Raspberry White Chocolate Pound Cake

Hi Friends! Welcome to Day 5 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake! It’s my hope that this event has delivered for you all as much as it has for me. ❤️ Today is special. You see, my mother-in-law helped me brainstorm flavor profiles for the Twelve Days of Pound Cake. The first flavor out of her mouth is today’s pound cake: Raspberry White Chocolate Pound Cake.

Y’all. My mother-in-law does not like chocolate so when I say I was SHOOKETH?  I truly was. 

But she is about the sweetest person this side of heaven, so when she said she wanted it?  

Well, Y’all know the rest. 

About This Raspberry White Chocolate Pound Cake

Now that I’ve reached this part of the event, I realize that there is a consistent thread that goes all the way through this pound cake lineup. 

I wanted them all to be luscious. Like, the mouthfeel just had to be *scrunches toes and squeals with glee* good. 

Or, as the mothers and aunties say, mmmmhmph. IYKYK (Also, that is a phonetic spelling 😂). 

This pound cake delivers on that promise. With the most delectable cake, the sweetness of the white chocolate goes perfectly with the tartness of the raspberries. And when I say she is beautiful?

Friends.

FRIENDS. The cake is undeniably luscious. The raspberries are perfectly tart (and I chose frozen to ensure that they’d be consistently amazing the whole year round). And the white chocolate ganache is just…delightful.

I am ever so grateful for my mother-in-law. She is just the most delightful human being and I love her so much. This one is for you Mom.

Ingredients for the Raspberry White Chocolate Pound Cake

This pound cake benefits from simplicity. There aren’t a million ingredients (y’all know I love a complex and fun pound cake), but the ingredients that you use should really shine. Let’s get into it:

All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the star of a pound cake, IMHO. The higher protein content helps create the incredible texture that reminds me so much of those pound cakes of my youth. Also, if you want a pound cake that conforms to these beautiful bundt pans and creates a stunning masterpiece, you’ll want all-purpose flour; cake flour doesn’t hold those gorgeous designs nearly as well.

Baking Soda: This cake uses sour cream as the liquid. For this reason, baking soda is the appropriate leavening. Don’t substitute baking powder in this recipe; it’s not the right tool for the job.

Kosher Salt: Every baked good needs salt to counteract the sugar. A little goes a long way, so be careful when you’re measuring! And yes, I did cut the sugar in this recipe without changing the salt content. It’s because the white chocolate is extremely sweet and I felt that the cake itself didn’t need the additional sugar.

Unsalted Butter: Room temperature, unsalted butter is perfect for this cake. I used my favorite cultured butter from Vermont Creamery, but what you use is entirely up to you! The butter helps create the perfect texture in this cake; the creaming process creates beautiful little air pockets that help the leavening work even better!

Cream Cheese: Remember when I said that I wanted everything to be luxurious? Well, the cream cheese in the recipe is a big reason why this cake is as luxe as it is. That additional fat element helps give your taste that melt-in-your-mouth quality without sacrificing wonderful flavor.

Granulated Sugar: Sugar adds sweetness to our cake, but it also aids in caramelization! And with bundt cakes, that beautiful golden crust is largely due to the caramelization from the sugar! As I mentioned before, I did cut the amount of sugar for this recipe, since it gets pretty cloying when paired with the white chocolate ganache. We want the tartness from the raspberries to really balance that sweetness, but we don’t need as much of the sweet stuff to achieve that balance.

Eggs: The egg whites in this cake add structure to the cake, while the fatty yolks add flavor. Make sure to take your time whilst adding the eggs! Too much liquid at one time will cause your batter to separate.

Whole Vanilla Bean: This cake uses the seeds from half of a vanilla bean pod. Again, the objective was luxury. 😊

Raspberry Extract: Please don’t get cute with the raspberry extract my friends. 1/2 tsp is plenty to get the effect. That stuff is potent. If you want over the top luxury, try Chambord. The raspberry liqueur is just. so. good.

Sour Cream: I loved the final texture that sour cream lent to this cake. In a pinch, you can also use 250 g (1 c) of buttermilk. The cake won’t be as rich if you do, since sour cream is about 80% fat, and full-fat buttermilk is only about 1.5-2% fat. Also, with buttermilk, you won’t get as beautiful a distribution of the raspberries in the cake. But it will still be amazing!

Frozen Raspberries: This cake uses frozen raspberries for a couple of reasons: 1) the flavor of frozen produce is consistently amazing throughout the year. And fresh raspberries aren’t as plentiful (or as good) in December in Maryland as they are in June; and 2) the frozen raspberries held together much better than fresh, and didn’t break into pieces when I folded them into the cake. The result? Beautiful, whole raspberries in the finished cake.

Beginners Start Here

If you’re new to baking, or if you want to learn how to do some of the more tricky baking techniques, here are a couple of super helpful articles from the BwB site (and a resource from the BwB Home Baking Academy!) that will help you get set up for success with this Raspberry White Chocolate Pound Cake.

