This White Chocolate Raspberry Poke Cake starts with a moist and fluffy white cake that’s been filled with alternating rows of white chocolate ganache and raspberry sauce. Topped with a silky white chocolate mousse, fresh raspberries and white chocolate curls, this crowd pleasing recipe is the picture perfect dessert!
White Chocolate Raspberry Poke Cake
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Mother’s Day baking take two! A week ago I shared these White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes, which were exquisitely divine! The sweet white chocolate paired with the fresh strawberry flavour was heavenly, so I absolutely had to make another white chocolate + fruit dessert for Mother’s Day. And although strawberries and white chocolate make a great pairing, no other fruit will compliment white chocolate the incredible way raspberries do!
What is a Poke Cake?
Poke Cakes are basically just cakes that you poke holes in where you’ll add a filling, like sweetened condensed milk, chocolate sauce, ganache, fruit sauces etc. You could either pour the filling on top and allow it to seep into the holes, or you could use a spoon or piping bag to pipe the filling into each individual hole.
They’re like regular sheet cakes, but instead of just having frosting on top, each slice is filled with a yummy surprise filling! I’ve only ever made one poke cake in my life, this Pumpkin Patch Poke Cake, so I want to start making them more often with new and fun flavour combos.
How to Make a White Chocolate Raspberry Poke Cake
To make this White Chocolate Raspberry Poke Cake, we start by making the cake. I slightly modified my fluffy white cake recipe I used in this Game of Thrones Cake.
To make the cake, we start by whipping the butter until it’s creamy, then slowly pour the sugar in and allow them to combine and turn pale and fluffy. The butters I use are made with only cream so they’re more of a white colour than yellow. So if you want your cake to be super white, avoid using butter that’s really yellow.
To soften up the crumb, I added a bit of sour cream. Now since this is a white cake, instead of using whole eggs, we’ll only be using the egg whites. Although egg whites keep the cake white and makes the cake a whole lot fluffier, it does have a drying effect on the cake. So to add more moisture, I added some vegetable oil.
In this recipe, I used milk instead of buttermilk just to see what effects it would have on the cakes texture. I like the cake with both milk and buttermilk, but in the end I do prefer the buttermilk more.
Finally, for the flavouring, I added a mixture of vanilla and almond extract to get the classic white cake flavour. The cake was white enough for me, but you can use clear vanilla extract if you want the cake to be purely white.
Poke Cake Fillings
For the fillings, I made a batch of my Homemade Raspberry Sauce and I made some white chocolate ganache that I whitened with a few drops of Wilton Icing Whitener.
Once the cake has cooled, poke holes onto the cake, then spoon ganache into one row, then spoon raspberry sauce into the next row, alternating between the two.
White Chocolate Mousse Topping
I wanted to keep the flavours light and not make the cake too sweet, so instead of topping the cake with a raspberry frosting (like I initially planned), I topped it with a light silky white chocolate mousse.
This mousse couldn’t be easier to make, just make a white chocolate ganache, then allow it to cool while you whip up the whipped cream. Pour the cooled ganache into the whipped cream and fold to combine. That’s all! Now spread it onto the cake.
I made everything the night before because I wanted the mousse to firm up a bit, but it was still pretty firm while I was spreading it so this may not be necessary.
The cake is then finished off with a drizzle of super white chocolate ganache (that’s a bit impossible to see) and more raspberry sauce. I was just gonna go for a simple drizzle over the top, but then it got a bit messy so I had to go back with a toothpick to make those swirl designs.
To make those beautiful white chocolate curls, I took a room temperature white chocolate bar and used a vegetable peeler to shave off the chocolate. Throw on some fresh raspberries and you’ve got yourself an amazing moist and fluffy cake full of white chocolate and raspberry!
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Recipe updated: 06/20/2019
Yield: 12-15 slices
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
This White Chocolate Raspberry Poke Cake starts with a moist and fluffy white cake that’s been filled with alternating rows of white chocolate ganache and raspberry sauce. Topped with a silky white chocolate mousse, fresh raspberries and white chocolate curls, this crowd pleasing recipe is the picture perfect dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 recipe of my Homemade Raspberry Sauce
White Cake:
- 2 and ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream, room temperature
- 6 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 and ¼ cups milk or buttermilk, room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
Super White Chocolate Ganache:
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Few drops of white gel food colouring (optional)
White Chocolate Mousse:
- 3 oz. best-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 and ¾ cup Heavy whipping Cream, chilled and divided
- 4 tablespoon powdered Sugar
- 1 and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
- Raspberry sauce
- White chocolate ganache
- White Chocolate Shavings
- Raspberries
Instructions
- Prepare one recipe of my homemade raspberry sauce, then set aside to cool completely.
For the White Cake:
- Position oven rack to the middle. Preheat oven to 350° F (177°C). Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch cake pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
- While the mixer is running, slowly pour in the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add sour cream and continue to mix until combined.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Lower the speed to medium-low and mix in the egg whites, one at a time until completely combined.
- Add the oil, vanilla and almond extract to the milk or buttermilk and set aside.
- Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and beat just until combined, then add ½ of the liquid mixture and mix until just combined. Continue mixing in ½ of the remaining dry ingredients, remaining liquids, then remaining dry ingredients. Remember to mix after each addition before adding the next.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again to make sure everything is mixed in properly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
For the Super White Chocolate Ganache:
- Add white chocolate chips and heavy cream to a heat safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each until completely melted, smooth and combined.
- Add a squirt of the icing whitener and stir until the ganache is completely white. Set aside to cool while you prepare the mousse.
For the White Chocolate Mousse:
- Put the chopped white chocolate and ¼ cup of heavy cream into a small bowl. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each until fully melted and smooth. Set aside to cool completely.
- In a medium stainless steal bowl, using a handheld mixer, whip the remaining 1 and ½ cups of heavy cream until it reaches soft peaks.
- Add the 4 tablespoons of powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until cream reaches stiff peaks.
- Pour in the cooled white chocolate ganache and gently fold until completely combined. Set aside.
Assembly:
- Using a large straw or a skinny rod, poke rows of holes into the top of the cake.
- Spoon raspberry sauce into one row and spoon ganache into the other row. Alternate between raspberry sauce and ganache.
- Spread white chocolate mousse on top. Drizzle on the extra white chocolate ganache and raspberry sauce. Use a toothpick to swirl the drizzles with the mousse.
- Top with fresh raspberries and white chocolate curls. To make the white chocolate curls, I shaved a room temperature white chocolate bar with a vegetable peeler. Refrigerate overnight, if desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
KitchenAid KHM512IC 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Ice Blue
KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red
Utopia Kitchen 2 Quart Nonstick Saucepan with Glass Lid - Induction Bottom - Multipurpose Use for Home Kitchen or Restaurant
OXO Good Grips Small Offset Icing Knife
AmeriColor Food Coloring, Bright White Soft Gel Paste, 6 Ounce
OXO Good Grips Non-Stick Pro Cake Pan 9 x 13 Inch
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Love, Dedra 
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