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Featured image with large slice of white cake and cherry filling with a fork and a white plate.

White Forest Cake (A Moist White Cake with Cherry Filling)

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: white forest cake
Difficulty Level: Advanced
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Calories: 1002kcal
Author: Kara @I Scream for Buttercream
White forest cake is an elegant looking cake that has a whipped frosting and white chocolate ganache covering a moist white cake filled with delectable cherry filling.
Print Recipe
US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

For the cherry filling:

  • 3 cups thawed pitted frozen cherries, drained
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon almond emulsion or extract (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons warm water
  • 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

For the cake:

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour (measured correctly-see FAQ section for questions)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup vegetable shortening (like Crisco)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sour cream (full-fat, not low-fat)
  • ½ cup milk (whole milk is best)
  • 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract (use regular vanilla if you don't have clear)
  • ½ teaspoon almond emulsion or extract (optional)
  • 6 large egg whites, room temperature

For the whipped buttercream:

  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature (3 sticks)
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted after measuring
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract (or regular vanilla extract)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream, not super cold (This is also called whipping cream, but not cool whip or whipped cream-see FAQ section in the post for questions)

For the white chocolate ganache drip: (optional)

  • ½ cup heavy cream (not whipped cream or cool whip)
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions

For the cherry filling:

  • Make the cherry filling first so that it can chill while the cake is baking.
  • Add the cherries and sugar to a medium saucepan and heat on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir periodically.
  • Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until it's thickened. You may also want to take a wooden spoon or a potato masher and mash up the cherries once they begin to soften. You'll also want to stir the mixture periodically. If it feels like it's beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan, turn down the heat a bit.
  • After about 10 minutes, add the warm water and cornstarch to a small bowl or a shaker and mix it well until there are no clumps. Add the cornstarch mixture to the cherry mixture in the saucepan and stir while letting it simmer for another minute or until it thickens. This should happen quickly.
  • Remove the thickened cherry mixture, add the almond emulsion and stir.
  • Pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool down to almost room temperature, then cover it well with plastic wrap or place into an airtight container, then chill it in the fridge until the cake is ready to be assembled.
  • The cherry mixture needs to be chilled before it's added to the cake or it will cause the whipped buttercream to melt or may just run out between the cake layers.

For the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  • Grease and flour two 8-inch round (2-inch deep) cake pans.
  • In a bowl, mix together the sour cream, milk, vanilla extract, almond emulsion and egg whites.
  • Whisk until smooth and set aside.
  • In another larger mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk well.
  • Slowly add the shortening and butter in chunks to the flour mixture while mixing on medium speed. Mix until the butter and shortening have coated the dry mixture and it has a sandlike texture.
  • Add half the liquid mixture and mix until well combined. Just mix until the large clumps are smooth.
  • Add the last half of the liquid mixture and mix only until well combined. Be very careful not to mix for very long.
  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then mix again, only for 10-15 seconds. Be very careful not to mix the cake batter long at this point, or it will cause the cake to sink in the middle or it will cause it to be dense, dry, rubbery, or sink in the middle.
  • Pour into the greased and floured cake pans and bake at 325 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of each cake layer should come out with a few moist crumbs on it or clean.
  • Remove the cake pans from the oven and set onto cooling racks for 10 minutes, then turn the cake layers out of the pans and cool completely on the cooling racks before assembling.

For the whipped buttercream:

  • While the cake is baking, make the whipped buttercream.
  • Add the butter to a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
  • Measure, then sift the confectioner's sugar and add to the butter, then add the vanilla, salt and only half of the heavy cream. Make sure the cream isn't super cold or it will firm up the butter too much while you're mixing.
  • Mix on medium speed until smooth and scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
  • Add the second half of the heavy cream and mix again, then scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Turn the mixer on high and whip for about 4-5 minutes until the buttercream is light and fluffy.
  • Feel free to add more cream if needed and re-whip.
  • If the buttercream firms up once it's mixed, then the cream was probably too cold and firmed up the butter to much. Just let the buttercream sit out to warm up a little, then re-whip it.

For the white chocolate ganache drip: (optional)

  • If using the ganache, make this early in the process as it will need to cool down for a while before using it.
  • Add the white chocolate chips to a medium-sized bowl and set aside. (Make sure this is a bowl that can handle hot liquids.)
  • Add the cream to a small saucepan and heat on medium to medium-high until it begins to gently simmer. Do not let it boil and watch it closely so that it doesn’t scald. It helps to continuously stir it.
  • As soon as it looks like it’s about to boil, take the pan off the heat source and pour the hot cream over the white chocolate chips.
  • Don’t stir it yet, just let it sit for about ten minutes and then stir it. Stir it slowly to keep bubbles from forming too much. Stir until it's smooth. You can use a spoon or a whisk if there are chunks.
  • If there are still a few chocolate bits that aren’t melted, microwave it for about 20 seconds and stir again.
  • Set the bowl aside and let it cool until it’s drip consistency. (It could take an hour when cooled at room temperature, or if placed in the fridge, it will cool quicker at about 20-30 minutes.)

Timeline and how to assemble:

  • (Feel free to check out the video in this post for help.)
  • Make sure the cake is chilled or at room temperature. The cherry filling should be chilled, the whipped buttercream should be around room temperature and the ganache should be cooled down and drip consistency.
  • Level the tops of the cake layers so that they're flat. Use a knife or a cake leveler.
  • Add a layer of cake onto a cake plate.
  • Next, add a layer of whipped buttercream. It's also good to pipe a buttercream icing dam just around the inside of the cake layer to keep the cherry filling from squishing out later on. (Just add some whipped buttercream to a piping bag or a ziplock baggie, snip the end off and pipe a circle of frosting just inside the perimeter of the cake layer.)
  • Add ⅔ of the cherry filling. Try not to add the filling close to the edges of the cake layer so that it doesn't squish out. Keep it within the icing dam.
  • Add the last layer of cake, then cover the top and the entire sides of the cake with the remaining whipped buttercream.
  • Before adding the ganache, pop the cake into the fridge and let it chill and firm up for about 20-30 minutes or so.
  • Add the ganache drip to the top of the chilled cake and let it drip down the sides a bit. Use a spoon to do this or add the ganache to a squeeze bottle. Just make sure the ganache isn't super hot and that the cake is cold. Also add the ganache to the top of the cake, so that it completely covers the top in addition to dripping down the sides.
  • Pop the cake back into the fridge to chill for another 20 minutes or so.
  • Lastly, add the remaining ⅓ of the cherry filling onto the top of the cake and feel free to pipe swirls around the top edge of the cake if desired and if you have buttercream left.
  • See the notes section for the best ways to store this cake, how to serve it and for more questions.

Notes

How to store: This cake should be stored covered in the refrigerator and can last up to 5 days.
How to serve: This cake is best served close to room temperature. If the cake is cold, set it out to come closer to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before serving. It's not recommended to microwave slices as that will completely melt the whipped buttercream.
For other questions: Make sure to check out the TIPS & FAQs for this recipe in the blog post, which should answer questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, other pan sizes and more. There is also a video, which may be helpful to you during the assembly process.
Nutritional values are an estimate.
*This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying

Nutrition

Calories: 1002kcal | Carbohydrates: 117g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 302mg | Potassium: 301mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 94g | Vitamin A: 1427IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 122mg | Iron: 2mg