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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.
Hi! I want to make this cake somewhat soonish. Do I need a spring form pan in order to make this cake or is an 9-inch regular pan okay? Also, I do not own a flour sifter but I do own a bunch of fine mesh colanders, can I use those instead?
You will need a springform pan for it, otherwise it will be impossible to remove after the truffle is set. I am not sure what you mean by fine mesh colanders but you can use them as long as they are as fine as a flour sifter. This sponge is very delicate, so following the recipe instructions is important for success. I hope the attached video is helpful. Enjoy!
I made this truffle cake for New Years and it came out delicious. Maybe a little too rich for our taste and I can see why you would only make it for special occasions. I used Krogers double cream which is around 50 gr of fat. The topping setup was creamy and held its shape when I took it out of the pan after sitting in the fridge overnight. I’m assuming the topping is not as firm as a cheese cake. The sponge cake was very good and could be used as a base for any tart cake. I probably should have mixed the cake batter a little more to get it fluffier as it settled a little after taking it out of the oven.
Hi Kirk, I am so glad you loved it and yes, it’s quite rich, so I slice it into small portions. 🙂 The truffle topping sets firm enough for me as you can see in the video attached but people seem to have various degrees of firmness. I think it all depends on the ingredients used and how long it’s whipped for before it’s refrigerated to set. The sponge takes a bit of practice and has the ability to rise very well. This kind of sponge is the base for a lot of European patisserie as it’s a blank canvas and can be flavoured in so many ways.
Can I use creme fresh rather than mascarpone?
Thanks!
I am afraid it won’t set properly if creme fraiche is used but you can use full fat cream cheese instead of mascarpone.
Hello, this has been a favourite of ours for a few years now, thank you so much for the recipe. I am making it now and just noticed a possible typo, should the measurement for cream read 300ml instead of g. I used the cup measurement to check it and sure enough one and a quarter cups is 300 ml. Just the size that cream comes in in the UK. I’m looking forward to it again this Christmas.
Hi Liz, you are right it should be ml although the weight and volume in liquids are the same. 🙂
I love this recipe! Its so delicious 😋 but I encountered just one problem when I made it, the sponge base and the topping wouldn’t stick together properly. Is there anything that anyone could suggest to fix this problem?
Thanks in advance
Hi Rachael, I have never seen this issue before. Did you spread anything on the sponge? If yes, that might create a slippery surface. It should not happen since you pour the truffle mixture over the sponge it should bond to the cake as it solidifies, the same way melted chocolate sticks to surfaces. Maybe it was just a one off fluke?
Made this several times and it’s absolutely delicious! Very easy to make and always get compliments. I was wondering if it would be possible to freeze it? And if so, is it best to defrost in the fridge or at room temperature?
Hi Hannah, I’ve never tried to freeze it but I think it will work if made with mascarpone. I would definitely defrost in the fridge since it has lots of dairy. So happy to hear you love this cake so much!
This was an amazing Christmas dessert! Everyone loved it. I adjusted the recipe a little to make a larger 9-inch cake and it worked out perfectly. I also used a whisk to lightly blend in the flour to ensure to keep the sponge light. It’s a keeper and will make it often. Thanks for a great recipe!
What a great outcome, Killeen! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Omgsh I’ve made this before and it turned out beautifully. For some awful reason my truffle mix looks like cottage cheese :((((
I did put my chocolate cream mixture in the fridge to cool. Do you think that ruined it? And I also used white chocolate morsels instead of a bar. Wasn’t sure what the different between chips and morsels were.
Cooling the mixture is most likely not the reason but if the mixture was still too warm it might have been. Out of multiple times I’ve made this cake the only time the mixture split is when we were filming the video and rushing. The chocolate cream mixture was not cool enough and I over whipped the truffle after adding mascarpone because I was trying to show how thick the mixture should get. It still set and was tasty but in the end I had to redo the cake. I was happy it happened as I finally saw where some of my readers went wrong. I don’t know if chocolate morsels contributed to the issue because I don’t know what is in them but since white chocolate is temperamental substance it could have been the culprit. I am sorry, Estrella, it’s not a fun issue to deal with right before Christmas.
I live in Michigan and just made this cake and it truned out great! I used Bobś Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour for the cake. The first try I didn´t let it bake long enough and it shrunk. Second try I baked it for about 20 minutes and it turned out fine. For the truffle layer I used Meijer brand heavy whipping cream, Lindt chocolate bars and the only mascarpone I could find, BelGioioso. Thank you! It looks beautiful and I cannot wait to take it to my family Christmas tomorrow! My only worry is that there will not be enough for everyone to get a piece that wants one!
I am so pleased it turned out well, Leanne! Also you are officially the first one this season to make this cake and comment here! Enjoy your party!
Looking forward to making this for Christmas dessert. Wondering if you have an adaption for making it larger? 9 or 10 inch? Seems like an 8-inch will not feed many.
Hi Killeen, I don’t know how many you are expecting for dinner but just wanted to mention that it’s a very rich cake and a little goes a long way. Also, if you want to make a larger one, you can hover over the number of servings in the recipe card and a slider will appear. Drang it to the right to amend the ingredient quantities for a larger cake. However, it only changes cups and tablespoons, not grams. I hope this helps!