White Chocolate Cake

5 from 3 votes

Old-fashioned White Chocolate Cake is a decadent dessert that uses white chocolate in the cake batter! Toped with a caramel icing, it's the perfect white sheet cake for any holiday or celebration!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cake

Servings: Servings

Calories: 508kcal

Ingredients

Cake

4 ounces white chocolate melted
1 cup salted butter room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Icing

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup salted butter
⅔ cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

CAKE

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9”x13” pan, line with parchment paper, then lightly butter the parchment paper.
In a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Place the beaten egg whites in a separate bowl, and set aside.
In the same stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar, and melted chocolate with the electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy.
Add baking powder to the mixture. Gradually add the flour to the cake batter, alternating with the buttermilk, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Start the mixture on low speed and gradually increase to high speed.
On low speed, add the beaten egg whites, coconut, and pecans.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 1 hour or until golden brown and fully cooked. Allow the cake to cool in the pan on a cooling rack at least 10 minutes.
Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it from the sides. Place a flat serving cake plate or cardboard cake box base on top of the cake. Hold both the pan and base, and carefully invert them together to release. Lift off the cake pan, and slowly peel away the parchment paper.
Spread with icing.

ICING

Place ingredients in a saucepan and let mixture sit while the cake is baking.
Once the cake is removed from the oven, place the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling, set a timer for 5 minutes and stir constantly.
Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour the mixture into a mixer bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until it's a spreadable consistency, about 10 minutes. The texture should be like caramel or soft-spun honey.
Pour half of the icing over the top of the cake. Evenly spread the icing along the top side and then down the sides of the cake. Fill any open or thin areas with the remaining icing.

Video

Notes

- White Chocolate Tips: The white chocolate flavor is incredible in this tender cake. You can melt white chocolate chips or a white chocolate baking bar. Using high-quality chocolate is important for optimal melting and the texture of the cake. You can substitute with melted almond bark if needed.

- Shredded Coconut and Nuts Substitutions: If you don't like the flavor or texture of these ingredients, you can simply omit them. You could also substitute the pecans with walnuts.

- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure that your butter and eggs are at room temperature. Room temperature butter mixes more evenly, and room temperature eggs incorporate better into the batter, resulting in a smoother texture.

- Proper Mixing: Cream butter and sugar well until the mixture is light and fluffy. Proper creaming is essential for incorporating air into the batter, which contributes to the cake's lightness.

- Avoid Overmixing: Mix the batter just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing can develop gluten, resulting in a denser cake. Stop mixing as soon as no streaks of flour remain.

- Use Cake Flour: Consider using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour if you prefer a softer, more delicate crumb. It has a lower protein content, resulting in a finer texture.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @dinnerin321 or tag #dinnerin321!