Winter Wonderland White Chocolate Cake is a dreamy, snow-kissed dessert that brings a touch of magic to your holiday celebrations. This moist vanilla cake is layered with silky white chocolate buttercream and topped with a sparkling ombré of blue sanding sugar. With optional white chocolate ganache for added flair, it’s a show-stopping centerpiece perfect for Christmas, New Year’s, or winter birthdays. Whether you’re baking for a crowd or just want to create something beautiful, this cake combines elegance, flavor, and a hint of frosty fun.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Moist vanilla cake made from scratch
- Decadent white chocolate buttercream
- Beautiful ombré effect with colored sugar
- Optional ganache drip for extra wow
- Freezer- and make-ahead-friendly
- Perfect for winter holidays or themed parties
This cake isn’t just dessert—it’s a festive decoration in itself.
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Cake:
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 egg whites
- ½ cup whole milk yogurt (or sour cream)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
For the White Chocolate Buttercream:
- 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups white chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Blue food coloring (gel preferred)
Optional White Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 drop blue gel food coloring
Decoration:
- Blue sanding sugars (light to dark gradient)
- Parchment paper
- Cake turntable or board
Instructions
- Prep and bake cake layers
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour three 6-inch round cake pans. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. - Mix wet ingredients
In another bowl, whisk together yogurt, milk, egg whites, vanilla, and softened butter until just combined. Don’t worry about small lumps. - Combine and bake
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just incorporated. Divide batter evenly into pans. Bake for 28–32 minutes or until centers spring back. Cool completely. - Make buttercream
Melt white chocolate and cream together in the microwave (20-second bursts at 50% power) or over a double boiler. Let cool slightly. Beat butter until fluffy, then gradually add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and melted white chocolate. Beat until smooth. - Color for ombré
Divide buttercream into 4 bowls. Leave one uncolored. Tint the other three with increasing amounts of blue gel food coloring. - Assemble the cake
Stack layers using buttercream between each. Apply a crumb coat and chill for 15 minutes. - Decorate ombré style
Starting with darkest blue at the base, frost the cake in layers of colored buttercream, moving upward to the lightest color. Smooth with a spatula or cake scraper. Chill to set. - Optional ganache drip
Melt white chocolate and cream together, tint with blue, and drizzle along the top edges once the cake is chilled. - Finish with sanding sugar
Gently roll the chilled cake onto a flat surface sprinkled with gradient blue sanding sugars. Return to cake stand and finish with buttercream dollops if desired.
Recipe Details
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Servings: 8
- Skill Level: Intermediate
Nutrition Facts (Per Slice)
- Calories: 290
- Carbs: 41g
- Protein: 4g
- Fat: 11g
- Sugar: 37g
- Sodium: 133mg
- Calcium: 10mg
- Iron: 0.7mg
Nutrition values are estimates and will vary based on serving size and decoration.
Tips & Variations
- Make ahead: Freeze cake layers tightly wrapped for up to 2 months. Assemble and decorate fresh.
- Ombre shortcut: Skip the colored buttercream and let the sanding sugar do the visual work.
- Ganache-free version: Omit the drip for a cleaner frosted look.
- Use different colors: Try silver, gold, or pastel sanding sugars for other themes.
FAQs
Can I use 8- or 9-inch pans?
Yes! Double the recipe for 8-inch pans and triple for 9-inch. Adjust baking time as needed.
What can I substitute for yogurt?
You can use sour cream or whole milk Greek yogurt.
How do I store the finished cake?
Keep covered at room temperature for 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 4 days. Bring to room temp before serving.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, unfrosted cake layers freeze well. Fully assembled cakes can also be frozen, but apply sanding sugar last-minute.
Winter Wonderland White Chocolate Cake
Equipment
- – Mixer
- – Offset spatula
- – Cake turntable
- – Parchment paper
- – 6-inch cake pans
Ingredients
- #### Cake
- – 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- – 1 cup sugar
- – 1 tsp baking powder
- – ¼ tsp baking soda
- – ¼ tsp salt
- – ¾ cup unsalted butter room temp
- – 3 egg whites
- – ½ cup yogurt or sour cream
- – ½ cup whole milk
- – 3 tsp vanilla extract
- #### Buttercream
- – 1 lb unsalted butter
- – 2 cups white chocolate chips
- – ½ cup heavy cream
- – 8 cups powdered sugar
- – 1 tsp vanilla extract
- – Pinch salt
- – Blue gel food coloring
- #### Optional Ganache
- – 1 cup white chocolate chips
- – ¼ cup cream
- – 1 drop blue food coloring
- #### Decoration
- – Blue sanding sugars gradient
- – Parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prep three 6-inch cake pans.
- Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. In another, mix butter, milk, yogurt, egg whites, and vanilla.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Divide into pans and bake for 30 minutes.
- Let cakes cool. Make buttercream by melting white chocolate with cream. Beat butter, add sugar, vanilla, salt, and white chocolate. Color into ombré shades.
- Stack cake layers with buttercream. Chill, then frost with ombré colors and smooth.
- Optional: Add ganache drip after chilling.
- Roll chilled cake in blue sanding sugar gradient. Finish with dollops and sparkles.
Notes
– For ganache, use gel coloring only—liquid will seize chocolate.
– Chill cake before rolling in sugar.
Conclusion
This Winter Wonderland White Chocolate Cake is the ultimate festive dessert. With its snowy appearance and rich flavor, it’s guaranteed to impress family and guests alike. Don’t be surprised if it steals the spotlight on your dessert table this winter!