White Chocolate Cake

Here is a basic recipe for a white chocolate cake, with an Italian twist in flavor and presentation.

Ingredients

• 200 g of good quality white chocolate
• 150 g of soft butter, plus a little more to butter the pan
• 150 g of sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 200 g of cake flour
• 1 packet of baking powder (about 16g)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 120 ml of whole milk
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or the seeds of a vanilla bean)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and butter a cake pan (typically a 22-24 cm diameter pan works well).
2. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, paying attention not to overheat it. Once melted, allow it to cool slightly.
3. Whip the soft butter with the sugar until the mixture is foamy and light in color.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, continuing to beat well to incorporate them into the mixture.
5. Add the cooled melted white chocolate and mix.
6. In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.
7. Alternating, add the flour and milk to the mixture of butter, sugar, eggs, and chocolate, starting and ending with the flour. Do not over-mix the batter.
8. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Let the cake cool on a wire rack before unmolding it.

Curiosity

White chocolate is technically not a “real” chocolate because it does not contain cocoa solids, but only cocoa butter, sugar, and milk. This gives it a characteristic sweetness and creaminess. In Italy, in particular, white chocolate is often used in pastry to create surprising contrasts with less sweet or even savory ingredients.

If you want to add an even more Italian touch, you could garnish your cake with, for example, a limoncello glaze or decorate it with white chocolate shavings and chopped toasted hazelnuts. Or for a contrast of colors and flavors, you could serve the cake with a coulis of fresh berries.