This decadent White Chocolate Cake is irresistibly delicious. Filled with white chocolate chips or Chunks and topped with silky white buttercream, it makes an elegant and beautiful bake for any occasion.

If you are a fan of white chocolate then this is the perfect bake for you.

Using basic ingredients to create a deliciously light sponge, with minimal decoration or topping to create an impressive bake.

Ingredients and alternatives if needed

While the full recipe is written below, this is the section to read if you’re wondering about ingredient substitutions or how these ingredients work in the recipe.

Flour: Cake flour is best to use for this recipe. It contributes to the soft texture of this cake. If you do not have cake flour, then simply substitute it with all-purpose flour (plain flour)

Baking powder: This helps the cake to rise giving it that fluffy texture. Ensure that your baking powder is fresh and not past the expiry date.

White granulated sugar

Large Eggs

Yogurt: It is best to use full-fat double cream yogurt to ensure a soft, tender sponge. Fat-free or low-fat yogurt will create a dry and dense texture. Use plain unflavored yogurt for this recipe.

Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

White Chocolate Chips: You can use white chocolate chips or chop a bar of white chocolate into chunks. I prefer chunkier pieces and use roughly chopped chocolate, but if you prefer uniform or smaller pieces, chocolate chips are a better option.

Flavorings: I used vanilla extract in this recipe, but you can use other flavorings like lemon, caramel, or butterscotch if you'd like to try something different.

Visual instructions

This is just the overview so you can see the process. When you are baking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.

Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 356°F/180°C (320°/160°C fan)

Prepare the baking pans: Grease and line two 8 inch (20cm) round baking tins with parchment or baking paper.

Chop the chocolate into chunks: If you are using a slab of chocolate, then roughly chop it up into little pieces or chunks. Add one teaspoon of flour to the chopped chocolate pieces or chocolate chips. Transfer the chocolate chunks or chocolate chips to a bowl and toss it in one teaspoon of cake flour until they are well coated, set aside.

Chop the chocolate into chunks: If using a slab of chocolate, roughly chop it into small pieces.

Place the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a bowl, add one teaspoon of cake flour or all purpose (plain flour), and toss until well coated.

This helps prevent the chocolate from sinking to the bottom of the cake while baking.

Cream the butter and sugar: Use a large bowl to cream together the butter and sugar. Beat for 2 minutes until the mixture is pale in color and has a light and fluffy texture. Whisk together the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the following wet ingredients (eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract). Add creamed butter mixture to wet ingredients: Gradually add the creamed butter mixture to the whisked egg mixture.

Cream the butter and sugar: Use a large bowl to cream together the butter and sugar. Beat for 2 minutes until the mixture is pale in color and has a light and fluffy texture.

Whisk together the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the following wet ingredients (eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract).

Add wet ingredients to the creamed butter mixture: Gradually add the whisked egg mixture to the creamed butter mixture.

Sift in the dry ingredients: Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) folding in with a spatula to combine.

Fold the chocolate into the batter: Add in the flour-coated chocolate chips or chunks and mix into the batter until evenly distributed.

Transfer batter to cake tins: Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake tins.

Level out cake batter: Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to level out the cake mixture.

Bake: Bake in a preheated oven for between 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool: After baking, remove from the oven and cool the cakes in the tin for 10 minutes, before turning on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the buttercream while the cake cools.

In a bowl beat the butter and vanilla extract for 2 minutes until fluffy and softened.

Gradually add the powdered sugar and continue to beat this mixture until smooth, creamy and well-combined. For a thinner frosting, add room temperature milk or heavy cream, one teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.

Storage

Buttercream Frosting: Can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature and re-whip before using.

Unfrosted Cake: Store at room temperature for up to 2 days, wrapped in plastic wrap or kept in an airtight container. For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Frosted Cake: Once frosted, cover the cake and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. If your kitchen is warm, refrigerate the cake and bring it to room temperature before serving.

Topping and frosting options

These can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Here are the best toppings I have used in my recipes if you would like to give it a try:

Use your favorite frosting to decorate the cake. It can be as simple as a dusting of powdered sugar or as elaborate topped with a rich buttercream frosting which I used on my recipe for condensed milk lemon cake

Top with a simple dusting of powdered sugar
Frost with piped or spread with my favourite chocolate buttercream
Try my delicious stabilized 3 ingredient whipped cream frosting (without gelatin) and top with seasonal fruit
Cover with a chocolate ganache.

Tips

The sponge is sturdy enough to be covered with either marzipan or sugar paste.

Coating the chocolate chips and chunks in flour prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the cake while baking.

Full-fat or double cream yogurt is best for a moist, tender sponge. Low-fat or fat-free yogurt is not suitable and can result in a dry, dense bake.

If the cake turns out dry and dense due to overbaking, brushing it with simple syrup can restore moisture.

To make simple syrup, boil equal parts granulated sugar and water until the sugar dissolves, then let it cool before brushing it onto the cake with a pastry brush.