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This White Christmas Truffle Cake is a beautiful holiday dessert that consists of a fluffy sponge layer with white chocolate truffle on top. Stunning in its simplicity, this is the ultimate decadent Christmas cake recipe!
For another beautiful Christmas cake take a look at this Cranberry Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing.
I had a very specific idea of what I wanted this White Chocolate Truffle Cake to be. But when I looked at it my mind immediately turned to Charlie Brown Christmas.
Doesn’t that little Christmas tree in the middle of the vast white remind you of the favourite childhood cartoon?
For my money, this is the ultimate in Christmas desserts. Silky smooth, decadently rich and gorgeous to look at. This cake is the perfect way to take your Christmas baking to the next level!
Chocolate truffle
Chocolate truffle is a simple form of confectionary that anyone who has tasted will fall in love with. But what is it exactly?
Taken down to its most basic form, truffle is a combination of cream and high quality chocolate. Sometimes other ingredients like butter or, as in this case, mascarpone can be added to make it even richer.
It comes from those genius chocolatiers in France and was originally found in a round ball shape and coated in cocoa powder, coconut or nuts. The hand-rolled-and-coated look is similar to the truffles found buried in forests, and gives the chocolate treat its name.
Chocolate truffle is notable for being extra rich and smooth. It’s truly a melt in your mouth treat for all sorts of special occasions!
I’m a huge truffle fan, so I made another indulgent Chocolate Truffle Cake for Christmas and a beautiful Red Velvet Truffle Cake for Valentine’s Day!
White Christmas Truffle Cake
As the name suggests, this creation is part cake, part truffle, and therefore the most luxurious thing one would expect on Christmas. The cake layer has three ingredients, as does the truffle topping. Simple and elegant.
This white chocolate truffle cake is perhaps the simplest cake I’ve ever posted on Vikalinka. It took me no longer than one hour to do…including baking.
That said, it does take some skill, the right ingredients and attention to detail. Take a look at the recipe tips and notes section below, as well as the instructional video in the recipe card to help you make this cake successfully!
Ingredients
The sponge layer only has three ingredients. Eggs, sugar and flour. It’s a simple sponge that compliments a rich truffle layer very well.
The truffle layer also consists of three ingredients. White chocolate, heavy whipping cream (US) or double cream (UK) and mascarpone.
The fat content in both cream and mascarpone is responsible for the ability of this white chocolate truffle layer to set. Using lower fat dairy and chocolate chips will result in the truffle not setting.
I’ve used white chocolate to give it that winter wonderland look. It’s best to find white chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter, rather than vegetable oil. The extra cocoa butter helps it to melt better and become silky smooth.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- I live in England and what I have found through years of blogging is that dairy products differ between countries, especially mascarpone cheese. Ours comes from Italy and is made with no stabilisers and is higher in fat, so for best results buy the highest quality ingredients you can afford.
- Also the fat content of double cream in England is 48%, which is responsible for the firmness of the truffle layer.
- If you live outside of the UK, look for heavy whipping cream with the fat content between 36-40% or higher. Anything below that will not produce the same results.
- Mix the mascarpone in after the chocolate and cream mixture cools.
- Overbeating mascarpone will result in the mixture splitting.
- The chocolate has to be measured by weight using a This is an affiliate link.kitchen scale.
- Avoid chocolate chips as they don’t melt as needed for this cake. Ideally find white chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter instead of vegetable oil for a better melt.
- Watch for the consistency of the truffle layer in the extended video in the recipe card to ensure yours sets properly and is ready to wow everyone at Christmas dinner!
- Please read the recipe instructions carefully before starting on your cake. Enjoy!
Storage and leftovers
You can make it up to two days in advance and keep it in a springform pan refrigerated. Unmold the cake before serving, decorate with the sugar pearls and serve.
Leftovers should be refrigerated in a sealed container so it doesn’t absorb smells and flavours from elsewhere in the fridge.
