Yield: 1 8-inch layered cake
White Chocolate Vanilla Cake
White chocolate vanilla cake is moist, fluffy vanilla cake filled with white chocolate buttercream and topped with festive pomegranate seeds.
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
Vanilla Cake:
- 3⅓ cups cake flour, sifted
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups milk, room temperature
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 ¾ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 5 large egg whites, room temperature
White Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
- 5 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup white chocolate chips, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds for topping (optional)
Instructions
For Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch (or two 9-inch round) cake pans and line with a parchment circle. Grease parchment and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir vanilla extract into the milk.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until very smooth on medium speed, about 2 minutes. With the mixer running, add sugar gradually and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low and add flour in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of the milk mixture. Beat until just combined. Do not overmix.
- In another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold the egg whites into the batter in 3 additions.
- Pour equal amounts of batter into prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula. Bake cakes until tops spring back when pressed and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes (25-30 minutes for a 9-inch round)
- Transfer cake pans to wire racks and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks to completely cool.
For White Chocolate Swiss Meringue buttercream:
- Whisk together sugar and egg whites in a heatproof mixing bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water. Whisk until warm and sugar is dissolved (mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingers), about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
- With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk egg white mixture for 5 minutes. Increase speed to medium-high, and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue has cooled (test by feeling the bottom of the bowl), about 6 minutes.
- Switch to the paddle attachment and reduce speed to medium. Add butter, one piece at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. The frosting might look separated at first but keep beating until it comes together. Add the white chocolate and beat until combined.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving platter. Spread about ¾ cup frosting over the top using an offset spatula. Top with another layer and repeat with the other two layers.
- Top with pomegranate seeds if desired. If not, continue frosting the entire cake and decorate desired.