Description
A decadent and moist White Forest Cake featuring layers of fluffy white cake, luscious cherry filling, and smooth white chocolate cream cheese frosting, perfect for special occasions or indulgent dessert cravings.
Ingredients
Scale
White Cake
- 3 1/2 cups Cake flour
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup Oil (canola or vegetable oil)
- 1 1/2 cups White granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Sour cream (room temperature)
- 1 TBSP Pure vanilla extract
- 5 Egg whites (room temperature)
- 1 cup Buttermilk (room temperature)
Cherry Filling
- 1 lb Cherries (fresh or frozen, pitted if fresh)
- 1/2 cup White granulated sugar
- 1 TBSP Cornstarch
- 1 TBSP Water
- 1/4 tsp Almond extract
White Chocolate Frosting
- 2 cups Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 8 oz Cream cheese (room temperature)
- 8 oz White chocolate bars (2 bars Lindt chocolate)
- 5 cups Powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottoms with parchment paper circles and spray again to ensure easy release.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter, oil, and sugar: Using a mixer, beat the butter, oil, and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes until the mixture turns pale and fluffy.
- Add sour cream, vanilla, and egg whites: Mix in the sour cream, vanilla extract, and egg whites on medium speed until well combined.
- Combine dry ingredients and buttermilk: Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined, avoiding overmixing.
- Prepare batter for baking: Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Evenly pour the batter into the three prepared cake pans.
- Bake the cakes: Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cakes: Let the cakes sit in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Make cherry filling: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine pitted cherries, sugar, cornstarch, water, and almond extract. Heat until the cherry juices release and cherries soften, then mash with a potato masher. Continue heating until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes, yielding about 1 1/2 cups of filling. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.
- Prepare white chocolate frosting: Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and set aside. Melt the white chocolate in a microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
- Cream butter and cream cheese: Beat the butter on high speed for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add cream cheese and beat for an additional minute, scraping the bowl to remove lumps.
- Combine frosting ingredients: Add melted white chocolate and mix on high speed until incorporated. Gradually add powdered sugar in two additions, mixing on low speed, then add vanilla extract and beat on high until the frosting is creamy.
- Trim and stabilize cakes: Level the tops of the cakes by cutting off any domes with a serrated knife. Pipe a small amount of frosting onto your decorating surface to secure the first layer.
- Assemble cake layers: Place the first cake layer on the board, spread 3/4 cup of frosting over it, pipe a frosting border around edges, and spread half of the cherry filling on top. Repeat assembly with the second cake layer and cherry filling.
- Add final cake layer: Place the last cake layer upside down on top, fill any cracks on the sides with frosting, covering any spilled filling. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set the filling.
- Crumb coat and final frosting: Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting all over the cake and freeze for 10 minutes to lock in crumbs.
- Decorate: Frost the cake fully with remaining frosting. Use a Wilton 1M tip to pipe decorations on top and garnish with extra cherries. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the decoration before serving.
Notes
- Room temperature ingredients ensure better mixing and texture.
- Using parchment paper and nonstick spray helps cakes release cleanly from pans.
- Freezing between frosting steps helps achieve a smooth and crumb-free finish.
- Fresh or frozen cherries can be used; just ensure frozen cherries are thawed and drained if necessary.
- The white chocolate frosting is rich and creamy—store leftovers in the refrigerator and let it soften before reuse.
- This cake is best served slightly chilled but allowed to come to room temperature before eating.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: White Forest Cake, Cherry Cake, White Chocolate Frosting, Layer Cake, Decadent Cake, Holiday Dessert
