This white chocolate mud cake is stupidly moist, ridiculously rich, and somehow still easy enough to pull off on a random Tuesday.
It's my go-to whenever I get handed cake duty for a birthday or a wedding, right up there with my Chocolate Mud Cake and Caramel Mud Cake.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: White Chocolate Mud Cake with White Chocolate Buttercream
🕒 Ready In: 20 minutes prep + 1 hour 45 minutes baking + cooling time
👪 Serves: 16 serves
🍚 Calories: 726kcal per serve
🥣 Main Ingredients: white chocolate, butter, caster sugar, flour
📖 Dietary Info: easily halved, freezer-friendly
⭐ Why You'll Love It: a fool-proof, low-and-slow mud cake with a smooth homemade buttercream, perfect for birthdays, weddings or just because.
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This recipe is single-handedly THE best cake recipe I have ever used! I made it several times over several months before my brother's wedding to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and it's now my go-to any time anyone lets me choose the cake flavour.
- Nikita
My favourite thing about this cake is that it doesn't ask much of you. You melt, you mix, you wait (impatiently, in my case). If you're building out a proper cake rotation, try my Caramilk Mud Cake or Oreo Mud Cake next, or grab my How To Make Buttercream guide if frosting isn't your strong suit.
Jump to:
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Melt and mix - no creaming, no fancy technique, just a saucepan and a whisk.
- Genuinely one of the most-loved recipes on my site. Over 200 five-star ratings and counting, including plenty of readers who've used it for wedding cakes.
- Freezer-friendly, so you can bake it well ahead of a big event.
- Dress it up with raspberries and coconut for a party, or leave it plain for a laid-back Sunday slice.
Mud Cake Ingredients
Simple pantry ingredients, but a couple are worth getting right.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- White chocolate - use a good quality baking chocolate or a block you'd actually eat, not cheap compound chocolate. It melts smoother and won't split on you, and since white chocolate is the whole flavour here, cheap stuff really shows.
- Full cream milk gives the best moist result. Swap to a lower fat milk and the cake will still work, but it won't be quite as rich or moist.
Variations
- Wedding or tiered cake: plenty of readers have used this as a base for tiered and wedding cakes. Bake it in advance, freeze it well wrapped, then ice closer to the day.
- Fold fresh raspberries through the batter or scatter them on top for a fruity contrast to all that sweetness.
- Two-layer cake: double the cake batter, split between two tins, and add an extra layer of buttercream in the middle.
- Swap the white chocolate buttercream for a raspberry buttercream, or a simple chocolate ganache if you want less sweetness.
- Want the chocolate version instead? Make my Chocolate Mud Cake.
How To Make White Chocolate Mud Cake
Six steps, most of them just waiting.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredient quantities and full detailed method.
- Step 1: Prep your tin. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan-forced (325°F), then grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm round cake tin.
- Step 2: Melt it low and slow. Melt the white chocolate, butter, caster sugar and milk together in the microwave on 50% power, stirring every minute, until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Step 3: Add the dry ingredients. Whisk through the plain flour, self-raising flour, eggs and vanilla extract until just combined.
- Step 4: Bake. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 1 hour 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely in the tin.
- Step 5: Make the buttercream. Melt the white chocolate and cool to room temperature. Beat the butter until pale and creamy, add the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time, then slowly beat through the cooled white chocolate.
- Step 6: Ice the cake. Once the cake is completely cool, turn it out onto a serving plate and spread the buttercream over the top and sides.
Recipe Tips
- Low and slow is non-negotiable. Mud cakes need a low oven and plenty of patience. If it's browning too fast, loosely cover the top with foil and keep baking.
- Wait until the cake is completely cool before icing it; otherwise, your buttercream will slide right off.
- Storage: keep it at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Skip the fridge; it dries mud cakes out fast.
- Freezing: wrap the cooled, un-iced cake in plastic wrap, then foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight before icing. Frosted leftover slices also freeze well in an airtight container.
- Frosting too thick to spread? Beat through a splash of milk until it loosens up.
- New to buttercream? My How To Make Buttercream guide walks through the basics.
White Chocolate Mud Cake FAQs
It's a long bake at a low temp, so the top can catch before the middle's done. If it starts getting too dark, loosely lay a piece of foil over the top and keep baking until a skewer comes out clean.
Yes, and quite a few readers have. One even tested it several times before using it for her brother's wedding! Bake and freeze the layers ahead of time, then ice closer to the event once fully defrosted.
Store it at room temperature in an airtight container, not the fridge, or it'll dry out. It'll keep for 4-5 days. To freeze, wrap the cooled un-iced cake well and freeze for up to 3 months, then defrost overnight before icing.
Just beat through a small splash of milk until it loosens to a spreadable consistency. Add it a little at a time so you don't overdo it.
