A tasty and impressive White Chocolate Cherry Cake fit for any special occasion. Made with layers of vanilla cake, a homemade cherry sauce, whipped cream and topped with a white chocolate ganache. This cake is a showstopper.
I first made this White Chocolate and Cherry Cake to share at a Mothers' Day morning tea. There were 12 of us celebrating together and more than enough cake to go around for everyone.
This is not my first chocolate layer cake... have you seen my Black Forest Gateau recipe? And if you love the combination of cherries and dark chocolate, be sure to check out my Chocolate Cherry Pavlova. You won't regret it!
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Ingredient notes:
- Frozen cherries: Available from all good supermarkets. Feel free to substitute for other frozen berries if you prefer.
- White Chocolate: My preferred brands of white chocolate in New Zealand are Cadbury Dream or Whittakers.
- Raspberries: If fresh raspberries are out of season or unaffordable, you can leave them out. Other topping options could include freeze dried raspberries or fresh fruit such as strawberries or cherries, if they are in season.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Vanilla cakes: Preheat the oven to 170°C fan bake. Grease and line two 20cm round baking tins. Add the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Sift in the flour and baking powder. Mix the baking soda with the milk, then pour into the bowl. Use a spatula to fold the mixture together until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared baking tins, gently push to the edges and smooth out the tops
Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Stand in the tins for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cakes cool to room temperature before assembling.
Cherry sauce: Add the frozen cherries, sugar and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring. Turn the heat down and simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens (approx 10 minutes). Let it cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge until ready to use.
Ganache: Heat the cream in a small saucepan, once it just starts to simmer take it off the heat. Add the pieces of white chocolate to the hot cream and leave to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, let it cool to room temperature and it will thicken.
To serve: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
Place one layer of cake on a serving plate. Drizzle over ⅓ of the cherry syrup. Top with ⅓ of whipped cream and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers until all of the sauce and whipped cream is used up.
Spread white chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and grate over extra white chocolate. Garnish with fresh raspberries. Chill for 3+ hours before serving.
Recipe FAQs:
A good quality white chocolate is essential for a silky ganache. For my Australasian readers, I would recommend Whittakers or Cadbury Dream.
Indeed. If you don't like cherries or can't find them in store, you could use any other type of frozen berries. Raspberries or blueberries would both work well.
Absolutely. When this cake is made ahead of time, it allows the vanilla cakes to absorb the cherry sauce. Store the cake in the fridge overnight.
Storage:
Any leftover cake should be kept in an airtight container in the fridge and consumed within three days of being made.
If you make the vanilla cakes in advance, you could either store them in an airtight container overnight or in the freezer. When freezing cakes it is best to wrap them tightly in cling film to prevent freezer burn.
Top tips:
To get ahead, you can make parts of this recipe the day before. The vanilla cakes, cherry sauce and white chocolate ganache could be made prior to the day you are assembling the cake. Then you simply need to whip the cream and assemble the different parts together.
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White Chocolate Cherry Cake
An impressive White Chocolate and Cherry Cake made from layers of vanilla sponge, cherry sauce, whipped cream topped with a white chocolate ganache and fresh raspberries.
Ingredients
cakes
- 150g butter, softened
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 3 cups plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup milk
Cherry sauce
- 500g frozen cherries
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
Ganache
- 120ml cream
- 120g white chocolate
To Serve
- 380ml cream, whipped
- 30g white chocolate, grated
- Fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Vanilla Cakes: Preheatthe oven to 170°C fan bake. Grease and line two 20cm round baking tins.
- Add the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high for 2-3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder. Mix the baking soda with the milk then pour into the bowl. Use a spatula to fold the mixture together until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared baking tins, gently push to the edges and smooth out the tops. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Stand in the tins for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cakes cool to room temperature before assembling.
- Cherry sauce: Add the frozen cherries, sugar and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil while stirring. Turn the heat down and simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens (approx 10 minutes). Let it cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge until ready to use.
- Ganache: Heat the cream in a small saucepan, once it just starts to simmer take it off the heat. Add the pieces of white chocolate to the hot cream and leave to sit for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth, let it cool to room temperature and it will thicken.
- To serve: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Whip the cream until soft peaks form.
- Place one layer of cake on a serving plate. Drizzle over ⅓ of the cherry syrup. Top with ⅓ of whipped cream and spread evenly. Repeat with remaining layers until all of the sauce and whipped cream is used up.
- Spread white chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and grate over extra white chocolate. Garnish with fresh raspberries. Chill for 3+ hours before serving.
Notes
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- This cake is best made a day in advance.
- To make things faster you can bake the cakes the day before and store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 586Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 110mgSodium: 417mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 2gSugar: 47gProtein: 7g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
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