This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
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.
Recipe sounds Great. Thanks for sharing. Am Baking it tonight. Hope it turns out well. Sure the kids will love it. Cant wait.
I am sure they will, Riya!
Not sure if someone else has posted this yet as I didn’t have time to read through all comments but I found the double cream and I’m in California. I’m in Sacramento and found it at a local gourmet grocery store. I tried this making this last year and it didn’t set properly even with a second attempt using gelatin. But the taste was so amazing, I was determined to try again. The cream wasn’t in the usual heavy cream area, it was near the ricottas and marscapones. It was also in a small glass jar for about $7 each and recipe takes two jars. Hope this helps others out there because this cake is pretty special:).
I am so glad to hear it, Olivia. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
For the cake layer, do you use just the egg whites or the whole egg?
The whole egg Kristin, as per recipe instructions.
OK, and large or extra large eggs? Does it matter? I’m very excited to try this for Christmas! What are the little white gems on the cake?
Large eggs, Kristen, and the decorations are sugar pearls.
Is it tricky transferring the cake from the springform to cake stand?
It might be a bit tricky if someone is not very experienced but no more than other cakes. Just make sure you have a large and firm spatula to lift the cake or a cake lifter.
Thanks so much!
I read a comment that placing the hot cream /chocolate mixture in the fridge and stirring every 10 min to cool it lessened the wait time. Do you recommend this method or wait til it cools on the stove top?
I think it’s an individual call and how pressed you are for time.
Thanks
How far ahead can this cake be made?
You can make this cake a day ahead, Karen. As with all cakes it’s best enjoyed fresh.
I made this last year and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was so good that it’s been requested again this Christmas!
I found that the truffle layer was a bit softer than expected (was still delicious), although it did hold its shape. My cake definitely wasn’t as tall as the pictures. This year I think I might make it in individual portions in ramekins, so it doesn’t matter if it’s soft.
I am so happy to hear the cake was requested again, Laura. The same happens here. My daughter requests it over and over again. I think that whipping the truffle layer a bit longer makes it firmer. The video at the top of the page shows the right consistency before it’s set. I hope it helps but I also love the ramekin idea.
The flour in the recipe is it plain or self-raising? Thank you
It’s plain flour, Tammy.
This recipe is phenomenal! My family devoured it. I made it with cream cheese because I already had some at home. It has been requested for Thanksgiving, so I’m making it again this year. Delicious!
I am so happy to hear it, Ellen! Thank you for such an amazing review!
I tried this last evening to prepare for a contest at Christmas. All came out well but, not white. Where did I go wrong??
What colour did it come out, Cyndi? Yellow? It’s probably white chocolate. Also, vanilla can contribute to it turning out darker. If that is the case, try clear vanilla next time although I prefer the real deal even if it colours it a bit.
Thank you so much for the perfect recipe. I really enjoyed your white Christmas truffle cake recipe. Again Thanks
After going through the comments again and re-reading the directions, I think the problem is where you say “Mix mascarpone and the cream/chocolate mixture together with a hand blender until combined, approximately 2 minutes.” Earlier you said the mascarpone can separate from over-beating so I did not whip it. I just gently beat it with a hand mixer because I didn’t want it to be over beat and separate. So the chocolate cream mixture that I poured over my cake layer was a runny soup which caused the cake layer to float to the top.
My cake was dead anyway so I pulled it out of the refrigerator, scooped out the cake which was totally saturated with liquid and what liquid was left, I tried actually WHIPPING it with the hand mixer. It set up. I think you need to make it clear that the chocolate cream mixture MUST be whipped. If it had been stiff, my cake layer would not have floated to the top or become totally saturated. And chances are that it would have set up properly too. So you need to clarify that the chocolate cream mixture must not be a liquid, it needs to be a semi-stiff consistency when poured over the cake layer.
It’s still a disaster for my Christmas party which is tomorrow night. I’m searching for something quick as a fill in. I’ll make it again for next year and hopefully have a success. But I think you should go back and re-write that section of your instructions as I saw other comments that others had misinterpreted the amount of whipping that needs to be done.
Hi Linda, first of all let me tell you how sorry I am you had difficulties with this cake. I would like, however to assure you that these instructions were updated several times based on my own multiple testing of the recipe, external testers and readers’ comments. Not only did I edit the instructions I also linked this post to videos of the cake I made on my Facebook page, where you can clearly see the consistency of the chocolate mixture when poured on top of the sponge (not liquid but mousse like). I did instruct to beat with an electric mixer in my directions. Please note that the length of time you whip will mostly depend on the power of your mixer as well as the cream you use. In the UK double cream could be whipped with a whisk! Once again, I hope you can watch the videos if you have any further questions. Best, Julia
Well, it looks like I will be flushing down $20 of ingredients down my garbage disposal and going to a supermarket to buy a pre-fab cake for my Christmas party. This cake was to be the centerpiece of my dessert table. I bought heavy whipping cream and Giraldelli white chocolate plus marscapone. Everything seemed to be going perfect. But when I poured the mixture into the springform pan, the cake layer floated to the top. Now reading the comments, I’m sure it’s not going to set. It’s already leaking out around the springform pan. I literally want to cry. I think the moral of the story is if you live in the US, don’t try this cake. We cannot find the correct ingredients here.