White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake

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You’ll adore this cake because of its:

Soft, airy, cloud-like texture achieved through the reverse creaming method
Tender, fluffy, and moist layers that are sturdy enough to support the filling without being too eggy
Vibrant, sweet raspberry flavor — and plenty of it
Luxurious silky white chocolate frosting sandwiched between each cake layer
Option for either a homemade raspberry jam filling or a shortcut version
Detailed recipe instructions and video for a foolproof baking experience
This White Chocolate Raspberry Cake is simply divine. It boasts the fluffiest texture you’ll ever taste.

For this White Chocolate Cake recipe, you’ll need three key components: the white cake, the raspberry filling, and the white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

FOR THE WHITE CAKE

Cake Flour: Cake flour is much finer than all-purpose flour, about 30 times finer! It has less protein (8-9%) compared to all-purpose flour (10-13%), resulting in lighter, softer cake layers with a delicate crumb. You can usually find it in the baking aisle, but I’ve also provided an easy substitution.
Egg Whites Only: Using only egg whites keeps the cake white. Egg yolks would tint it yellow and alter the texture due to increased fat and lecithin from the yolks. Egg whites give the cake its soft, airy texture.
Milk: Any type of milk works, but 2% or whole milk yields the moistest cake.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cake.
Baking Powder: Tenderizes the cake and helps it rise in the oven. Ensure it’s fresh for best results.
Salt: Enhances flavors and balances sweetness. Regular table salt works fine.
Butter: Unsalted butter is typically preferred for baked goods so you can control the saltiness. If using salted butter, reduce the added salt in the recipe.
Almond Extract: Adds a subtle sweet almond flavor. Be cautious not to add too much, as it can overpower the cake.
Vanilla Extract: Opt for pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
Substitute for Cake Flour: You can replace cake flour with 3 cups of all-purpose flour plus ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp of cornstarch.

RASPBERRY JAM FILLING

Raspberries: The riper they are, the more flavor they pack! You can use fresh, very ripe raspberries or thawed frozen ones. I like to have extra fresh raspberries for decorating the cake, but that’s optional, purely for looks.
Sugar: Use granulated sugar to sweeten the raspberries into jam.
Lemon Juice: Fresh lemon juice is ideal, but bottled will also work. It boosts the fresh berry flavor and balances the sweetness.
Cornstarch: This thickens the jam. Without it, you’d need twice the sugar and more time to reduce it.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

White Chocolate: You’ll need three 4-ounce white chocolate baking bars, typically found in the baking aisle, totaling 12 ounces. Quality chocolate chips from Guittard or Ghirardelli can also be used, as other brands may not melt well due to low cocoa butter and additives. Note that 8 ounces of chocolate chips roughly equals 1 ⅓ cups, not just one cup.
Heavy Cream: Melting the chocolate with heavy cream prevents scorching and ensures creamier chocolate. Using normal milk won’t yield the right consistency and may cause the chocolate to seize.
Cream Cheese: Its tangy flavor complements the sweet white chocolate perfectly, so it’s preferred over using all butter. Opt for full-fat brick-style cream cheese for the best results.
Butter: Use unsalted butter or reduce the salt in the frosting accordingly.
Vanilla: Quality vanilla extract enhances the flavor.
Powdered Sugar: Depending on its texture, you may need to sift the powdered sugar. Adjust the amount to achieve the desired consistency.

VARIATIONS

You can’t make too many changes to this Chocolate White Cake recipe (baking is quite precise!), but here are some subtle variations you can try:

Alternate Berry Filling: Instead of raspberries, try strawberries, blackberries, or a mix of berries for a different filling.
Raspberry Almond Filling: Mix 1⁄2 cup of blanched slivered almonds (toasted and roughly chopped) into half of the raspberry filling. Use this mixture to spread on the first layer of the cake for a delightful twist.
Lemon Curd: Add a layer of lemon curd or use it in place of the raspberry filling. You can follow a separate lemon curd recipe for this variation.
Chocolate Filling: Experiment with layering the cake with dark chocolate frosting while keeping the outside frosting white chocolate — it’s a heavenly combination.

Here’s how to freeze vanilla cake with raspberry filling:

To freeze individual cake layers: Wrap each individual cake layer tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months.
To freeze crumb-coated cake: After crumb coating, tightly wrap the cake in a couple of layers of plastic wrap followed by a couple of layers of foil. Freeze for up to two months.
To freeze frosted cake: After frosting the cake, tightly wrap it in a couple of layers of plastic wrap followed by a couple of layers of foil. Freeze for up to two months. When ready to serve, allow the cake to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then, unwrap it and let it come to room temperature on the counter for 1-2 hours before serving.

Love cakes? Be sure to check out these other delicious cake recipes!

