Icy White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
A white chocolate buttercream frosting layered cake with raspberry mascarpone filling. White chocolate shards mimic winter icicles. Vanilla sponge cake sliced into four layers. Buttercream made with egg yolks, sugar syrup, and melted white chocolate. Raspberries mixed with lemon, sugar, and mascarpone for tart, creamy filling. Chill times vary with temperature. Cake decorated with piped white chocolate lace strips peeled and applied vertically. Serve slightly warmed to soften frosting before slicing.
Prep:
80 min
Cook:
15 min
Total:
Servings:
12 servings
#dessert
#french-inspired
#chilled cake
#white chocolate
#raspberries
White chocolate and raspberries teamed like a frosty forest scene. The buttercream rests on fluffy vanilla cakes. Frozen berries thawed slow, sweetened and brightened with lemon, folded into rich mascarpone. Egg yolks hit with a hot sugar syrup set thick then cooled. Melted white chocolate swirled in for richness. Butter beaten in slowly till creamy cloud. The cake sliced horizontally, layers stacked with raspberry clouds sandwiched inside. White chocolate ribbons piped on parchment, chilled, cut then mounted around cake like icicles caught in winter wind. Chill and wait. Warm before eating. Slight chilliness lingers, texture creamy and bright. Soft crumb. Sharp fruit. Sweet cream. Sharp contrast. Fun to assemble, more fun to eat.
Ingredients
- 2 vanilla cakes 22 cm (8 1/2 in)
Buttercream
- 3 egg yolks
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) water
- 130 ml (1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp) sugar
- 20 ml (1 1/2 tbsp) light corn syrup
- 140 g (5 oz) white chocolate, melted
- 3 ml (1/2 tsp) pure vanilla extract
- 275 ml (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, softened and cubed
Raspberry Filling
- 280 ml (1 1/4 cups) fresh or frozen raspberries
- 90 ml (3/8 cup) sugar
- 40 ml (2 2/3 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
- 1 container 300 g (10 1/2 oz) mascarpone cheese
White Chocolate Icicles
- 190 g (7 oz) white chocolate, chopped
About the ingredients
White chocolate quantity adjusted slightly; some sugar and water reduced for a firmer buttercream. Corn syrup keeps the texture shiny and silky. Raspberries can be fresh or frozen—thawing extended to draw out juices with a bit extra sugar balances tartness. Mascarpone amount up by 10%, adds smoothness to filling. Butter softened but not melted; temperature affects final creaminess. Vanilla extracted pure, kept minimal for flavor depth without overpowering. Chocolate for icicles tempered gently; controls shine and snap. Parchment paper size increased slightly to allow more lace for coverage on cake edges. Always scrape bowl bottoms when mixing. Creamy filling contrasts with soft crumb. White chocolate adds body to frosting, helps it hold shape better. Raspberry citrus balance critical—don’t skip lemon juice. Freeze raspberry mixture if using deep frozen fruit, else moisture may separate.
Method
Raspberry Filling
- 1. Toss raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl. If frozen, let sit 15 minutes to thaw and release juice.
- 2. Blend mascarpone into raspberry mixture using electric mixer till creamy and homogenous. Chill.
Cake Prep
- 3. Remove cake domes to level tops. Cut each cake horizontally into two even layers. Four layers total.
Buttercream
- 4. Place egg yolks in large bowl, set aside.
- 5. Bring water, sugar, and corn syrup to boil in saucepan. Heat till candy thermometer reads 118°C (245°F).
- 6. Slowly drizzle hot syrup over yolks, beating continuously with electric mixer on medium speed. Avoid hitting whisks directly with syrup. Beat until mixture cools completely (about 20 minutes).
- 7. Fold melted white chocolate and vanilla into cooled yolk mixture.
- 8. Add butter cubes gradually, beating until very creamy. Scrape bowl bottom occasionally.
Assembly
- 9. Spread raspberry filling evenly on three cake layers. Stack layers, finish with one unfilled. Cover entire cake with buttercream. Smooth sides and top carefully.
White Chocolate Icicles
- 10. Cut three sheets of parchment roughly 44 x 31 cm (17 1/4 x 12 in). On reverse side, draw a rectangle 44 x 15 cm (17 1/4 x 6 in), about 5 cm (2 in) taller than frosted cake height.
