A fluffy, decadent Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Cake with Buttercream Frosting is exactly what you need to treat yourself and your loved ones to this Valentine's Day--or anytime. It's way easier to make than you'd imagine, and it'll definitely make everyone who eats it fall in love with you. 😉
I have a Valentine for you, and he's so delicious you won't be able to stop gorging on him.
Get your mind out of the gutter! I am talking about this absolutely scrumptious Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Cake, which, frankly, is just as good. Or maybe better.
This cake has been a labor of love for me. I've made it so many times in the past few weeks that Desi and Jay are stuffed with more cake than they could've dreamed of. And yet it's so good, they are not complaining. Not yet.
The reason I made it so many times is because I was trying to get this cake just right for you. It all started when Desi and Jay brought home a White Chocolate Raspberry Cake from a Nothing Bundt Cakes store that opened in our neighborhood a couple of years back. Their cakes aren't vegan and usually I'm not tempted, but the idea of white chocolate and raspberry--two of my favorite dessert flavors--was annoyingly tantalizing.
And then, to top it all, they ate it and they ranted and they raved, so I snuck a small, guilty taste, and god. Was it good.
So I set about trying out a vegan version of it, as I do with everything I love and can't eat anymore, because why should we vegans not have fun?
The first time I made it, I used fresh raspberries, and the cake was quite amazing. It was fluffy and tender, and exactly where I wanted it to be except that the raspberries discolored during baking and looked bluish-gray rather than a bright red. Not a biggie, the cake still tasted amazing, and I did find a solution for that, as you can tell from the pictures.
But the frosting--that was another story.
There's white chocolate, or rather cocoa butter, in the cake--and I wanted white chocolate in the frosting, but every time I folded the cocoa butter into the frosting it went grainy on me. It still was creamy and delicious, but not exactly great looking.
I tried the frosting recipe out with different proportions of cocoa butter, I tried beating it in early, folding it in at the end, and everything in between, but no luck.
So in the end, I decided that I'd stick with white chocolate and raspberry in the cake but go with raspberry and vanilla in the frosting, which results in a win-win. If you do decide to add cocoa butter though, I've learned a trick you can use, and I'll add it to the tips and tricks section below.
The cake is amazing, with lots of raspberry and white chocolate flavor, and the frosting is fluffy, creamy and decadent. It's not even a difficult cake to make, and pulling it together takes a maximum of 30 minutes, promise. Even better: I got tons of compliments from my two tasters, both proclaiming it was better than the original. They may be a bit biased, but I'll take it!
Tips and tricks to make the perfect vegan white chocolate raspberry cake:
- Sometimes the simplest steps can make a big difference, and in this case the first key step is to sift all of your dry ingredients. Sifting adds air to the flour, and helps your cake become fluffy, which is exactly what you are going for.
- In the same vein, whisk your wet ingredients thoroughly for at least a couple of minutes, even if it looks like everything's already mixed and nothing's happening. I do this for two minutes in the stand mixer, but a hand mixer or even a handheld whisk is fine.
- Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, though, limit any and all whisking and mixing, because you don't want the gluten to develop in your batter. A good rule of thumb is no more than 15 seconds after each addition of flour (you'll add the flour in two batches). After each addition, use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl and mix in any dry bits until everything's incorporated.
- For the white chocolate flavor in the cake, I use cocoa butter. You will need to melt the cocoa butter in a double boiler, and that happens very quickly.
- I like using both raspberry and vanilla extracts in this cake, and they make this cake extra delicious. I tried making the cake the first time without raspberry extract, but I found that while the fresh raspberries added some good flavor, it simply wasn't enough. You can leave out the extract at a pinch, but use it if you can.
- I used both canned raspberries and fresh raspberries in different versions of this cake, and I didn't really find a great difference in taste. But I will say that the canned raspberries look grey-brown out of the can, so you certainly won't get that gorgeous red color with them. On the flip side, you can keep a can around for much longer in your pantry than fresh raspberries will last in your refrigerator, depending on how much time you spend between planning this cake and making it.
- Since the Nothing Bundt Cakes cake has little pockets of raspberries in it, I kept my raspberries whole and mixed them in at the end. Mixing them in earlier would have resulted in a pink batter, which would've been pretty too but is not what I wanted. All you need to do is fold them in at the end, after you've made the rest of the batter. Turn your spatula through the batter just three or four times to get the berries suspended throughout the batter. Don't overmix or you'll break them up.