Definitely. A few on top for decorating won't change how you store it. But if you're layering raspberries through the middle of the cake, keep it in the fridge instead because of the extra moisture, then bring it back to room temp before serving.
More Mud Cake Recipes You'll Love
Once you've mastered the low-and-slow method, there's no stopping you. Here's a few more mud cakes worth trying:
White Chocolate Mud Cake
Ingredients
- 200 g white chocolate broken into pieces
- 350 g unsalted butter
- 590 g caster sugar
- 375 ml (1 ½ cups) milk
- 300 g (2 cups) plain flour
- 100 g (⅔ cup) self-raising flour
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract or essence
- 200 g white chocolate broken into pieces
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 250 g icing sugar
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 140 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm round cake tin and set aside.
- Place the white chocolate, butter, caster sugar and milk into a microwave-safe bowl. Melt on 50% power, 3-4 minutes (stirring every minute) until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Whisk through the plain flour, self-raising flour, eggs and vanilla extract.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (see notes).
- Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing to a serving plate.
- Once the cake has completely cooled, make the buttercream by melting the white chocolate (on 50% power, 2-3 minutes in the microwave - stirring every 30 seconds). Allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature.
- Using hand-held beaters, beat the room temperature butter until pale, smooth and creamy. Add the icing sugar (1 tbs) at a time and continue to beat until completely combined.
- Very slowly beat through the cooled (room temperature) white chocolate until smooth, creamy and spreadable (see notes).
- Spread the buttercream over the sides and top of the mud cake.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 140 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Grease and line the base and sides of a 23cm round cake tin and set aside.
- Place the white chocolate, butter, caster sugar and milk into the Thermomix bowl. Melt for 6 minutes on 50 degrees, Speed 2 (or until completely melted). Allow to cool.
- Insert the butterfly, and add the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix for 10 seconds, Speed 3.
- Add the plain flour and self-raising flour and mix for 10 seconds, Speed 3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat for a further 10 seconds or until combined.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (see notes). Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before removing to a serving plate.
- Once the cake has completely cooled, make the buttercream by melting the white chocolate in a clean and dry Thermomix bowl for 3 minutes on 50 degrees, Speed 2. Allow the chocolate to cool to room temperature.
- In a clean and dry Thermomix bowl, insert the butterfly and add the chopped room temperature butter. Beat for 1 minute on Speed 4, or until pale, smooth and creamy. While the blades are still turning on Speed 4, add the icing sugar (1 tbs at a time) and continue to mix until completely combined. Slowly add the cooled white chocolate through the MC hole and mix on Speed 1 until smooth, creamy and spreadable (see notes).
- Spread the buttercream over the sides and top of the mud cake.
Grace says
Soooo Good. Made it as a birthday cake, it was so easy and decorated really well. Thought it might have been too sweet but wasn't at all! Had a white chocolate taste with a bit of vanilla. I used Milky Bar white chocolate. Icing is incredible, highly recommend especially if you doubt making it like I did! I would 100% make it again.
Lucy says
I'm s thrilled you enjoyed it!
Caitlyn says
Incredible recipe. Made it so many times. Would this work as cupcakes?
Lucy says
Yes! Absolutely! Simply reduce the cooking time 🙂
Chloe says
Could you use this recipe for cupcakes? If so how much would I reduce the cook time by?
Lucy says
Yes – you can make cupcakes from this recipe; keep the oven at 140 °C fan-forced and start checking for doneness at 20 minutes, with most batches ready by 35 minutes.
Emilija says
How much could I reduce the sugar? Would reducing it by half ruin the texture?
Lucy says
Hi there, I recommend sticking to the ingredients as written for the best results.
Soph says
Delicious! Remade this multiple times and it has been beautiful every time!
I have a question for baking it ahead of time. I’ll be making this cake 3 days in advance - would it be better to freeze and defrost, or just wrap and leave in the fridge? Thank you!
Lucy says
Hi Soph, 3 days would be fine in the fridge (just make sure you bring it to room temp before serving as it will dry out in the fridge). Personally, I would freeze it, then take it out the morning of the party, add the frosting and serve!
Sophie says
Beautiful cake! Made it for my husbands birthday and everyone loved it.
I want to use this recipe again but for a larger layered cake (I.e 10 inch pans). Do you need to adjust the cook time/temperature? I’ve only made it previously with 8 inch pans xx
Lucy says
Hi Sophie, Thank you so much! I’m so glad everyone loved it — what a perfect birthday cake!
If you're making a larger layered cake using 10-inch pans, you’ll definitely need to adjust things a little. The cake layers will be thinner if you use the same amount of batter, so they’ll likely bake a bit quicker — so start checking them earlier. The oven temp can remain the same!