Lemon Blueberry Cake

Hummingbird Cake

Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake

This White Chocolate Raspberry Cake features layers of soft, airy, buttery vanilla cake, delicious raspberry filling, and creamy white chocolate cream cheese frosting! The bakery-style white cake is unbeatable — it’s the ultimate white cake recipe you’ll ever use, and it gets even better (if you can believe it) when paired with the filling. The mix of fluffy cake, juicy raspberries, and creamy white chocolate frosting is wonderfully rich yet refreshingly fresh.

SERVINGS: 12 -14 SLICES
TOTAL TIME:3 HOURS 55 MINUTES
PREP TIME:3 HOURS 30 MINUTES
COOK TIME:25 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

WHITE CAKE

1 1/2 cups milk at room temperature
9 large egg whites at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 1/3 cups cake flour (see notes for substitution)
2 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
18 tbsp (2 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cubed small, softened

RASPBERRY FILLING

16 ounces frozen thawed raspberries or/ very ripe fresh raspberries
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup granulated sugar

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

12 ounces white baking chocolate, chopped small
2 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese (16 ounces) at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 tsp vanilla extract
7 cups powdered sugar, more or less as needed

INSTRUCTIONS

WHITE CAKE

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper, then spraying the entire inside of the pans with nonstick cooking spray that includes flour. If you only have 2 pans, bake 2 cakes first, then bake the third cake immediately after.
In a big liquid measuring cup or a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg whites, and extracts. Set aside this mixture.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed. With the mixer still running, add the butter a few pieces at a time. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the mixture resembles moist crumbs, and the largest pieces are the size of small peas, about 3 minutes.
Pour in half of the milk mixture and mix on medium-high speed until the batter becomes light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, stream in the remaining milk mixture. Mix on medium-low for no longer than 30 seconds. If you notice the batter is a bit lumpy, don’t worry about it! Just avoid over-mixing. Stop the mixer and gently stir the batter by hand a few times.
Next, evenly divide the batter among the three prepared cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs and no wet batter clinging to it.
Let the cakes rest in the pans for about 5 minutes, then turn them out onto cooling racks to cool completely, about 1 ½ hours, before frosting. During this time, you can prepare the raspberry filling and frosting.

RASPBERRY FILLING

Add raspberries to a food processor and puree them.
Place a fine mesh sieve over a medium saucepan and pour the raspberry puree into it to discard the seeds. Press down on the puree with the back of a spoon or spatula until only the seeds remain. Make sure to wipe the back of your sieve to collect all of the puree.
Whisk cornstarch, sugar, and lemon juice into the puree until the cornstarch is mostly dissolved.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Then, reduce the heat to medium (or medium-low if your stove runs hot) and continue to cook and stir continuously until the puree is thickened. It should be quite thick but still spreadable to prevent the cake layers from sliding around.
Refrigerate the filling until completely chilled. It will thicken further as it chills.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Add chopped white chocolate and heavy cream to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving at 15-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until the chocolate is completely smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and salt at medium speed with a hand-held electric mixer until very creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
Beat in the melted white chocolate and vanilla extract until smooth.
Gradually add powdered sugar in batches, beating at low speed until blended after each addition. Refrigerate the frosting for about 30 minutes to help thicken it up. It should be on the thick side after chilling to stand up against the cake layers.
Spoon roughly 1 cup of frosting into a pastry bag (or a freezer bag with a small corner snipped off) to use for piping the dams of frosting. If you don’t have a pastry bag, you can use a freezer bag with a small hole snipped in one corner.
Spoon ¾ cup of frosting into a small bowl to use for creating the crumb coat (“Crumb Coat Frosting”). Set it aside for later use.

ASSEMBLE

Once the cakes are completely cooled, use a large serrated knife to level them so they’re flat on top.Prepare your serving platter or cake stand by lining the edges with four strips of parchment paper to create a square with a gap in the middle (this keeps the stand clean). Place a small dollop of frosting in the center to secure the cake, then place one cake layer on top, with the flat side facing up.
Pipe a ring of frosting just inside the top edge of the cake. Spread half of the chilled Raspberry Filling evenly to the edges of the piped frosting. Next, spread 1 cup of White Chocolate Frosting to cover the entire surface of the cake.
Add the second leveled cake layer on top, this time with the flat side facing down. Repeat the process of piping, filling, and frosting. Finally, place the third cake layer on top, again with the flat side facing down.

FROST CAKE

To create a crumb coat, spread a thin layer of the reserved Crumb Coat Frosting evenly over the cake, starting from the top and working down. Remove any extra frosting. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes until the crumb layer sets. While waiting, chill the remaining frosting and lightly beat it again before using.
Once the crumb coat is set, frost the outside of the cake with the remaining frosting as you like. Remove the parchment paper and pipe a ring of frosting around the bottom of the cake. Add raspberries for decoration if you’d like.

Pin this delicious recipe on Pinterest to save and share with your foodie friends!