- Now here's the trick I came up with to keep the berries bright red even after baking: lemon. Just before you fold the berries into the batter, squirt on a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice and just mix it through the berries with a light touch, taking care, again, not to break the berries. I can't swear to this, but I think that the lemon also has the unintended but welcome effect of making the cake lighter. I use unbleached all purpose flour--never bleached--but one of the problems with that is that your cakes never come out looking as white as those made with the bleached kind. But I saw a distinct difference in the color of cakes I tried without the lemon and cakes that I used lemon in. It makes sense because lemon does have a bleaching effect on things (in a good way, without the chemicals, and it's good for you).
- Make sure your oven is thoroughy preheated before you put the cakes in.
- Oil your cake pans and preferably line them with parchment paper to make unmolding easy. I used two 9-inch cake pans for this cake but you can also make it in a bundt pan (skip the parchment in that case). The first time I made the cake I did make it a bundt cake, like the one from the store, but my frosting skills are simply not good enough and I couldn't get those perfect lines the way they do them at Nothing Bundt Cakes. So I abandoned that approach and went with a more classic "cake look" that's more forgiving.
- Now for the frosting: you will need two sticks of vegan butter, any brand is fine, and you need to bring it to room temperature before you can use it.
- I add a mix of powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar and maple syrup to my frosting, because I like some of the depth maple syrup adds, but go with just the powdered sugar if you'd rather. I don't add a ton of sugar to the frosting, I don't think it needs it--two cups does the trick for me. You can use more or less based on your sweet tooth. Add half a cup of sugar at a time, mix, taste, then add more if needed, and so on.
- When I used cocoa butter in the frosting, I found that two tablespoons is all I need to add perfect white chocolate flavor. If you decide to add the cocoa butter to the frosting, and your frosting turns grainy, refrigerate it for some time and then beat it again to make it creamy.
Now that you're armed with all that white-chocolate-raspberry-cake-making-knowledge, let's get down to brass tacks.
I may be a little late for your Valentine plans, but I didn't want to share a recipe with you that didn't meet my standards. This one definitely does. I hope you'll try it, for yourself and for the ones you love.
Ingredients for the vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Cake:
- Unbleached all purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Tapioca starch (or corn starch)
- Vegan yogurt (I use my homemade cashew yogurt, but if you want the cake to be nut-free you can use a homemade or storebought coconut yogurt or any other vegan yogurt)
- Nondairy milk (I use almond but any is fine)
- Cocoa butter
- Vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Pure vanilla extract
- Raspberry extract
- Raspberries (fresh or canned is fine. If using canned, make sure you drain the berries)
- Vegan butter (any brand is fine)
- Confectioners' sugar (can use a mix of this and maple syrup)
Looking for more vegan cake recipes?
- Vegan Orange Cake with Orange Marmalade Buttercream
- Vegan Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake (whole wheat)
- Vegan Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake
- Vegan Cinnamon Cake
- Vegan Mango Cheesecake
More vegan white chocolate recipes
Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Cake Recipe
Vegan White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon tapioca starch (or corn starch)
- ½ cup cacao butter (or cocoa butter, it's the same thing)
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon raspberry extract
- ½ cup vegetable oil (use any flavorless oil, like almond or avocado)
- 1 ½ cups vegan yogurt (I used my homemade cultured cashew yogurt, but use any unsweetened storebought yogurt.)
- 1 ½ cups nondairy milk (I used almond, but any nondairy milk will work)
- 1 ½ cups raspberries (fresh are ideal for the gorgeous color, but you can use canned. If using canned, drain thoroughly)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
For the buttercream frosting
- 16 tablespoons vegan butter (2 sticks)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (or use a mix of powdered sugar and maple syrup for more flavor)
- 1 ½ teaspoon raspberry extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup nondairy milk
- 2 tablespoon cacao butter (optional, see tips and tricks above)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a double boiler, which is fancy speak for a bowl placed on top of a saucepan of water, melt the cocoa butter. Let it stand, warm, until you mix it into the batter because it will start to harden again as it cools.
- In a bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, tapioca starch or cornstarch, and salt. Mix with a whisk.
- In a larger bowl, mix the oil, sugar, yogurt, melted cocoa butter, nondairy milk and vanilla and raspberry extracts until combined.
- Add the flour to the wet mixture in two batches, mixing thoroughly with a spatula after each addition. If doing this in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, don't beat for more than 15 minutes after each flour addition. Make sure you scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Place the raspberries in a bowl and add the lemon juice and mix lightly with your fingers without crushing the berries. Mix gently into the batter, using just three or four strokes of the spatula until the berries are evenly suspended through the batter.
- Prepare two 9-inch or 8-inch cake pans--or a bundt pan--by oiling or spraying with cooking spray. If using cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment and oil. Pour the batter into the pans or pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Place in the oven and bake 30 minutes if using 2 cake pans, and 50 minutes if using one bundt cake pan. Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out dry, pull your cake/cakes out of the oven.