• BwB Masterclass: Perfect Pound Cakes Encore! Learn my secrets for making the absolute most delicious pound cakes over and over again!
• My Favorite Bundt Pans
• Meet Your Kitchen BFF–Your Digital Kitchen Scale!
• Technique Tips for the Best Pound Cakes (& Big News!)
• How to Cream Butter and Sugar (With New Video!)
• Baking 101: How to Measure Ingredients
• How to Grease a Bundt Pan
• The Best Tools for Perfect Pound Cakes
• Knowing When to Stop a Technique

These resources are super helpful to help you build consistency and confidence on your baking journey. Happy Reading!

Important Tools Used in this Raspberry White Chocolate Pound Cake

Below, you’ll find some tools that I used for this pound cake. These are the tools that I use all the time in my own kitchen.

**I get paid a small commission if you purchase directly from these links, but they are truly amazing products that you’ll find in my kitchen.**

If you have them already, great! Think of this as a checklist to help you build the confidence that you’ll need to execute this recipe!

• Oven Thermometer
• Digital Food Scale
• KitchenAid Hand Mixer
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer 
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• OXO Spatula Set
• Sifter

This cake took some work, but it was all worth it. To see the absolute joy on people’s faces as they snuck little corners off of it when they took it away from my house; I felt like Mrs. Claus on Christmas Eve. What a feeling to be able to give to others, and to have that gift be so well-received. ❤️

Enjoy the recipe, Friends! See you tomorrow for Day 6 of the Twelve Days of Pound Cake!

Raspberry White Chocolate Pound Cake

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This delightful cake features frozen raspberries, picked at the peak of freshness and flash frozen, to help give it a delightful raspberry punch.  Paired with a white chocolate ganache, it’s as showstoppingly beautiful as it is delicious!

• Total Time: 5-7 hours
• Yield: 18 servings 1x

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

For the Cake:

• 384 g (3 c) all-purpose flour, plus 2 tbsp for the raspberries
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt (if using table salt, halve the amount)
• 173 g (.75 c) unsalted butter
• 58 g (.25 c) cream cheese
• 450 g granulated sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 vanilla bean pod, or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp raspberry extract (or Chambord)
• 227 g (1 c) sour cream
• 188 g (1.5 c) frozen raspberries

For the Vanilla Simple Syrup:

• 67 g (1/3 c) granulated sugar
• 84 g (1/3 c) water
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the White Chocolate Ganache:

• 175 g white chocolate or white chocolate chips
• 125 g (1/2 c) heavy cream

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Instructions

To Make The Batter:

1. Set your oven to a true 325°F.  An oven thermometer is extremely useful here, since most ovens will not reach 325°F when set to 325°F.
2. In another small bowl, combine the granulated sugar and vanilla beans (if using). Scrunch the vanilla beans into the sugar to release the scent from the vanilla beans.  Once done, set aside.
3. Sift together the all-purpose flour, kosher salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Set aside.
4. Add the room-temperature butter and cream cheese to the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl.  Mix with your hand mixer or stand mixer until the fats are completely smooth and combined. Add the infused granulated sugar and cream until the mixture is light and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each egg until completely incorporated into the mixture.  Scrape the sides and bowl as needed to ensure even mixing.
6. If using vanilla extract, add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
7. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
8. Add all of the sour cream and mix until just combined.
9. Add the second half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Using a rubber spatula, give the sides and bottom of the bowl a final scrape to ensure that the batter is evenly mixed.
10. In a medium bowl, place the frozen raspberries and the remaining two tablespoons of flour. Gently stir to combine, then fold very gently into the batter.
11. Prep a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan as you normally would (I use butter and flour to prep pans for this cake)
12. Bake for 65-75 minutes in a true 325°F oven, or until an instant-read thermometer reads 212°F-215°F.

To Make the Vanilla Simple Syrup:

1. Add sugar, salt, and water to a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Remove from the heat as soon as the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Add pure vanilla extract and stir to combine.
3. Allow the cake to cool in its pan for ten minutes, then invert and place on top of a cooling rack.  Brush simple syrup on the cake and allow to cool completely.

To Make the Chocolate Ganache:

1. Chop the white chocolate into small pieces (if using white chocolate chips, just place them in a bowl…no need to chop). Place the white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.  Set aside.
2. Place the heavy cream in a heat-proof measuring cup (like this one!) and heat in a microwave until just before it starts to boil (30-45 seconds, depending on the microwave).
3. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate chips and cover with plastic wrap.  Do not stir yet!
4. Allow the heavy cream to melt the chocolate for 5 minutes.  Stir with a small whisk or spoon to combine.  If the chocolate does not melt, place in the microwave at 10-second intervals, stirring in between intervals, until the mixture is completely smooth.  This mixture might be very runny and that is okay. It will thicken upon standing.
5. Allow the ganache to cool slightly (5-8 minutes) before using.  If you wait too long, the ganache will thicken and will not pour easily over the cake.  If you use it immediately, it will be too runny to stay in place.
6. Pour the ganache over the cake using a spouted measuring cup, a squeeze bottle, or a spoon.
7. Enjoy!

Notes

• You can store this cake in a refrigerator for up to five days.  It’s not one that should be stored on the countertop, because of the fruit inside and the white chocolate ganache.

• Author: Shani
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 60-70 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: American