Description
White Chocolate Mocha Cake is a stunning layer cake featuring fluffy white chocolate cake layers soaked with an espresso mixture, filled with whipped white chocolate ganache, and frosted with a rich espresso cream cheese frosting. Coffee meets white chocolate in the most elegant way possible.
Ingredients
White Chocolate Cake Layers:
- 4 oz white baking chocolate (113.5g)
- 2½ cups cake flour (285g)
- 2½ tsp baking powder (10g)
- ½ tsp salt (3g)
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened (170g)
- 1½ cups white sugar (300g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (8g)
- 1⅓ cup milk (314g)
Espresso Mixture:
- 1 tbsp instant espresso or 1 tbsp + 2 tsp instant coffee (4g)
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar (12g)
- ¼ cup boiling water (60g)
Whipped White Chocolate Ganache:
- 12 oz white chocolate chips
- 6 oz heavy cream
Espresso Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (226g)
- 16 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp espresso granules dissolved in 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 to 6½ cups powdered sugar (690g–747g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 8-inch cake pans and line with parchment paper.
- Melt white chocolate in 20-second microwave intervals, stirring each time until smooth. Cool slightly.
- Whisk cake flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Set aside.
- Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and melted white chocolate.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and milk in three additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly between pans and bake 28–32 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely.
- Make espresso mixture: dissolve espresso, sugar in boiling water. Cool completely.
- Make ganache: heat cream until just simmering, pour over white chocolate chips. Let sit 2 minutes then stir smooth. Refrigerate until firm, then whip to soft peaks.
- Make frosting: beat butter until fluffy. Add cream cheese and beat smooth. Mix in espresso-vanilla mixture. Gradually add powdered sugar until thick and spreadable.
- Brush cooled cake layers with espresso mixture. Layer with whipped ganache between each layer, then frost the outside with espresso cream cheese frosting.
Notes
- Cool cake layers completely before assembling — even slightly warm layers will melt the ganache and frosting.
- Dissolve espresso granules fully in the vanilla before adding to frosting to avoid bitter pockets.
- Refrigerate the assembled cake for at least 1 hour before slicing for the cleanest cuts.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Cuisine: 12–16 slices