wire rack to cool completely before filling and frosting.
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While cake is in the oven, combine all filling ingredients in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and simmer until mixture is very thick and clings to a wooden spoon. Scrape into a small bowl and refrigerate until cool enough to spread.
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Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 50% power in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
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Beat the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and creamy, about 30 seconds. Turn mixer to low and beat in 5 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, 4 tablespoons of the milk, and the vanilla and salt until combined. Add the cooled white chocolate and mix on low until incorporated. Turn mixer to medium and mix until smooth. If frosting is too thick, add additional milk; if it’s too thin, add additional powdered sugar.
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Assembly:
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If your cake layers are too concave for your liking, chill the cake layers, then even them out with a long serrated knife.
Place one cake layer on a cake stand or cardboard cake circle. Spread half of the raspberry filling over the top of the cake (don’t go all the way to the edge). Gently spread (or pipe) a layer of frosting over the top of the filling, this time going all the way to the edge. Repeat with remaining filling and another layer of frosting. Top with remaining cake layer.
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Frost your cake with remaining frosting and decorate as desired. Serve.
*I used Duncan Hines
**You can substitute cheesecake or vanilla pudding--just be sure that it's instant.
Filling adapted from Genius Kitchen
What do you mean by trying to stop at one slice? Is that even an option? OMG this looks so good and I wish you could send a few slices over!
Aww thanks, Miriam!
White chocolate and raspberries are perfect match ! Thank you for this one 🙂
Thank you!
What a gorgeous cake, Kelsie! I love using fresh berries when they’re in season, but I’m a huge fan of being able to use frozen berries, too. I agree that this would be fun to serve at the holidays! Maybe garnish the plate with some green holly leaves? Now the next secret I need to know is where the rest of this cake went. By my calculations, there should an entire cake minus one slice floating around somewhere. Please share details.
Thank you, David! I love the idea of using holly leaves!
OH WOW Kelsie, this cake looks absolutely beautiful, and I am sure tastes really delicious.I have never tried adding white chocolate in buttercream before, so this I have got to try. I really love the consistency of this buttercream. Thank you for a beautiful recipe and have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Thank you, Ashika!
I don’t think it will ever be bathing suit season at my house if you keep sharing beauties like this Kelsie! Beautiful and it sounds just delicious!
Haha! Thanks Mary Ann! And sorry 🙂
I’m ALWAYS ready for delicious cake, especially when it involves berries and white chocolate! And to have a piece for dinner? I could totally get down with that…does that mean I get to have another piece for dessert 😉 ??
YES! I like the way you think, Dawn!
White chocolate and raspberry is soooo good together! I love all your cakes 🙂 I probably don’t make many layer cakes because I wouldn’t know what to do with all that cake hehehehe. I guess eat it for dinner like you? 😉
Thank you, Kelly!
Nothing like a big, delicious slice of cake for dinner, lol! But once in a while, why not? YOLO
This is beautiful, Kelsie! And love that it’s made with frozen berries so you can make it year-round!
Truth – I like eating a layer cake much more than I like making one. LOL! But, when it comes to white chocolate anything, I’m obsessed! Plus those raspberries!?! So yum! Needless to say, I’d get over being lazy for this cake! 😉 cheers, doll!
Not a chance that I’ll stop at one slice! Raspberries and white chocolate folded into a gorgeous cake like this is an invitation to live life to the fullest! Pinned!
Aww thanks, Milena!
What a perfect flavor combination and a beautiful cake to boot! I do love me some white chocolate buttercream and that raspberry filling looks scrumptious!
Thanks, Carlee!
Those layers look perfect and I love the flavours. Beautiful cake Kelsie.
Thank you so much, Marie!
Totally swoon-worthy! And two slices for me—one for dinner and one for dessert! 😋
I like the way you think 🙂
That’s a gorgeous looking cake Kelsie, the ripe, summer raspberries with the white chocolate looks so gorgeous. I can totally eat much more than one slice:)
Thank you, Maria!
Honest to goodness question, Kelsie is how do you manage to slice cakes perfectly? I suck at it, so I just go straight in with a fork haha!
Aww thanks, Teesh. I always think they’re slightly crooked 🙂
OMG what a beauty this cake is. I wish I had your decorating skills and what a flavour combo!
Thank you, Emma!
i would absolutely go to town on this one, white chocolate is my weak spot. gorgeous!
Thank you so much!
I just baked these and the cake itself is a little denser than normal cake batter. Is it supposed to be like that? I followed it exactly…just want to make sure.
Hmmm. The cake layers are probably a little more dense than an average cake mix cake. It should still taste OK and have a good texture though. If not, it’s possible that a different brand of cake mix or an oven that heats differently than mine could be the culprit. If you haven’t frosted it yet, then I’d shave off a little piece of one of the layers and taste it to be sure it tastes right and isn’t dry.
I made this cake yesterday for my daughter’s 3rd birthday and it was a huge hit!!! Sooo sooo good!! Will definitely be sharing this recipe! Thank you!!
Thank you, Holly! I’m so glad you loved it!
Wonderful Recipe! Thank you! Delicious!
I’m so glad you liked it!
made the cake and it completely fell. any secrets to share on how to prevent this?
I’m so sorry the cake didn’t work for you! There could be a few different things that happened. It’s possible your oven temperature is a little off. If you think that could be the cause I recommend buying an oven thermometer; you can find them at Walmart or Target. Another possibility is that the batter was under-beaten or over-beaten. It could also be that the cake wasn’t fully baked through, but that’s the easiest one to check. If you tested for doneness with a toothpick then I’m sure that wasn’t the culprit. Again, I’m so sorry!
I made this last weekend for a birthday and I’m making it again today for a BBQ tomorrow. It’s delicious!
Thank you, Jeanne! I’m so glad you liked it!
Delicious cake! Will be making it again for the holidays.
I’m so glad you liked it, Michelle! Thanks for letting me know!
This sounds and looks amazing! I want to try this! All I have are white chocolate chips in hand. Will those work?
I’m not actually sure if white chocolate chips would work; they tend not to melt very well. But if you’re up for an experiment I’d say to give it a shot. I’m sure it will still taste good!