This year – surprise, surprise – Miss M did NOT have a dinosaur birthday party. Instead, in line with the predicted weather, she had a flamingo pool party. Of course, she wanted a pink flamingo cake. The result was this white chocolate cake with raspberry frosting.
Before we get into it: apologies, readers, for the poor photos. I was a little distracted on the day and did not realize that no photos had really been taken of the cake. And most of them showcased the mirror glaze – more on that in a bit.
The flamingo pool party
Miss M’s birthday is in the middle of the school holidays. This brings with it two general problems:
- Many friends are away on holidays and
- It can be hot.
This year, after talking about it and the general COVID rules, we decided to have a small birthday and only invite her friends from kindergarten. A pool party seemed perfect, and we quickly arrived at a flamingo theme. As it was summer and was supposed to be warm, a pool party seemed logical. So a flamingo pool party it would be.
Of course, on the day, the weather was cooler than hoped. It was still warm enough for the girls to go swimming, but not warm enough for me to go in too.
As it was a flamingo party, the cake had to be pink.
To make things easier, I found a flamingo cake topper. (It was actually quite difficult to find one that would deliver to Germany in under a week.) I still had to choose what cake to make though.
Why a white chocolate cake with raspberry frosting was a good choice
There were a few things the flamingo cake had to fulfill – and that made this white chocolate cake with raspberry frosting ideal:
- It had to be easy. I had several other things to prepare as well as bake for the party and did not have the time to spend on a complex recipe.
- It shouldn’t be too sensitive to heat. I didn’t want to do an ice cream cake again, nor did I want something like a cheesecake that was going to hog all the (limited) space in our fridge to ensure that it was still safe to eat in the middle of summer.
- It should be simple. The birthday party was for little girls aged 5 and under. The cake had to be appropriate. Something with alcohol was obviously out. Any complicated mix of flavours or spices would also be inappropriate. I also wanted to make sure that the cake would be a flavour that they would be familiar with.
- It had to be pink, for a flamingo party, obviously.
- I didn’t want to use too much food colouring, if possible. I already had enough in the frosting for the cupcakes the girls decorated and didn’t want to go overboard.
- I had to be able to be made in advance. We were picking the girls up from kindergarten early for the party, which would mean that I did not have enough time to make the cake that day.
- It had to be special. It was a birthday cake! I didn’t just want to make something too simple or from a box.
- As the birthday girl, Miss M got a say in what cake it would be, too. I wanted it to include some of her favourite flavours.
This white chocolate cake with raspberry frosting ticked all the boxes!
What makes this white chocolate cake with raspberry frosting so versatile
The great thing about this cake is its versatility.
The flavours are perfect for a summer birthday or garden party.
It is a darling cake for afternoon tea, especially for Mothers’ Day.
With its natural pink frosting, it’s the perfect cake for Pinktober (breast cancer awareness month), however you are celebrating or commemorating it.
It also works really well for Christmas. It’s like a reverse red velvet cake. Add a little bit of food colouring to make the frosting red (you will only need a few drops because the frosting is already quite pink).
So why wait until summer to make some?
Tips for the perfect raspberry frosting
It’s difficult to say whether the cake or the frosting is the star here – both are really good. And both are really easy to make.
The cake recipe is based on this white chocolate cake recipe but less complicated.
The hardest part, I found, was leveling the cakes to have a flat surface for frosting.
I can recommend using a cake leveller, if you have one. Mine broke and I have not replaced it yet (I make cupcakes more often than I make cake, so I have not really needed to replace it yet).
If you don’t have a cake leveller, see if you have a cake tin, bowl or even chopping block that is about the height that your cake should be. Use it as a guide, even to lean your knife on while cutting in order to get a uniform height.
There is no food colouring in the frosting – that pink is all natural!
The recipe is based on our white chocolate frosting that we use regularly. The secret ingredient is freeze dried raspberries.
Basically, I replaced some of the icing sugar in the frosting with some powdered freeze dried raspberries.
Of course, freeze dried raspberries are whole and not powdered. (I have never seen raspberry powder here, but I assume it would work in the same way.) So how did I turn the freeze dried raspberries into the powdered raspberries I needed for the recipe?
Our coffee grinder. I cleaned and dried it thoroughly before and after using, and then ground the raspberries, just like I would the coffee beans. It worked a treat – I will definitely be using this trick again.
A word of caution
Miss M decided – about 30 minutes before her friends were set to arrive – that she wanted a pink drip mirror glaze on the cake. We had found a packet mix at the supermarket a few weeks earlier and she wanted to use it today.
Worst decision ever.
The result was a disgusting, gelatinous layer that was neither appetizing nor appealing.
It is not something that I will be repeating again soon.
I can’t remember what brand it was (it was not this one) and I hope it is not something that is true to all ‘drip’ mixes. It is clearly something I will have to experiment with.
The girls thought it was great, even if they left most of it on their plates. Fortunately, it peeled off in pretty much one large, floppy piece (which just shows how ghastly it was!).
White chocolate cake with raspberry frosting
Equipment
- baking paper
- fork
Ingredients
For the white chocolate cake
- 200 g white chocolate
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup cream
- 2 ½ cups plain flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup butter at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups white sugar
- 3 eggs (large)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
For the filling
- 125 g double cream
- ¼ cup raspberries
- 1 tsp icing sugar
Instructions
For the cupcakes
- Combine the chocolate, milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until the chocolate is completed melted and the milk, cream and chocolate are well combined. Allow to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 175° c. Grease and flour three 6" cake forms and line with baking paper. Set aside.
- Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer using a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy (3 to 5 minutes). Reduce the speed and add the eggs, one at a time, beating until it is full incorporated before additing the next one. Add the vanilla essence and mix until well combined.
- Add the sifted flour and the chocolate and mix mixtures to the butter, sugar and egg mix. Add a little at a time, alternating between the two, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix after each addition until completely incorporated before adding any more.
- Pour into the cake pans and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling.
For the filling
- Using a fork, crush the raspberries gently in a small bowl. Add the cream and icing sugar and mix to combine.
- Carefully cut the top of each cake so that each cake is level. Spread the top of one cake with the filling and top with the second cake. Top the second cake with the filling, too and add the third cake. Try and get the cakes to line up to prevent layers slipping off.
For the frosting
- Grind the raspberries until they form a fine powder.
- Whip the butter until light and creamy. Add one cup of icing sugar and mix well to combine.
- Once the white chocolate has cooled completely, add it to the mixture and mix to combine.
- Add the vanilla essence, salt and cream and mix to combine. Add the powdered raspberries and mix well so that the mixture is a uniform colour.
- Add the remaining icing sugar, a little at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If it is not pink enough for you, add some more powdered raspberries or a few drops of red or pink food colouring if you prefer, until the desired colour intensity is reached.
- Frost the top and sides of the cakes and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Versatile white chocoalte cake with raspberry frosting – when will you make it?
This simple and moist white chocolate cake with delicious raspberry frosting is versatile and delicious at any time of year. Perhaps a garden party or afternoon tea? Are you throwing a flamingo birthday party? Are you commemorating breast cancer awareness? Or are you going to add some food colouring to the frosting for a wonderful and unexpected red and white Christmas cake?
What will you be celebrating when you bake this white chocolate cake with raspberry frosting?
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