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White Chocolate Drip Cake!
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This showstopping four-layer white chocolate drip cake features a light vanilla sponge layered with a decadent white chocolate buttercream and finished with a glossy, picture-perfect ganache drip. Requiring 3 hours and 30 minutes of total preparation, baking, and chilling time, this elegant showstopper serves 15 people and delivers a professional patisserie finish for any celebration.
Notes from The Patisserie
When a major milestone or celebration rolls around, a basic single-layer cake simply won’t cut the mustard. This recipe was designed specifically to celebrate a major baking milestone, transforming a universally loved flavour profile into an structural masterpiece. It is unashamedly sweet, incredibly luxurious, and created to deliver that dramatic, clean “drip” aesthetic that makes guests gasp when it is brought to the table.
Baking four individual cake layers can easily lead to over baked, dry edges if you aren’t careful. To bypass this entirely, this recipe instructs you to bake two deep, substantial 8-inch cakes instead of four thin ones.
Ingredient notes and tips
Baking two larger sponges preserves internal moisture, keeping the centre of the cake incredibly soft and stable. Once the cakes are completely cold, you use a long serrated bread knife to slice each sponge cleanly in half horizontally. This gives you four perfectly flat, structurally sound layers with exposed crumbs that are ready to grip your buttercream filling like a magnet. For my sponges I the classic equal ratio of ingredients:
- Butter – I use unsalted butter but you can you baking spread
- Sugar – caster sugar incorporates beautifully into the creamed butter, you can use other sugars but it will have different effects on the sponge
- Eggs – as in most of my recipes I use medium eggs
- Flour – self raising flour creates that beautiful airy sponge that complements the buttercream
- Vanilla – I use vanilla extract as it incorporates throughout the mixture and cuts through the sweetness of the sugar adding another flavour
To make the sponge white chocolate I would use 400g butter, sugar, and flour, 1tsp baking powder, with 8 medium eggs, 300g melted and cooled white chocolate, and 200ml whole milk. You split into the two 8″ cake tins like the rest of the recipe and bake for the same time.
Mastering the crumb coat and finish
To achieve a high-end visual finish, you cannot skip the crumb coat stage. This involves spreading a very thin, translucent layer of buttercream over the entire stacked cake to lock down any loose cake crumbs.
After a quick 30-minute chill in the fridge, your crumb coat will turn rock-hard. This allows you to apply a secondary, thick blanket of buttercream over the top without a single stray crumb ruining your design. You can then use a patterned metal cake comb or scraper against your turntable to carve gorgeous, uniform ridges into the sides of the frosting for a beautiful modern texture.
White chocolate ganache
For the ganache decoration, it is a bit different to my others. Because you are using white chocolate, the ratio of how much cream you use for the amount of chocolate is completely different.
The standard is either a 3:1, or a 4:1 when it comes to a white chocolate ganache. I personally love the 3:1 ratio. It may sound strange only using such a small amount of double cream – but it’s honestly all you need. Add in too much and it will be very very runny.
FAQs
How do I make my ganache whiter as it has come out yellow?
If you want to make your ganache whiter like I have, you can use this white food colouring. It works for buttercream, ganache etc.
Why did my ganache drip slide all the way off the cake?
This happens for two reasons: either your ganache was still too warm when you applied it, or your cake wasn’t cold enough. Make sure your cake has sat in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before dripping, and test a single drip on the back of a cold glass to check its speed before tackling the cake.
What is the easiest way to apply the drip decoration smoothly?
While a teaspoon works perfectly fine, transferring your warm ganache into a small plastic piping bag gives you ultimate control. Snip a tiny fraction off the tip, and gently squeeze the bag at the upper edge of the cake, allowing you to regulate exactly how much chocolate cascades down the sides.
Do you need to chill between crumb coat and the final layer of buttercream?
If you’re short on time you can steam ahead but it will likely effect the finish on cake, chilling between stages gives you a solid platform to spread the next layer of buttercream. I wouldn’t skip this stage if you can.
White Chocolate Drip Cake Recipe
A four layer white chocolate drip cake with white chocolate buttercream and a white chocolate ganache drip!
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Servings: 15 People
Ingredients
Cake
- 500 g unsalted butter/baking spread
- 500 g caster sugar
- 10 medium eggs
- 500 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 300 g white chocolate
- 500 g unsalted butter (room temp)
- 1000 g icing sugar
Ganache
- 150 g white chocolate
- 50 ml double cream
Decoration
- white chocolate sweets/truffles
- white chocolate sprinkles/sprinkles
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 170ºc/150ºc fan, and line two 8"/20cm cake tins with baking parchment.
- In a stand mixer, or a large bowl, beat together your unsalted butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs, self raising flour, and vanilla extract and beat again until combined well.
- Split the mixture between the two tins.
- Bake the cakes in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until baked through – check with a skewer to make sure they're done
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, and then take out and leave to cool fully on a wire rack
For the Buttercream
- Melt the white chocolate until smooth, and leave to cool whilst doing the rest.
- Beat your unsalted butter on its own for minute or two, to soften it and loosen it.
- Add in the icing sugar and beat well until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the melted and cooled white chocolate and beat again.
For the Decoration
- Split the two cakes into four layers in total.
- Put the first cake onto a cake board of plate. Add a little buttercream and spread. Repeat with the second and third sponges. Add the final sponge on top.
- Using a small amount of buttercream, spread and smooth around the cake sides and top for a crumb coat and add to the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Once set, add more buttercream onto the tops and sides of the cake, and smooth around covering the cake completely in buttercream.
- I add the buttercream on using a small angled spatula, and smoothed around the edge with the patterned scraper! You need to make sure there is more buttercream on the sides of the cake than you need, as some will be removed as you smooth it over.