- Place the cakes on a rack and unmold after 30 minutes by placing a plate on top and turning it over quickly. Be careful, and take care not to break the cake since it's quite tender, and especially so when still warm. The cake should come out very easily, but if you need help, run a knife gently along the edges of the pan.
- The cakes will dome a little, and I don't mind that, but if you want your layers to be absolutely straight, use a serrated knife and carefully slide it just under the portion you want to trim off.
Make the frosting:
- If using the cocoa butter, melt it in the double boiler.
- Place the vegan butter in a bowl and add a cup of the powdered sugar and the nondairy milk as well as the raspberry and vanilla extracts. Beat until smooth and combined, then continue adding sugar, half a cup at a time, until you reach the desired sweetness.
- If using cocoa butter, fold it into the frosting at the end. If the frosting looks a bit grainy, let it stand for a little bit to rest and beat it again until creamy.
- Frost the cake after it has cooled thoroughly. For a two-layer cake, place one layer on a plate or cake stand, scoop our half the frosting over it, spread it evenly with a knife or an offset spatula. Carefully place the second cake on top and spread the remaining icing on top. Pile on some raspberries for a pretty look.
Nutrition
Christine
Hi Vaishali, your recipe looks divine! I want to make a strawberry white chocolate cake. How would you add the strawberries? Just cut fresh ones into raspberry sizes and lightly spritz with lemon juice before adding? (stupid question i'm sure) And if i were to make it a simple white chocolate cake with super strong white chocolate flavor, how would I best adjust your recipe? Thanks so very much!
Vaishali
Hi Christine, you got it right, just chop the strawberries, spritz with lemon and add. 🙂 I would hesitate to add more cacao to the recipe because of the high amount of fat which would alter the recipe too much. You could add vegan white chocolate chips to the batter. Just stir them into the batter before baking--I think you could get away with adding up to a cup. Let me know how it goes!
Nicole Gray
Hiya, I'm making a swiss roll cake but wanted to use cacao butter in the sponge. However, I know cacao butter can leave a stiffer texture. How is the texture of this sponge? Could I use the recipe this sponge for a swiss roll or will it likely crack?
Thanks 🙂
Vaishali
Hi Nicole, it is a pretty soft and tender crumb so it might work for a swiss roll.
SHAD
Hi. I'm not vegan but eggless. I tried making this cake replacing the cocoa butter with white chocolate and vegan Greek yogurt with regular Greek yogurt and it's divine.
I'm now trying to to veganise it for some friends. I find an odd smell and after taste with the cocoa butter version so I tried it again with vegan white chocolate and coconut yogurt (I can't get vegan Greek yogurt in my area). It tastes delicious and even though a toothpick comes out clean, the bottom is soggy. I've been very careful not to overbeat so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Any input would be appreciated.
Vaishali
Hi, great to know it works with white chocolate and regular Greek yogurt. About the soggy cake bottom, it might just be that the coconut yogurt is much runnier than homemade cashew yogurt it-- mine is quite thick-- and you need less moisture in the cake. Try reducing the amount of milk by 1/4 to 1/2 a cup and see if it makes a difference. Best.
Christina Summerfield
Made this for my boyfriend's birthday, really impressed with the taste but I found it needed baking far longer than recommended - I pushed it to 45 mins instead of 30 and didn't dare go any longer but it's still very underbaked 🙁
Vaishali
Hi Christina, it could just be that your oven temperature is off. This is a common problem, where ovens vary widely from each other. I am happy you liked the taste.
Sheila
Absolutely delicious.
I need it to be eggless and not necessarily vegan.
I replaced the cacao butter with white chocolate, reduced the sugar, used dairy yogurt instead of vegan, added in some white chocolate chips. It bakes perfectly in a loaf pan but not as a bundt. I've tried several times but even after over an hour, the cake is still underdone. What am I doing wrong?
Vaishali
Hi Sheila, so happy you've loved the cake. It could be that your oven temperature is a bit off. Or try reducing the quantity of milk by 1/4 to 1/2 a cup in case the yogurt you are using is more watery.
Deborah L
Love your blog. I was wondering if I could use gluten free flour instead of regular flour. I am hoping to make this for my birthday, Home alone. My family lives all over.
Thank you so much.
