White Chocolate Cake

A good friend asked me to bake a cake for her husband's birthday.... He LOOOOOOVES white chocolate. Like, really REEEEALLY loves it. So i figured i would do a White Chocolate cake with a White Chocolate frosting... He likes raspberries, so i figured i would work that in there somewhere, too. And i think every cake should have some freaking Ganache... so i threw that in as well. I was very nervous taking this on. I mean- it was for a friend and if it tasted like shit i was going to feel REEEALLY bad. LOL But, I dove in before i could chicken out. :) And I am SO glad i did- because let me tell you- while it may not have LOOKED all that great (when i look at it- all *I* see is how lopsided it is and the fact that the raspberries were uneven. UGH!) but it tasted FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC!!!!!

On a side note here- i will say that this cake tastes the best the day after you make it. This way all the flavors have time to meld together. So if possible- I would make it the day BEFORE you need it. You can frost it the day after, too.

So.... anyways... Here it is:

White Chocolate Cake:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 oz of White chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 cup HOT water (it must be very warm or hot or it will seize the chocolate)
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• fresh raspberries to top cake with

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Sift together your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a small sauce pan melt the white chocolate and hot water together over low heat. Stir until smooth and set aside until room temperature.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Stir in your flour mixture alternating with buttermilk. (about a cup or so at a time)
6. Mix in the cooled, melted white chocolate and vanilla.
7. Pour into two, nine inch round cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it passes the "toothpick test."
8. Let cool completely.

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 9 oz dark chocolate, chopped (seriously- use the BEST chocolate you can find)

1. Place chocolate into a medium bowl.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat the heavy cream. Bring JUST to a boil and turn off immediately.
3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for a minute to temper. (this just makes it quicker and easier to stir smooth)
4. Whisk until smooth. Let this sit for a couple minutes to thicken up just a little bit.
5. Now what i did- was slice each cake into 2 layers. I then spread some Ganache between each layer. THEN i poured more Ganache over the entire cake letting it drip down the sides. Smooth the sides out, adding a little more ganache as needed. (Save some for decoration, tho!) Place in fridge until you are ready to frost it. (Try and give it at least 30 minutes in the fridge, tho)

White Chocolate Frosting:

• 6 oz white chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup of butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar (you may need a little more if frosting comes out too thin. I needed a bit more... just eyeball it)

1. Heat your cream in small sauce pan over low heat until warm. Add white chocolate. Let sit for a minute to temper and then stir til smooth.
2. COOL COMPLETELY!!!!
3. After your white chocolate mix has cooled, add butter and sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy. (if too thin, just add a lil more powdered sugar)
4. Frost your cake. Top with fresh raspberries. Spoon some leftover ganache into a Ziploc baggie, cut small corner off and drizzle over cake. Decorate however you like. :)

Now- pat yourself on the back! You did a daaaaamn good job!  Now dig in! :)