This soft and tender White Chocolate Mud Cake is perfect for your next party or celebration. Two layers of white chocolate mud cake covered in creamy white chocolate buttercream.
I’m on a mud cake bender.
My latest obsession? This White Chocolate Mud Cake 👇🏻 Two layers of buttery mud cake covered in luscious white chocolate buttercream and topped with clouds of chocolate frosting.
Big, buttery and oh-so-irresistible.
First there was my Chocolate Mud Cake. Then my Caramel Mud Cake. And now my favourite White Chocolate Mud Cake.
All I know is when you put chocolate in your cake batter, it transforms into one rich, buttery cake with a truly enviable texture. And when you add White Chocolate Frosting that’s also made with real chocolate, well then you are in chocolate heaven.
While I’m usually partial to one layer cakes, some celebrations call for something special. And that’s when a layer cake like this White Chocolate Mud Cake is just perfect.
Two layers of cake covered in white chocolate buttercream with clouds of chocolate frosting piped on top, with squares of chocolate in between.
This White Chocolate Mud Cake recipe is so easy to make, in fact, you don’t even need an electric mixer. It can be baking away in the oven within 30 minutes.
All you need to do is mix together butter, white chocolate, sugar and milk on the stove until smooth and creamy. Then it’s time to add the remaining ingredients. A quick stir and then it’s time to bake.
What you’ll end up with is a soft and tender cake. One that’s moist and buttery and tastes like deliciously smooth white chocolate. But what sends the cake over the top is the frosting.
Just like my Caramel Mud Cake, I used white chocolate buttercream. I’ve long been a fan of adding real chocolate to my buttercream, but I only recently tried adding white chocolate. And let’s just say, I’ve been putting it on e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g ever since.
It’s also the perfect frosting for decorating a layer cake – smooth and creamy and really easy to work with. You could stop there, but for a little something extra, whip up a small batch of chocolate buttercream.
Then add your favourite chocolates on top. What you’ll end up with is a buttery mud cake made with real white chocolate, a creamy frosting also made with white chocolate and a little real chocolate buttercream sitting alongside pieces of your favourite chocolate.
ALL. THE. CHOCOLATE. THINGS.
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Let’s Bake
White Chocolate Mud Cake
A delicious two layer White Chocolate Cake covered in white chocolate buttercream.
Ingredients
White chocolate mud cake
- 230 grams (1 cup / 2 sticks) unsalted butter, roughly chopped
- 300 grams (2 cups) good quality white chocolate
- 200 grams (1 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 240 ml (1 cup) full fat or whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 350 grams (2 and 1/2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
White chocolate buttercream
- 230 grams (1 cup / 2 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 150 grams (1 cup) good quality white chocolate, broken into pieces
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 435 grams (3 and 1/2 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons whole or full fat milk
Chocolate buttercream
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 100 grams (2/3 cups) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 250 grams (2 cups) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons full fat or whole milk, room temperature
- Cadbury Topdeck Chocolates, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with baking or parchment paper.
- In a medium saucepan, add butter, white chocolate, sugar and milk. Place on medium heat, stirring until smooth and sugar has dissolved. Set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly.
- Add eggs and vanilla to cooled white chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Add flour, baking powder and salt and stir until combined – don’t worry if the batter is a little lumpy.
- Divide the cake batter between the two cake pans and place in the oven for approximately 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the white chocolate frosting, place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and creamy. Meanwhile melt the chocolate in a microwave, stirring in between 20 second bursts, until just melted and set aside.
- Add vanilla, half the sugar and one tablespoon of milk to the butter and beat until combined. Add the remaining sugar and beat until smooth.
- Add melted chocolate, ensuring the chocolate is still smooth and melted but is not warm. Beat until the chocolate is completely mixed through. If frosting is too thick, add an extra tablespoon of milk.
- Place one cake layer onto a cake board or stand. Cover the top with white chocolate buttercream. Place second cake layer on top (upside down for a nice flat top). Frost the top and sides of cake. Smooth sides using a cake scraper.
- To make the chocolate frosting, place butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale and creamy. Meanwhile melt the chocolate in a microwave, stirring in between 20 second bursts, until just melted and set aside.
- Add half the sugar and one tablespoon of milk to the butter and beat until combined. Add remaining sugar and beat until smooth. Add melted chocolate and beat to combine. Add an extra tablespoon of milk if needed.
- Add chocolate frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe frosting around the edge of the cake. Decorate with chocolate pieces.
Carolyn Clark Widdison says
Hi Jessica how can I turn your white chocolate butter cream into a raspberry one? I have thawed the frozen raspberries already overnight & are in the fridge. What’s your suggestion please and when during the process would I add them? Oh & how much & should I strain/purée them as well. Thanks heaps Carolyn
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Carolyn, you can use frozen raspberries to make a raspberry buttercream. Personally I like to use raspberry jam, like I have in this Lemon Raspberry Cake recipe. To use frozen raspberries, you will need to purée them and then strain them to remove the seeds. Then add them to the butter and sugar, a tablespoon at a time, to taste.
