Caramelised White Chocolate Cake

This cake features two layers of soft, fluffy vanilla cake, sandwiched together with a luscious and indulgent caramelised white chocolate whipped ganache. If you love the rich, toasty flavour of caramelised white chocolate, then this recipe will definitely be for you!

Caramelised White Chocolate Cake

This is a great, easy bake for bakers of all skill levels. It all starts off with my Best Vanilla Cake which is a recipe that I have perfected over the years. And it produces a consistently moist, light, and fluffy sponge.

These vanilla cake layers then get sandwiched together with a caramelised white chocolate whipped ganache. Now in all honestly, I’m not the biggest white chocolate fan. However, caramelised white chocolate on the other hand is outrageously delicious and addictive. The caramelisation process introduces warm, nutty, and toasted notes which adds complexity to balance out the sweetness.

Each bite of this cake just melts in your mouth, and it has the perfect balance of sweetness, warmth, and buttery richness.

So, what is caramelised white chocolate?

Caramelised white chocolate is essentially just white chocolate that has been slowly roasted until it turns a deep golden colour. As the sugars and milk solids caramelise, the resulting chocolate develops a nutty, toffee-like flavour.

Unlike regular white chocolate, it has a far more complex flavour which helps to balance out its sweetness. I think it also hugely benefits from a pinch of sea salt, but that’s totally optional. It’s an incredible ingredient that’s perfect for ganache, buttercream, and even drizzles.

Whipped chocolate ganache vs. regular ganache – What’s the difference?

Regular chocolate ganache is a rich, silky mixture of melted chocolate and cream, often used as a glaze, filling, or frosting. It has a smooth, pourable consistency when warm and firms up as it cools.

Whipped chocolate ganache, on the other hand, is made by beating chilled ganache until light and fluffy, creating an airy, mousse-like texture. This makes it perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes, as it holds its shape better and adds a lighter mouthfeel. While regular ganache is dense and glossy, whipped ganache offers a more delicate, spreadable finish, ideal for those who prefer a softer, less intense chocolate experience.

Why you’ll love this Caramelised White Chocolate Cake

• It’s rich, creamy, and has perfectly balanced flavours
• Soft, fluffy vanilla cake layers that pair beautifully with the ganache
• Easy to make with simple ingredients
• Perfect for birthdays, weddings, parties or any celebration (or even a treat for yourself!)

Let’s talk about some of the ingredients

I’ll cover the main ones below but the full recipe can be found at the end

• Cake flour – this has a lower protein content that regular plain/all purpose flour which reduces gluten formation. This leads to a more tender and light crumb. However you can substitute plain/all purpose flour if needed, it just won’t be as light
• Large eggs – I always use large eggs when baking, which is generally the standard size. In the UK, each large egg will weigh between 63-73g. These will be classed as extra large eggs in the USA#
• 5% fat Greek Yogurt – this adds moisture and tenderness, while the flavour also balances out some of the sweetness
• Full fat milk powder – also commonly sold as full cream milk powder. This adds tenderness to the crumb and richness to the flavour. I’m frankly obsessed with the flavour and texture of milk powder in my cakes and never really make them without these days
• Double cream – this will be double cream for UK readers and heavy whipping cream for US readers. American heavy whipping cream tends to have a lower fat % (36-40%) compared to British double cream (48%) and hence will result in a softer ganache
• White chocolate – for best results, use white chocolate with at least 30% cocoa butter (lower will still work, so don’t worry if that’s all you can find)

This is one of the cake flour brands I like to use, as well as the Six Fortune cake flour. They’re often labelled as either cake flour or low gluten wheat flour.

The KEY tips for making this cake

1. Room temperature ingredients – this allows the ingredients to mix more readily and more evenly, for a better emulsion
2. Don’t mix all the wet ingredients all at once – having a mixing order allows for even distribution of ingredients and uniformity. For example, in this recipe I incorporate the eggs after the butter, oil, and yogurt have emulsified, and then I add the milk
3. Wrap and refrigerate the cakes whilst still warm – this traps the steam within the cakes which ramps up the moisture. It’s a very handy tip that I love using
4. Use the best white chocolate within your budget – the higher the quality of white chocolate (higher cocoa butter %), the better the caramelisation and flavour development

How to make this Caramelised White Chocolate Cake

Let’s start with the vanilla cake layers

Start by whisking together the melted butter, oil, sugar, yogurt, milk powder, and vanilla

Next, add in the eggs and give everything a good whisk once again

Add in the milk and give the mixture another quick whisk

Then, sift in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk just until the batter is smooth and all the flour has been mixed in

Split the batter equally between two 8 inch tins (greased and lined/floured) and bake as per the instructions in the recipe card below. I do like to use cake strips to ensure a flat and level bake, you can find them linked in my shop here

And now, for the caramelised white chocolate whipped ganache

For the caramelised white chocolate, start by melting the white chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat. This is very much a ‘trust the process’ situation!

Continuously stir the white chocolate to ensure it doesn’t catch at the base of the pan. It will slowly start to thicken and seize up. Just keep stirring and it will eventually begin to caramelise

I like to caramelise the white chocolate until it reaches a deep golden brown. It will loosen up once it gets to this stage. Transfer it to a tall jug/mixing bowl, and pour over warm cream infused with vanilla and a pinch of salt

Blend with an immersion blender or whisk together. You’ll get a far better emulsification and smooth consistency with a blender. Then, add the remaining cold cream

Blend/whisk once again. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and place a surface wrap with clingwrap. Then, refrigerate for around 3-4 hours

Once chilled, whip the ganache with an electric whisk/stand mixer on a low speed until it’s light and mousse-like. Avoid over-whisking here as that can cause the ganache to split. If this happens see the notes section of the recipe card

Assembling the Caramelised White Chocolate Cake

To assemble the cake, spread around 1/4rd of the whipped ganache over the first layer of cake. I used 5 ice-cream scoops as a rough measure. Then, place the second layer on top and spread along another 1/4 of the ganache

Use the remaining ganache to cover the sides of the cake and use the back of a spatula or spoon to create swirls all over

Optional finish: feel free to top with some white chocolate shavings. You can also do this to cover sides too, if you wish

Frequently Asked Questions

How long will this caramelised white chocolate cake keep? And what’s the best way to store it?

This cake will keep for up to 5 days refrigerated in an air tight container, or up to 2 days at room temperature. For best results, allow the cake to come back to room temperature before serving.

Can this white chocolate cake be made vegan or without eggs?

The vanilla cake layers can be substituted with my Egg Free Vanilla Cake recipe. With regards to making this cake vegan, I have some suggestions listed under that recipe however this is not something I have tested and hence cannot guarantee the same result.

It can also be tricky to caramelise plant based white chocolates due to the lack of milk solids. However there may be some success in coconut based options. Once again, this is not something I’ve tested myself.

If you enjoyed this recipe

Please do let me know! Leave a review and a rating below, I’d love to know how you got on.

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Until then, happy baking!