Deb
Vaishali
Hi Deb, you could try this with gf all purpose flour. Or, I do have a gf berry almond flour cake on the blog that you could adapt. That one doesn't have any fat other than what's in the almonds, but you can add 2 tbsp of cacao butter, melted, to the batter for the white chocolate flavor. And the icing can be the same. Bake two for a layered cake. https://holycowvegan.net/gluten-free-berry-almond-flour-cake/
Agata
This is hands down the best vegan cake recipe I've tried, and I've tried so, so many! Any tips for converting these to cupcakes (other than reducing the bake time)?
Vaishali
Hi Agata, that's so awesome to hear. I think cooking for around 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean, is the only advice I'd offer if converting to cupcakes. 🙂
Agata
Thanks so much - they turned out perfect as cupcakes (it made about 26 for me). They've already been requested for future parties 🙂
Vaishali
Awesome to hear!
Alan
Do you think some coconut butter with the cacao butter might be nice?
Thanks!
Vaishali
Hi Alan, it could be--I haven't really worked with coconut butter so not sure what kind of flavor it would impart, but the texture should be fine if you replace some of the cacao for coconut butter.
Alan
Do you some coconut butter with the cacao butter might be nice?
Thanks!
Raji
Hi! I tried this recipe and we absolutely loved the cake!! Thanks a ton!! I was wondering what I might need to do to convert this to a muffin? Could you please help?
Vaishali
Hi Raji, to make cupcakes just divide the batter into the cups of a cupcake tin and bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpake in the center comes out clean.
Lotti
Hi! I am making your cake for my sister's birthday. I have got a question! What do you mean with "Frost the cake after it has cooled thoroughly". Do you to put the baked layers into the freezer before you put the frosting on them? I feel stupid, but I don't want to do anything wrong!
Vaishali
Just let them cool at room temperature!
Lotti
Okay, I've made the cake now and surprised my little sister with it. She LOVES it. And I am so happy, because I've never baked a cake with two layers before but it worked! Thank you so much for the detailed recipe. I will recommend it to others.
By the way I am from Germany. So your recipe has reached people all over the world already! 🙂
Vaishali
Hi Lotti, that's so wonderful to hear! So happy your sister and you loved it. 🙂
Kiran
Great recipe!:)
At what temperature did you bake the cake?
Vaishali
See step 1.
Angie
This cake is the best textured vegan cake I’ve had, and I’m a professional baker! I’ve tried several versions of this cake flavor and your recipe is the BEST! I’m making it for a birthday cake for someone who loves Haagen Daz White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream. I’m making a raspberry purée to either swirl through or just layer between the cake layers then cover in vanilla frosting. Also will add some chocolate chips to the batter. By the way, I tested this cake by eating it fresh, after being refrigerated and also having frozen it for a week. The texture is great even after being frozen, albeit a little more dense but definitely still delicious! Thank you for treating us to such a fabulous vegan cake!
Vaishali
Hi Angie, so happy to hear that, and thanks so much for the feedback. I haven't frozen the cake --we always guzzled it down within a couple of days 😉 -- so good to hear that it freezes well too.
Marilyn
I was so excited to find this recipe! White chocolate cake is one of our favorite family recipes, and as a vegan I have been begging for a vegan version so I can continue to enjoy it 🙂 Two questions for you: 1) if we wanted to remove the raspberries, would you recommend any adjustments to account for the lost moisture, etc.? 2) I noticed that you recommended reducing sugar if we use vegan white chocolate instead of cocoa butter - any suggestion on where to start in terms of how much sugar to add? Thank you for this labor of love that will make so many happy!!
Vaishali
Hi Marilyn, you can remove the raspberries and keep the rest of the contents the same. I'd prob remove 1/4 cup if I were using white chocolate.Since sugar is a wet ingredient and this would take away some of the moisture, you could stir in an extra 2 tbsp of yogurt.
Holly Spence
I’m desperate to make this cake for my sister’s birthday but due to lockdown I cannot get cocoa butter could I replace with white chocolate?
Vaishali
Hi Holly, you could, but be sure to reduce the sugar quantity because the white chocolate will likely already be very sweet.
Ann
Omg, this is to die for! The cake looks gorgeous! My family would devour it! Your recipe is very easy to follow. It couldn’t be any easier to make. I'm saving it for later. I'm so excited at the idea of giving it a try (hope really soon). I'll definitely keep all of your tips in mind when I make the cake.
Thank you for sharing! As always – love every recipe from you. You're amazing! Keep up the good work!
Vaishali
Thank you, Ann. 🙂
Yasmin
Looks delicious. What do you think about frozen raspberries ?
Vaishali
Frozen berries are fine, just use them straight from the freezer without thawing.
Yasmin
Thanks Also thanks for so many great stories and recipes. ?
Janet
Is it better to use 8 or 9 inch pans?
Vaishali
Either is fine. Mine are 9 inch.