More Christmas dessert recipes
- Christmas Cranberry Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing
- Frostbitten Raspberry Cake
- Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake
- Raffaello Cheesecake
White Christmas Truffle Cake
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Kitchen scale
- This is an affiliate link.Pyrex mixing bowls
- This is an affiliate link.Hand mixer
- This is an affiliate link.Springform pan
Ingredients
For the cake layer
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup/65 g sugar
- 1/3 cup/45 g flour
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.vanilla extract
For the truffle topping
- 1 1/4 cups/ 300 ml double cream/heavy cream, I used 48% fat double cream
- 12 oz/350 g white chocolate, chopped, not chocolate chips (measured by weight)
- 9 oz/250 g mascarpone or cream cheese, full fat only
Instructions
For the cake layer
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180C. Butter and dust with flour an 8″/20 cm round springform pan.
- Beat room temperature eggs, vanilla and sugar in a medium bowl for about 3-5 minutes with an electric mixer until white, foamy and triple in volume.
- Fold sifted flour in 3 additions with a spatula, be careful not to deflate the cake batter. If after the addition of the flour the volume goes down significantly, the cake will not rise properly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. The baked sponge should have risen to at least double the height of the unbaked batter. Cool on a wire rack.
For the truffle topping
- Bring the heavy cream in a saucepan to a boil. Pour the hot cream over chopped white chocolate and stir with a whisk until the chocolate in melted and completely incorporated into the cream. Let the mixture come to a room temperature. (I chill mine outside for 20-30 minutes.)
- Add mascarpone and whip with a hand mixer until smooth. If using cream cheese instead of mascarpone, whip the cheese until light and fluffy before adding cream and chocolate mixture and blending the ingredients together. Do not pre-whip mascarpone or it might separate from over-beating. Mix mascarpone and the cream/chocolate mixture together with a hand blender until combined, approximately 2 minutes. (The consistency of the truffle layer should be similar to thick sour cream.)
- Line the sides of a springform pan with parchment paper. Put the sponge layer back in the springform pan.
- Pour the truffle mixture on top of the cake in the springform pan and level it with an offset spatula. Chill in the refrigerator for at least for 2 hours or better overnight.
- Run a knife along the sides of the cake to release it from the pan, then carefully unmold it and move to a cake stand. Decorate with sugar pearls and greenery.
Video
Notes
- Dairy products vary between countries, especially mascarpone cheese. For best results, buy the highest quality ingredients you can afford.
- I live in the UK where the fat content of double cream in England is 48%,. This is responsible for the firmness of the truffle layer. If you live outside of the UK, look for heavy whipping cream with the fat content between 36-40% or higher. Anything with fat content below this level will not produce the same results.
- Mix the mascarpone in only after the cream and chocolate mixture cools.
- Over-beating the mascarpone will result in the mixture splitting.
- The chocolate has to be measured by weight. Use a kitchen scale for this.
- Don’t use chocolate chips as they will not melt as needed for this cake. Find white chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa butter instead of vegetable oil for a better melt.
- The extended video in the recipe card will show the consistency of the truffle layer. Watch for this to ensure yours sets properly.
- Please read the recipe instructions carefully before starting on your cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks wonderful! I’m planning to make this cake for our christmas evening celebration 🙂
How long does it keep in the fridge? I have to cook all the food by myself so I want to make as much as possible, ahead of time.
Thank you so much and merry Christmas 🙂
Michella, this cake is quite delicate and unfortunately, I wouldn’t make it more than one day ahead since it’s got an unbaked cream and mascarpone layer but it really is quick to make and easy to decorate, so it won’t take much time out of your day! Merry Christmas to you as well!
I made this last night for a family Christmas party. This is going to be my go-to holiday dessert I think! It was easy to make, the hardest part was being patient and waiting for the chocolate/cream mixture to cool! It has a very nice texture and the perfect amount of sweetness. I used masrcapone cheese and Lindt white chocolate bars. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Kara! This is my go to Christmas cake as well, I just bought ingredients to make it again. I am also experimenting with dark chocolate this time. Merry Christmas!
Yum! I can’t wait to see that recipe!!
