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White Chocolate Cherry Cake for Christmas & Winter Parties

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4.1 from 74 reviews

This White Chocolate Cherry Cake is a festive and moist layered dessert perfect for Christmas and winter parties. It features layers of buttery white chocolate cake infused with maraschino cherry juice, frosted with a rich white chocolate buttercream, and decorated with white chocolate curls and cherries for a beautiful holiday presentation.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Cake

  • 4 ounces White baking chocolate (113.5g), chopped
  • 2 ½ cups Cake flour (285g)
  • 2 ½ teaspoons Baking powder (10g)
  • ½ teaspoon Salt (3g)
  • 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened (170g)
  • 1 ½ cups White sugar (300g)
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g)
  • 1 ⅓ cup milk (314g)
  • One 16 oz Jar Maraschino Cherries (for batter, filling, and decoration)

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

  • 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened (339g)
  • 8 ounces white baking chocolate (227g), chopped
  • 5 cups powdered sugar (575g)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (4g)
  • 4 tablespoons milk or cream (42g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt (3g), optional

Decoration

  • Additional white chocolate bar for curls
  • 3 maraschino cherries for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Grease and flour three 8 x 2 inch cake pans. For best results, place a circle of wax or parchment paper on the pans’ bottoms to prevent sticking.
  2. Chop Cherries: Remove 22 maraschino cherries from the jar, blot dry with paper towels, then finely chop. Set aside the remaining cherries and reserve the cherry juice for brushing the cake layers and garnishing.
  3. Melt White Chocolate in Milk: Warm the milk gently either in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot but not boiling. Add the finely chopped white chocolate, let sit a few minutes, then stir until smooth. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
  4. Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt for 30 seconds to combine. Set aside.
  5. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a mixer bowl, beat the softened butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add sugar and continue beating for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
  6. Add Eggs and Vanilla: Add eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Then stir in the vanilla extract.
  7. Combine Batter: Alternately add the flour mixture and cooled white chocolate milk mixture to the butter mixture, starting and ending with flour (3 additions of flour and 2 of milk mixture). Mix at medium speed until just combined to avoid overmixing.
  8. Fold In Chopped Cherries: Gently fold the finely chopped cherries into the batter.
  9. Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake at 325°F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
  10. Prepare White Chocolate Buttercream: Chop white chocolate finely and place in a microwave-safe bowl with 4 tablespoons milk or cream. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Let cool.
  11. Beat Buttercream: Beat softened butter until smooth, then gradually add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix in the white chocolate mixture and vanilla extract. Optionally add an extra tablespoon of milk if needed. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until fluffy and creamy.
  12. Assemble Cake Layers: Place one cake layer on a cake base or pedestal. Brush generously with reserved maraschino cherry juice. Spread a layer of white chocolate buttercream on top, then add sliced maraschino cherries to taste. Repeat with the second layer, then add the third layer, brushing and frosting each similarly.
  13. Crumb Coat and Chill: Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting to the entire cake and chill in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
  14. Final Frosting and Decoration: Apply a smooth final layer of frosting using a cake comb for texture around the sides. Create chocolate curls by running a vegetable peeler down the edge of a white chocolate bar, chill curls in the freezer for 5 minutes, then decorate the cake top with curls and 3 whole maraschino cherries, attaching curls with toothpicks as needed.

Notes

  • If you do not have cake flour, substitute by mixing 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour minus 5 tablespoons plus 5 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted together for a lighter texture.
  • Warming eggs in hot water for 5 minutes helps them come to room temperature faster for better mixing.
  • Use wax or parchment paper circles on pan bottoms to avoid sticking and make removal easier.
  • Do not overmix the batter to keep the cake tender and moist.
  • If you prefer a less sweet frosting, add the optional ½ teaspoon salt to the buttercream.
  • For decorative piping, prepare additional frosting beyond the 5 cups made.
  • Use a gentle hand when folding in cherries to prevent color bleed and maintain a nice texture.

Find it online: https://yumfoodusa.com/white-chocolate-cherry-cake-for-christmas-and-winter-parties/