High Altitude White Chocolate Drip Cake

This spectacular high altitude white chocolate cake would be perfect for any holiday, birthday or special occasion. My recipe features a soft, moist and light white velvet cake flavored with real vanilla bean, frosted with fluffy white chocolate buttercream. Next, luscious white chocolate ganache drips temptingly down the sides of the cake. Swirls of buttercream topped with white chocolate truffles complete the stunning presentation.

Looking for more high altitude cake recipes? Don’t miss these white velvet cupcakes, dark chocolate fudge cake, and a classic vanilla cake.

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What is White Chocolate?

White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and sometimes vanilla. It’s ivory in color, with a sweet, buttery flavor. But since white chocolate does not actually contain any cocoa solids, which are found in other types of chocolate, such as milk chocolate and dark chocolate, it’s not technically considered chocolate.

So even though white chocolate’s name is a bit misleading, it’s still chocolate-like, and is just delicious added to cookies, cakes and other baked goods.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

White Velvet Cake.

• Unsalted Butter. Adds richness, flavor and tenderness to the cake. Creamed with the sugar until fluffy, it also makes the cake light and fluffy.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
• Vanilla Bean. There’s nothing like the flavor of real vanilla bean in a cake, and if ever a cake deserved the real thing, it would be this white chocolate cake. I’ve been buying these Tahitian vanilla beans, and they’re very affordable.
• Egg Whites. The egg whites add protein and structure to the cake, and the absence of the yolks keeps the cake nice and white.
• Cake Flour. Cake flour, rather than all-purpose flour, is preferable for white cakes, as it makes a very light, fluffy, tender cake. I usually use Swans Down cake flour for my white cakes.
• Baking Powder. Leavens the cake, making it light and airy.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
• Buttermilk. Adds richness, flavor and acidity, for a very tender cake crumb.

White Chocolate Buttercream.

• White Chocolate. Melted white chocolate whipped into the buttercream adds rich, buttery notes that you will just love. Use a good-quality white chocolate bar, rather than white chocolate chips.
• Unsalted Butter. Adds fat and flavor to the buttercream, as well as makes it light and fluffy when whipped with the powdered sugar. For a whiter buttercream, substitute vegetable shortening for half the butter.
• Powdered Sugar. Sweetens and thickens the buttercream.
• Meringue Powder. A little meringue powder adds stability and improves the texture of buttercream.
• Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the white chocolate.
• Vanilla. Use a good quality vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, or more real vanilla bean, for the best flavor.
• Milk. Thins out the buttercream as needed, for desired consistency.

White Chocolate Ganache Drip.

• White Chocolate. Use a good-quality white chocolate bar, rather than white chocolate chips, for the smoothest white chocolate ganache.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. The cream thins out the ganache to a pourable, drippable consistency.
• Bright White Gel Food Coloring. White chocolate has an ivory, almost yellowish tint, but you can easily brighten and whiten it with a few drops of white gel food coloring stirred into the ganache.
• White Chocolate Truffles. To garnish your cake, white chocolate truffles are the perfect finishing touch. You could use any brand, or even homemade truffles, but I liked the texture of the coconut on these Raffaello truffles.

Cake Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and spray the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla bean on medium speed for 10 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
• Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, beating each for 10 seconds before adding the next. Scrape the bowl down and beat for 10 more seconds.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour. Use a spatula to scrape the bowl well and incorporate any stray bits of flour.
• Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
• Set the pans on a wire rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel, and cool completely before frosting.

Buttercream Instructions

• In a microwave-safe dish, melt the white chocolate on 50% power for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and microwave on 50% power in several more 15 second increments, until you can stir the chocolate until smooth. Set aside until the chocolate is completely cooled, but still a smooth creamy consistency, about 15 minutes.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth.
• With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, meringue powder and salt, mixing just until combined but clumpy. Add the vanilla, and increase the speed to medium; whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl several times. Add the milk as needed if the buttercream is too stiff.
• Add the cooled melted white chocolate, and whip for 2 more minutes until fluffy.
• Remove the cooled cakes from the pans. Fill the cake layers with the buttercream, then frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream. Chill the cake for 20 minutes. Frost the cake all over with a final coat of buttercream, making it as smooth as you can. Chill the cake for 30 minutes while you make the ganache. Save the leftover buttercream for piping the swirls on top of the cake.

White Chocolate Drip Instructions

• In a microwave safe dish, combine the white chocolate with 1 ounce of cream. Microwave for 1 minute on 50% power, then stir until smooth. The ganache will probably be too thick, so add more cream, about a teaspoon at a time, stirring the mixture until you’re happy with the consistency. It shouldn’t be too thick or too thin, but should drip down the side of the dish when you let it run off the spoon.
• If desired, stir in a few drops of bright white gel food coloring to neutralize the yellow color of the white chocolate. Let the ganache cool for about 10 minutes before pouring it onto the cake.
• Take the chilled cake out of the refrigerator. Pour the ganache on top of the cake, right in the center. Immediately take a small offset icing spatula, and spread the ganache out to the edges of the cake, nudging it over the edges so it can drip down.
• Place the cake in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, so the ganache can set and firm up.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best type of white chocolate to use for the buttercream and ganache?

I wouldn’t recommend using white chocolate chips, since they contain additives to prevent them from melting smoothly. Use a good-quality white chocolate such as Lindt for the smoothest consistency in your buttercream and ganache.

Can I make the ganache with white candy melts instead of white chocolate?

Eh. You could. But it won’t taste great. And a white chocolate cake that looks this fabulous deserves to taste fabulous, too.

How do I whiten the ivory color of the white chocolate ganache?

White chocolate has an ivory, almost yellowish tint, but you can easily brighten it with a few drops of white gel food coloring stirred into the ganache.

Is there any melted white chocolate in the cake batter?

No, I decided not to add any white chocolate to the cake itself. The flavor ends up kind of lost, and it seemed unnecessary with 4 ounces of white chocolate in the buttercream and another 4 ounces in the ganache.

Can I add white chocolate chips to the cake?

I wouldn’t recommend it. They’ll be too heavy for the light cake batter and will end up sinking to the bottoms of the pan. They could also cause the cakes to fall.

What kind of truffles did you top the cake with?

I used Ferrero Rocher Raffaello truffles.

What piping tip did you use to pipe the buttercream swirls on top of the cake?

I used tip 1M.

Do I need to use cake flour for the white velvet cake?

Yes, you should absolutely use cake flour for white cakes. Cake flour has a lower percentage of protein than all-purpose flour, yielding a much lighter, fluffier cake.

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