Hayley says
Hi
How could I adjust to
Make a 10” cake
I’ve also seen that live mentioned coving with foil nearer the end, would the cake not fall and dip in the middle
I’ve never made a mud cake before so I’m
Curious to use this recipe
Thank you in advance
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Hayley, it’s hard for me to recommend adjusting the recipe for that size pan. Using the recipe as is to make 2 x 10-inch cakes will result in much flatter cakes. On the other hand, using the entire batter to make one 10-inch cake, means the cake will take longer to cook in the middle and may over-brown or burn on the outside. And I can’t recommend adjusting the recipe quantities without testing it myself. It’s ok to open the oven and cover the cake with foil near the end of cooking, as long as the cake is around three quarters of the way through cooking.
Hayley says
Hi
Thank you so much for the info.
I have another question, will the butter cream set firm enough to cover in fondant and stack another layer on top?
Many thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Yes!
Sigal says
Hi. This cake tasted lovely. However, it was very brown on the outside and seemed the outside overcooked by the time the inside was ready. My oven was 180 on Bake (not fan forced). Any idea why?? Thank you so much for any advice. X
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sigal, it is normal for this cake to have a brown exterior due to the high sugar content. However, if the outside is burning or over-cooking before the inside is fully cooked, it’s likely your oven is running hot. You could try turning it down to 160, and also covering the cake with aluminium foil towards the end of cooking to prevent the cake from over-browning.
Sigal says
Thank you! So much better with the lower temp. Will try the foil trick next. Happy New Year!!
Hilary says
Hey there, is this cake good for decorating? I am looking for a mud cake recipe I can use for my daughters 1st birthday and decorate as a mermaid cake also potentially cut into 4 layers with some moulds on the top and coloured icing 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Hilary, absolutely! It’s fairly solid and stable. I’ve had lots of readers tell me they’ve use this recipe to make celebration cakes (and even wedding cakes too).
Melike Ayan says
Hi, i would really love to try this recipe, could i add frozen berries to the cake batter?
Thanks Mel
Jessica Holmes says
Absolutely Mel! Just don’t thaw them, gently fold them into the cake batter while still frozen.
Greta Battaglia says
Hi! I would like to use this recipe to make a cream tart, I was thinking on baking it on a cookie pan and the carving the sizes. Do you think it will work? Thank you!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Greta, yes that should work. Obviously the depth of the batter will just alter the cooking time, so you’d have to monitor that.
Shelley says
Can this recipe be made with a different chocolate as I need a very stable stacking mud cake for 4 layers but no white chocolate can I substitute dark for white
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Shelley, I’m sorry I haven’t tested this recipe with another type of chocolate. However, it does stack really well.
Kayla says
I didn’t like this cake at all. It was dry. Waste of ingredients
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so sorry to hear that Kayla. It should be lovely and moist inside. Over-baking is a common reason why cakes are dry.
Danika says
Hi, I’m new to baking but thought I would give it a go for my daughters birthday. Is it ok to cook the cake in one 8inch pan, 4 inch deep rather than two layers? Thanks so much for your advice.! It looks delicious! Hope mine turns out as good as it looks!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Danika, I’m excited you’re going to try this one. I wouldn’t recommend using just one 8-inch pan because it’ll take a really long time to cook through, and it’s likely the outside will overbake.
Kristie says
Can you make this recipe in cupcakes? Can you freeze the cake? How long do the cakes stay fresh? Could I cook it on a Tuesday to decorate and eat on Saturday?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes! And yes. If you want to bake it that far in advance, I’d recommend freezing it. Then thaw when you’re ready to frost and serve.
Sal says
My cake didn’t rise 😞 this is why I’m not a cake baker
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sal, this cake should rise but will be a fairly flat cake – perfect for decorating. Could your baking powder be expired? Feel free to send me a photo to jessica@sweetestmenu.com if you want to troubleshoot further.
Thush says
Hi there,
I’m going to use this recipe for a birthday cake. Can I put this cake in the fridge after frosting? Will it be dry?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Thush, I always like to avoid putting my cakes in the fridge as they will dry out a little – less so if they’re completely covered in buttercream/frosting. If you need to refrigerate, I would make sure the cake is completely covered in frosting and even better, in an airtight container. And I would keep chilling to a minimum where possible.
Rebecca says
Hi I would love to make this, do you think using just one 9x 2.5 inches (23 x 6 cm) pan would work okay with this recipe, rather than splitting ? Also would vanilla essence be okay rather can extract and just use a bit extra essence? Many thanks
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Rebecca, this will be quite a lot of batter for a 9-inch pan. You might find that the outside overcooks while waiting the middle to cook through. You could try covering with aluminium foil towards the end of baking, or using some of the batter to make a couple of cupcakes on the side. You can use vanilla essence but it’s artificial so it won’t taste the same as real vanilla extract.
Dawn says
Hello! Is there a reason you use milk in this recipe and water in your caramel mud cake recipe? Can we use milk in the caramel cake recipe too? What difference is there by using water? Sorry for all the questions lol. It looks so good!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Dawn, good question!! You know it has been so long since I recipe tested both of these, that I can’t remember why I used the different liquids. I do remember I made the Caramel Mud Cake many times, so I’m sure that the way it is written is probably the way to go! But if you give it a go with the milk, let me know how it turns out.
Tamsin H-P says
Hey, I was considering trying this for a wedding cake type situation, I’ve seen some Australian bakers (I’m from the UK) use it for stacking, would you say this recipe would be fine for multiple tiers? 😊 It looks yummy by the way
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Tamsin, yes it’s a good cake for stacking. I’ve had lots of readers use this recipe for layered birthday and special occasion cakes.