I absolutely adore white chocolate and raspberry together!
It’s a flavour combination made in heaven!
And what could be better for this classic combo than a fabulously pink celebration cake! Layers of vanilla sponge, swirled with raspberry jam, are sandwiched with white chocolate ganache (and even more jam!) and covered in a gorgeous pink vanilla buttercream. Take my word for it, it’s absolutely delicious!
I decided to go extra on the pink decoration with an ombre buttercream. I’ve put some tips in the recipe if you fancy doing this yourself!
I used mini white chocolate and raspberry bars, a chocolate drip made from melted pink ‘Decomelts’ (these can be found on amazon or most cake supplier websites) and, of course, sprinkles!
You can find these pink hundreds and thousands here! Don’t forget to use code PIPPA15 for an exclusive discount on all Baking Time Club Sprinkles!
This recipe makes a three layer 6″ cake that will serve up to 10 people. It will take approximately 3 hours to make including baking, cooling and decorating times. The raspberry jam can be made months in advance as it will keep very well if stored in a sterilised jar (see tips below).
Ingredients:
For the raspberry jam:
- 500 g raspberries
- 500 g preserving sugar
- half a lemon, juiced
Note: If you don’t want to make your own jam, you will need ~100 g jam.
For the sponge:
- 350 g unsalted butter, softened
- 350 g caster sugar
- 6 eggs
- 300 g gluten free self-raising flour
- 50 g ground almonds
- 1tsp baking powder (make sure this is gluten free)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the ganache:
- 150 g white chocolate, chopped
- 50 ml double cream
For the buttercream:
- 350 g unsalted butter, softened
- 700 g icing sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pink food colouring
For the decoration:
Any decorations you fancy!
Useful Equipment: three 6″ cake tins, baking paper, mixing bowls, whisk, spatula, weighing scales, hand/stand mixer, measuring spoons, small measuring jug, wire rack, small plate, medium saucepan, potato masher, sieve, heatproof bowl, piping nozzle, piping tips (I used piping tip 1E), palette knife, cake scraper, cake turntable, sterilised jam jars
To make the Raspberry Jam: Place a small plate in the freezer – you’ll need this later to check when your jam is done. Place half the berries with the lemon juice in a medium sized saucepan on a low heat. Simmer for 5 mins until the berries are soft. Mash the fruit and push through a sieve – this will remove the seeds. Put the mashed fruit back into the pan with the remaining berries and add the preserving sugar. Boil rapidly for 5 mins and then drop a small amount of jam onto the cooled plate. If, once cooled, the jam wrinkles then it is done. If not, boil for another 2 mins and then check again. Repeat until you see the wrinkles. Pop the jam into sterilised jar and seal.
Method:
For the sponges:
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan/320 °F and grease three 6″ cake tins lining the base with greaseproof paper.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Whilst beating, add the eggs two at a time.
- Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
- Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the ground almonds. Fold gently until just combined.
- Divide the cake mix equally between the three cake tins and dollop 3-4 tsp of raspberry jam into each tin.
- Using a cocktail stick or the end of a spoon, swirl the jam into the batter.
- Bake for 25-30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool completely in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack.
For the ganache:
- In a heatproof bowl over a simmering saucepan of water (a bain marie), heat together the chopped white chocolate and cream.
- Stir until combined.
- Remove from the heat and add the
- Leave to one side to cool right down. It should be the texture of peanut butter – thick but pipeable.
- Place into a piping bag ready for assembling later.
For the buttercream:
- In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until pale and smooth. Gradually add the icing sugar and keep mixing until a smooth consistency is reached. Add the vanilla and mix well.
- At this point, I divide my buttercream into three bowls and added the pink food colouring to each in different amounts to achieve three shades for my ombre effect. Otherwise, you can add pink food colouring to the one bowl and use one shade for the whole cake.
To assemble:
- Place the first cake layer on your serving plate (and onto a turntable if you have one! It makes decoration a lot easier!). Pipe a circle of ganache around the edge of the sponge. Spread ~3 tbsp of raspberry jam within the ganache ring. Repeat this step for your second layer and finish with your third.
- Now that your cake is assembled, spread a thin layer of buttercream (or any leftover ganache) around your cake using a palette knife to create a crumb coat and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
- Once set, complete your cake with another coat of buttercream – using the palette knife and/or cake scraper to create a smooth finish. For the ombre effect, use the darker pink buttercream at the base of the cake, moving up to the lightest shade at the top. Blend them together with a scraper or palette knife until a smooth surface is reached.
- Finally, get creative and add any decorations you wish! I went for a pink chocolate drip, piped buttercream (using tip 1M) topped with homemade raspberry white chocolate bars and pink sprinkles!
This cake will keep up to 5 days in an airtight container. It is suitable for freezing for up to 3 months. It is best to slice it up and wrap each slice individually. Make sure to fully defrost and bring to room temperature before serving.
Like the recipe? Don’t forget to share with your family, friends and followers!
I love to hear what you think! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. And don’t forget to tag Pippatisserie in any photos you share on social media (or use the hashtag #pippatisserie), I love to see your bakes!
If you want to stay up to date on all new recipes, subscribe to Pippatisserie below!