How many of the Lindt bars did you use?
I weighed the chocolate in my food scale is was just over 3.5 bars I believe.
This looks just and sounds so very good, and I will have to try to make it. Our full fat cream is 38% fat, but we have real mascarpone. I think I will try either Valrohna Ivoire or Green and Black’s white chocolate with vanilla. Do you have any experience with either of these chocolates?
Greetings from Norway.
I know both of the brands. I have baked with Green and Black’s before. Most people who’ve had success used Lindt but I used Sainsbury’s basic brand and it was just fine. I think you will be just fine, Ellen.
Do you know how many Lindt chocolate bars to use? I don’t have a scale to measure the weight but the bars I got are bigger than a normal chocolate bar.
That will depend on the weight that is on the chocolate bar label whether it’s in grams or ounces. Can you tell me what it says? Standard Lindt bars are 100g, therefore you would need 3 1/2 bars for the recipe.
Hi, I have just made the Christmas white truffle cake. It looks perfect, probably due to your great instructions. I couldn’t get the little white balls, so I put white truffle chocolates on top which look like snowballs( as close as we will get to snowballs in Australia.) put the Christmas tree leaves in the middle and dusted the whole thing with silver which I got from the cake shop. Absolutely magic! It really was quite easy to make and didn’t take too long. Thank you so much, this will be my go to recipe when asked to make a dessert.
Wonderful, Frances! Thank you so much for sharing and Merry Christmas!
Hi there, this cake looks wonderful. Do you think the cake would work with a cookie crust bottom in stead of the sponge layer? I’d like to use speculoos/biscoff type cookies.
Thank you
I think it might, Katrien. I haven’t tried but I don’t see why not. Make sure you report back how you get on with it! 🙂
I just made this cake and it screamed HOLIDAY!!!! I cut the recipe in half and made it in a 6 inch springform pan and it was perfect. I used Lindt white chocolate and the white chocolate flavor really came through. I live in the US and all the measurements were accurate. It tasted divine. It wasnt dense/rich like a cheesecake. It was light….almost mousse like. Very delicious. Thank you for a wonderful recipe…..OH, and it was super easy and fast!!!
Thanks for your feedback, Jacqueline! I am thrilled to hear your cake turned out as well as it did. I am making it to take to work this Friday; easy and delicious, can’t beat that! Merry Christmas!
How long does the cream/chocolate mixture take to cool generally?
Anywhere between 1 and 2 hours, it depends on where it’s kept. I usually take it outside in the winter and it speeds up the process quite a bit.
HELP!!!!!!
I live in Sweden and the highest fat content cream is 26% !!! Can I use this or maybe adjust the amount by using more mascarpone ? ???
Hi Patricia, my suggestion would be to increase the mascarpone amount to 500 g and add gelatine to yours to ensure it sets since the fat content is quite low. You can dissolve one packet of gelatine in 75 ml of water or liqueur, then add to the cream and chocolate mixture after it’s been cooled but before mixing with mascarpone. Let me know if it works!! 🙂
MANY THANKS !!!
Just made this and I am super excited to see how it turns out when I get it out the fridge in the morning :). I did make the base with my family biscuit recipe though which is a bit of a higher base then. Will update on how it turned out :). So far 5 Stars as this was quite quick to make.
Super yummy!!! Keep up the great work writing and baking/cooking. I love to read the stories that go along with the recipes.
I love the simplicity of this recipe. But please forgive me, I could not get my truffle layer to set properly. I had my refrigerated for almost 6 hours and when I removed it from the spring form pan, my truffle layer completely seeped over the cake. HELP!
Jamie, I think the problem is the fat content in your cream. I am guessing you are in the US or Canada. Double cream that I use in England is 48%, which is also available in Trader Joe’s in the US, according to my research. Also, have you measured your chocolate by weight? It has to be 12 oz by weight, which is 3 1/2 chocolate bars, if measured in cups you’d be left with much less chocolate and the truffle layer will not set. If all fails gelatine could be added to stabilise it. Sorry it hasn’t worked out for you.