- 11. Melt two-thirds of white chocolate in double boiler or microwave, stirring often. Add remaining chocolate, mix to temper. If necessary, gently reheat briefly.
- 12. Using a piping bag fitted with a fine round tip (~2 mm), pipe tight vertical hatch marks inside drawn rectangle to mimic icy shreds.
- 13. Chill parchment for 12 minutes or leave at room temp until hardened (~1 hr).
- 14. Using small spatula, carefully peel chocolate lace in ~8 cm (3 in) strips. Press flat side to cake sides vertically, applying pieces gradually all around.
- 15. Refrigerate assembled cake. Remove from fridge 40 minutes before serving to soften buttercream slightly.
Cooking tips
Sugar syrup cooked to 118°C ensures a stable meringue-like base when poured onto yolks. Drizzle slowly while beating to prevent lumps and cook the yolks gently. Cool thoroughly; the step takes about 20 minutes to avoid tilting of the buttercream texture. Chocolate folded in after syrup cools avoid melting butter later. Butter added gradually keeps mixture smooth, prevents curdling. Spread filling evenly but avoid overloading between cake layers to maintain stability. Remove cake domes for flat stacking; trim cake edges if lumpy for neat layers. Pipe chocolate lace carefully; even thin lines allow more natural icicles shapes. Refrigerate area to harden chocolate completely before peeling paper. Peel in sections with a spatula to prevent breakage. Apply strips evenly around cake sidewall, pressing gently but firmly to stick. A final chill sets buttercream and chocolate decorations securely. Serving temperature critical; too cold and buttercream stiff; too warm and shape softens too much. Rest cake 40 minutes at room temperature before cutting. Store covered to avoid moisture absorption or fridge odors.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Start syrup slowly. Boil water, sugar, corn syrup to 118°C only. Use candy thermometer or risk wrong texture. Drizzle on yolks steady. Avoid hitting whisk tips with syrup or yolks clump. Beat until cool, 20 minutes minimum. Patience here equals stable buttercream. If too fast, buttercream splits or grainy.
- 💡 Butter temperature matters. Too warm, it melts buttercream. Too cold, hard to mix. Use softened, cubed butter for even incorporation. Add gradually. Scrape bowl bottom and sides often to avoid lumps or uneven texture. Keep mixing speed medium to avoid excess air or curdling.
- 💡 For raspberry filling, thaw frozen berries 15 minutes minimum to release juices. Sugar amount adjusted; more sugar if berries frozen hard. Lemon juice critical here — balances tartness and sweetness. Blend mascarpone into berries with mixer well but don’t over whip or filling thins out. Chill to firm up before layering.
- 💡 Cake layers need trimming. Remove domes for flat tops if domed. Slice each cake horizontally for four even layers. Trim edges if uneven for neat stacking. Keep layers even, avoid overloading filling between layers to prevent slide or collapse. Use an offset spatula for spreading filling thinly but evenly.
- 💡 White chocolate icicles pipe on parchment reverse side drawn rectangle slightly taller than cake. Melt 2/3 chocolate, temper with rest for snap and shine. Pipe thin vertical hatch marks 2mm tip, close enough to appear lacey. Chill 12 mins or room temp 1 hour to harden. Peel in 8cm strips carefully with spatula. Press flat side gently on cake vertically, cover all sides evenly.
Common questions
Can I use frozen raspberries?
Yes but thaw at least 15 mins. Releases juices, softens berries. Sugar added helps balance tartness. If frozen hard, thaw longer or risk filling separation. Mixing mascarpone after berries blend smooth filling. Keep cold after blending.
How to avoid buttercream splitting?
Add butter slow, medium mixer speed. Start with cool yolk-syrup mix to fold melted chocolate in first. If butter too warm or too fast mixing, frosting breaks. Scrape bowl often. Wait until mixture cools completely before adding butter to prevent melting.
What if cake layers are uneven?
Trim domes. Use serrated knife. Slice horizontally steady. Uneven layers cause stacking trouble or slide. Level cake tops for stable stack. If edges crumbly, trim small amounts for clean layers. Keep filling thin between layers to hold shape.
Storage advice?
Refrigerate whole cake covered tight to protect from fridge odors. Chill for setting buttercream and decorations. Remove 40 minutes before serving for slight softening. Cake holds few days. Parchment strips stick till cutting. Avoid freezing assembled cake; texture and layers suffer.