- Once finished, put the cake in the fridge again for at least 30 minutes.
Ganache
- Add the white chocolate and double cream to a bowl, and microwave until smooth.
- Using a small piping bag or a teaspoon, drip the ganache down the sides of the cake. The more you push over the edge, the further the drip will fall.
- Set the cake in the fridge again for 30 minutes!
- Finish the cake off by piping on any leftover buttercream, and adding any sprinkles and truffles you like!
Notes
- This cake lasts for 3-4 days at room temperature
- This cake will freeze for 3+ months
- For this cake I used:
- I used two of these 8″ cake tins
- These piping bags for the buttercream
- These piping bags for the drip
- This cake turntable to make decoration easier
- I used these combs on my cake to create the style
- I used this piping tip for the buttercream!
- I use this white chocolate in my baking
Storage and freezing
This celebration cake keeps beautifully at room temperature for up to 4 days when stored inside a airtight container. Do not refrigerate the fully finished cake for long-term storage, as cold air will dry out the cake crumb.
If you want to prepare ahead of time, you can freeze the un-iced sponge layers for up to 3 months by wrapping each individual room temperature cake layer tightly in a double layer of plastic cling film before placing them flat in the freezer.
Related recipes
If you are obsessed with the rich, luxurious creaminess of white chocolate bakes, there are plenty of other decadent treats on the blog to explore next. Try the ultra-fluffy White Chocolate Cupcakes loaded with hidden molten chocolate chips, or scale things up with the majestic White Chocolate & Pistachio Cake for an incredible nutty contrast.
Hi Jane. I usually use your 400g recipes for a three layer cake however I want a bit more height. Can I use these quantities in three 8 inch tins? Maybe just adjust the timing?
Hi Jane, I make so many of your recipes – thank you! I have just made this cake BUT the ‘ganache drip’ is very thick and not ‘drippy’ at all. I used double cream and green & blacks organic white chocolate.
I tried doing it twice. Once as you had described and once by heating the cream amd adding the chocolate to melt in the hot cream. However both times it turned out gloopy. Please help. Thank you so much.
In this case, its worth adding a bit more cream (like 1tbsp at a time) so it becomes thinner – but you really need to keep checking it as its easy to add too much xx
Hi Jane, i love all your recipes, I have made so many from your page now! – I am going to make this cake for my birthday tomorrow, in the notes you say you can use melted chocolate in the recipe, for the flour in that recipe is it plain or self raising? – also I don’t have deep tins so plan on splitting the recipe between 4 8inch tins, how long would this need to be in the oven for in this case? Thank you!
Hey! Aww thank you so much I am so pleased! Sorry I have only just got around to replying – the rest of the cake mix is still the same. Baking time may be about 25 minutes but I have not tested this so can’t be 100% sure x
No worries; I made this cake for my birthday and put a tiny bit of pink colour in the frosting and oh my it was amazing! The white chocolate in the actual cake made it so fudgey and tasty, highly recommend people try it if they like white chocolate! I actually used Cadbury’s white chocolate for both the cake mix and buttercream and it was beautiful! Thank you Jane for the recipe 😀
Hi Jane
This cake looks great! I’m wanting to do it for my little ones birthday but she has asked for pink buttercream, is it as simple as using food colouring/jel and it will be okay? Will it be too much being white chocolate buttercream? Or shall I just do normal buttercream? Thank you! X
Hey, it would work very well you would just need to use a strong food colouring such as progel or sugar flair! Hope that helps x
Hi Jane,
I am planning on making this at the weekend for my mums bday, just a quick question regarding buttercream, you say beat? so usually this means with a wooden spoon yeah? i have always used an electric whisk but maybe this is where i go wrong lol
Hey, on a stand mixer I use the beater which is the flatter attachment (not the whisk) because it gets much better results compared to using a whisk xx
Hi Jane, could I use milk chocolate instead of white chocolate for this recipe? I’m planning on making it this weekend for a friends birthday, very excited!
Hey! Yes but the ganache is a 2:1 ratio instead of 3:1 xx
Hi Jane
I want to bake this cake but without the white chocolate buttercream. How much quantity of butter and icing sugar is required.
Thanks xx
Hiya, so do you want a plain buttercream instead then?xx
Hi Jane, I would love to know this too please! Am making my nephew a cake this weekend and would just like the ratios for plain buttercream please! Plan on decorating exactly the same!
Also, can you dye the white ganache? (Needs to be a blue stripy cake!) Thank you! x
Hi Jane, I’m going to attempt this cake for my hubby’s birthday in a few weeks. Could I put jam in between the layers too? Thanks, Alana xx
Yeah for sure!
Hi Jane,
If I wanted to try this recipe using the the PME 4x4inch tin, would I use a 1/4 of this recipe ?
I was wondering how I would convert the recipes to fit that tin size ?
I hope you can help!
Have a good Day,
Hiya! you would use roughly a third! xx
Hi Jane, if I wanted to use this recipe for 2 x 10” cakes what would the measurements be? Thanks in advance love all your recipes x
Hope you can help?? X
Hoping you can help, would like to use this recipe next week for a wedding cake
Hi Becky, I need to ask exactly the same question as I need to bake this in 10 inch tins. I was wondering if you managedto work it out please?
Would really appreciate some guidance.
Thank you very much 😊
Hi Jane I was just wondering what chocolate you used as it appears really white .? Mine always looks yellow ?
The whiteness is explained in the blog post!
Hi Jane, I used the recipe for your white chocolate drip and it did not turn out like yours haha. It seemed way too thick and was very ‘gloopy’ and didn’t drip very far. Any idea where I went wrong? It seems so simple but I must’ve messed it up somehow haha. Thanks
What exact chocolate did you use and what exact cream did you use? x
Made today for a birthday cake, so happy with the result. Thanks