I have this friend who is a total chocolate lover. When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday cake, she said, “milk chocolate, white chocolate, any kind of chocolate.” So I decided to make her the ultimate chocolate lover’s birthday cake: layers of my favorite chocolate cake recipe frosted with a flavor ombre that went from chocolate buttercream to white chocolate buttercream. It was to die for.
After sharing it on Instagram, I got so many requests for my white chocolate buttercream recipe that I just have to share it here. It’s made with melted white chocolate chips (I use Hershey’s, but feel free to use any brand) to give it a really authentic, decadent flavor. And best of all, it pipes and frosts like a dream, so whether you’re piping it onto cupcakes or looking for a smooth buttercream cake finish, this recipe has you covered.
This white chocolate buttercream recipe pairs well with so many flavors. You can make it ultra decadent by topping a chocolate cake or pair it with some fruity flavors to add a little richness. I’ve even paired it with pumpkin cake in the Fall and the flavor palette was so dreamy! It’s versatile, not too sweet, and the perfect amount of silky smooth.
Here’s a quick video that shows how easy it is to whip up this white chocolate buttercream:
PS: If you’re into recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube Channel! You’ll find more of my favorite recipes, cake decorating tutorials, and so much more. Click the Subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new video!
White Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
- 6 oz (170g) white chocolate chips
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler, stirring until there are no lumps. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add the powdered sugar, and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, give the melted white chocolate a few stirs and make sure it’s not hot enough to melt the butter (if it is still too hot, wait a few minutes before adding!), then add it in. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla and salt and mix on low for another minute, until fully combined.
Notes
- Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
- Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe.
Did you make this recipe? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’re caking. I love to see your creations!
Perfectly spreadable and fantastic tasting but I ended up with small lumps of chocolate in the icing. I didn’t want to burn the chocolate chips or have it very hot so microwaved until just melted and smooth. I think by the time the icing was ready for the melted chocolate, it was too cool. Is that a reasonable assumption?
Hi Debbie! Yes, exactly. If the chocolate gets too cool there will be little lumps of chocolate in the buttercream. This recipe works best when the chocolate is fully melted and smooth, but still a tiny bit warm (just not hot enough to melt the buttercream). I’m glad it still tastes amazing and it perfectly spreadable and hope that next time it’s even better!
Hi. How many cups of this would I need for a 3 tier semi naked wedding cake ?
Hi Mariam! Will you be using the frosting as filling as well or just the semi naked decoration? And what sizes are your tiers?
Looking for a frosting that would hold up under 6 layers of cake in a rainbow cake. My sister found this recipe and we thought it might give us a tasty stable option instead of pure ganache. Boy oh Boy! Did this work a TREAT! The frosting was so stable NOTHING seemed out the sides, even with significant weight in the cake. AND it remained creamy after being refrigerated. Incredible!
Couple of changes we made:
Added 1/2 again more icing sugar to thicken it up a little more.
Did a half butter, half shortening combo because we live in a warm area.
Used salted butter and scaled back the salt a tiny bit.
Chilled in the fridge for 20mins (we had double sized batches in the fridge that we cycled through as we decorated). Then piped the layers and smoothed.
This was an absolute dream to work with!
Side note: Trialled a little lemon juice to the mix and found it very tasty, but lost the white chocolate flavour. However it made me think that if we needed a stable lemon buttercream, this would be a goer!
That’s amazing, Celia! So happy you loved this recipe and thanks for all the details for making it heat stable!
Hi Whitney! It is an amazing recipe of buttercream. I love it. But as far as i remember it had milk also in the recipe. Have you updated the recipe or its not showing by mistake.
Thanks & Regards
Hi Sheena! This recipe did have 1/4 Cup of milk in it before I updated it and I found that the addition of the milk made the consistency very thin. This updated version is much more stable for cake decorating. If you want to add the milk though, you can add up to 1/4 Cup of room temperature milk in with the vanilla. Hope that helps!
Thank you for your reply .
Hello . Am making a Wedding Cake 6 8 10 inch tiers . How much buttercream would i need to fill and coat all three tiers . Each tier has 3 cakes which are 6 inch 8 inch and 10 inch the depth of the tins is 3 inch .
Kind regards
Katherine Evans
Hi Katherine! For a triple layer 6 inch cake, 2.5x the recipe. For a triple layer 8 inch cake, 3x the recipe. For a triple layer 10 inch cake, 4x the recipe. So the grand total would be 9.5x the recipe to fill and frost those three cakes. I answered your question on a different frosting recipe and the only reason that these quantities are different here is because this white chocolate buttercream recipe yields less than the vanilla buttercream recipe. Hope that helps!
I’m attempting to make your heart cake for Valentines Day…I’ve ordered small heart cookie cutters and the Brite white…how much of the Americolor Bright White should you use?
Hi Kathy! To whiten the buttercream with AmeriColor Bright White I usually use about 1/2 tsp per batch of buttercream. Excited for you to make my heart cake!
OMG!!! I made this to go with your one bowl chocolate cake…it is delicious…my son and husband are eating the cake left from me leveling the cake with the extra buttercream…a big hit…can you freeze buttercream?
I’m so happy to hear that! Yay, Kathy! And yes, you can freeze buttercream. Wrap it in plastic wrap and then store it in a ziploc bag or other airtight container. It should last a few months in the freezer that way. The day before you’re ready to use it, move it to the refrigerator to thaw, then bring it to room temp from there and re-whip with your stand mixer on low to bring it back to frosting consistency.
I want to make this to go with your chocolate cake… I make a 3 layer 6” cake… I also do a crumb coat…and piping… is doubling it enough frosting?
Hi Kathy! Double the recipe for a cake that size. That sounds so tasty!
Hi I don’t have enough white chocolate and I want to double the recipe for a 2 9 inch layer cake how should I do it
Hi Ella! This recipe should make enough to fill and frost a double layer cake. If you want to double the recipe you’ll either need to get more white chocolate. You can try using the same amount of white chocolate while doubling the other ingredients, but the white chocolate flavor won’t be as strong.
Whitney, I tried this recipe for the first time and it turned out great! After icing the cake does the cake need to be refrigerated ? Thanks!
Yay, Kimberly! I’m so happy to hear you love this recipe as much as I do! The cake technically doesn’t need to be refrigerated after decorating, but I always refrigerate my cakes to preserve the decorations. If you do store it in the refrigerator, be sure to take it out an hour or two before serving so it can come to room temp (tastes better that way!)
I tried this recipe out several months ago, and now it’s my go to recipe. When I get cake requests, they always ask for this frosting in particular. Everyone loves it. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
Yay, Ilona! I’m so happy to hear that. Thanks for letting me know!
I LOVE the height of this cake, curious what size cake pans you used for the ombré cake?
Hi Christina! I used three 6 inch cake layers for the ombrè cake. My pans are 6 inches diameter, 2 inches tall.
Hi , could you use this recipe for a semi naked wedding cake? And how well does it withstand heat? Thanks
Hi Emily! Yes – you can totally use this for a semi naked cake. If you’re dealing with heat, I’d recommend refrigerating the cake until you need to display it and making sure it isn’t in direct sun. It should last for a few hours that way before it starts to really soften.
Hello whitney. So glad I’ve found your page. And my little sisters name is also Whitney. I read some of the pins on Pinterest saying the icing was a soft of lose texture. Should I add 1 Tablespoon of meringue powder to stiffen the frosting? Or just add mor sugar? What do you suggest? Sorry if this has been asked already
Hi Patrice! This buttercream is stable enough to fill and frost a cake, but if you find you want to thicken it I would add 1/2 cup more powdered sugar.