This White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake is made of three layers of tender vanilla cake filled with a light white chocolate mousse and fresh diced strawberries. The cake is finished with a silky white chocolate strawberry buttercream, a white chocolate ganache drip, and white chocolate–dipped strawberries on top — ideal for Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or any celebration.

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White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

If you enjoyed the White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes or the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Layer Cake, this recipe blends the best of both: a soft white cake paired with creamy white chocolate mousse and juicy strawberries. The flavor is bright, sweet and elegant — perfect for festive occasions.

Five Components

This cake is assembled from five distinct elements:

1. White Cake: A reliable vanilla-white cake made with a mix of sour cream and buttermilk for a moist, tender crumb.
2. White Chocolate Mousse: A light four-ingredient mousse (white chocolate, cream, sugar, vanilla) folded with whipped cream and studded with diced strawberries.
3. White Chocolate Strawberry Buttercream: Strawberry purée folded into a classic buttercream with melted white chocolate for a creamy, flavorful frosting.
4. White Chocolate Ganache: A simple ganache used for a drip; a whitener can be added to brighten the color.
5. White Chocolate Covered Strawberries: Large, ripe strawberries dipped in melted white chocolate and decorated with nonpareils if desired.

White Cake Layers

The combination of sour cream and buttermilk keeps the cake moist and tender, while beating butter and sugar until pale and fluffy builds structure. This recipe uses six large egg whites for lightness, plus a small amount of vegetable oil to retain moisture.

Mixing Tips

• Sift and whisk dry ingredients together so they’re ready to add.
• Cream butter and sugar until very pale and doubled in volume — this step is important for texture.
• Add egg whites one at a time, incorporating each before adding the next.
• Alternate adding dry ingredients and buttermilk (start with 1/3 dry, then half the buttermilk, and repeat) to keep the batter smooth and avoid overmixing.

White Chocolate Mousse and Strawberry Filling

The mousse is airy and stable, pairing beautifully with the cake. The process is straightforward:

1. Make a white chocolate ganache by heating white chocolate with a small amount of cream, then chill until cool.
2. Whip the remaining cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks.
3. Fold whipped cream into the cooled white chocolate ganache in thirds to form a light mousse. Chill to set — overnight is ideal.

Chilling helps the mousse hold its shape when assembling the cake.

How to Fill the Cake Properly

When using a soft filling like mousse, build a buttercream “dam” around the layer edges before spooning in the filling. This prevents the filling from leaking and stabilizes the layers. For this cake, pipe a double rim of buttercream, spread some mousse inside, add diced strawberries, then top with more mousse before stacking the next layer.

White Chocolate Strawberry Buttercream

This buttercream is silky and flavorful. Use reduced strawberry purée for concentrated flavor and visible seed specks if you prefer texture. Fold in cooled melted white chocolate (use a high-quality white chocolate bar, not chips) to boost richness and smoothness. Add a touch of pink gel coloring if you want a brighter hue.

White Chocolate Ganache Drip

The ganache is made like the mousse base — white chocolate melted with hot cream. Because melted white chocolate tends to look slightly yellow, add a few drops of icing whitener for a true white finish. Use a spoon or a piping bag to create drips around the edge, then fill the center and smooth.

Baker’s Tip: Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes before piping frosting swirls and adding the strawberries so the ganache sets and decorations stay in place.

When dipping strawberries, melt chopped white chocolate with a little shortening for a smooth coating. Dip, let excess drip off, then immediately sprinkle with nonpareils if desired. Chill briefly to set.

Turn It Into Cupcakes

You can easily adapt the recipe for cupcakes. Use the same cake batter and fill baked cupcakes with the white chocolate mousse, then pipe the white chocolate strawberry buttercream on top and garnish with a small dipped strawberry for an elegant single-serve treat.

Happy Mother’s Day baking!

More Mother’s Day Desserts

• Raspberry Rose Buns
• Vanilla Raspberry Cake
• White Chocolate Raspberry Poke Cake

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Let’s get baking!

White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Yield:
10-12 servings

Prep Time:
2 hours

Cook Time:
55 minutes

Additional Time:
4 hours

Total Time:
6 hours 55 minutes

This White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake features three layers of fluffy vanilla cake filled with white chocolate mousse and fresh strawberries, finished with a white chocolate strawberry buttercream, ganache drip, and dipped strawberries.

Ingredients

Reduced Strawberry Purée:

• 1 and ½ cups (12 oz) fresh or frozen strawberries, stems removed

White Cake Layers:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• ⅓ cup sour cream, room temperature
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and ½ cups buttermilk, room temperature

White Chocolate Mousse Filling:

• 6 oz white chocolate, chopped
• 1 and ½ cups heavy cream, divided
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (16 oz) fresh strawberries, diced

White Chocolate Strawberry Buttercream:

• 2 and ¼ cups unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 9 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• ½ cup reduced strawberry purée, cooled
• 5 oz chopped white chocolate, melted and cooled
• Pink gel food coloring (optional)

White Chocolate Ganache Drip:

• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 6 oz white chocolate, chopped
• Few drops white gel food coloring (optional)

White Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

• 15 strawberries, rinsed and thoroughly dried
• 8 oz white chocolate, chopped
• ½ tablespoon vegetable shortening
• White nonpareils (optional)

Instructions

Reduced Strawberry Purée

1. Purée strawberries until smooth. Simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about ½ cup (20–25 minutes). Cool and refrigerate.

White Cake Layers

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Prepare 2–3 8-inch pans with parchment and grease sides.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk and set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape bowl.
4. Add egg whites one at a time, mixing until incorporated.
5. Mix in sour cream, oil and vanilla.
6. Alternate adding dry ingredients (in thirds) and buttermilk (in halves), mixing on low until just combined. Do not overmix.
7. Divide batter between pans and bake 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to racks.

White Chocolate Mousse

1. Warm ¼ cup heavy cream and stir into chopped white chocolate until melted and smooth; chill until cool.
2. Whip remaining 1¼ cups heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks.
3. Fold whipped cream into cooled white chocolate mixture in thirds. Cover and chill 3 hours or overnight. Fold in diced strawberries before using.

White Chocolate Strawberry Buttercream

1. Beat butter and salt until pale and fluffy (5–6 minutes).
2. Add half the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add reduced strawberry purée and cooled melted white chocolate; mix until smooth.
3. Add remaining powdered sugar, then tint with pink gel if desired. Beat on medium-high 5–7 minutes until light and fluffy. Set aside.

White Chocolate Ganache

1. Heat cream until steaming and pour over chopped white chocolate. Stir until smooth and add a drop or two of whitener if you want a brighter white. Cool to a pipeable consistency.

White Chocolate Covered Strawberries

1. Dry strawberries completely. Line a tray with wax paper.
2. Melt white chocolate with shortening in short intervals until smooth. Dip strawberries, shake off excess, place on tray and add nonpareils if using. Chill 5–10 minutes to set.

Assembly

1. Place a dollop of frosting on the cake board and set the first layer on top.
2. Pipe a double rim of buttercream around the edge as a dam. Spoon in mousse, spread a thin layer, add 1 cup diced strawberries, and cover with a little more mousse.
3. Repeat with the next layer and top with the final layer (upside down for an even top).
4. Crumb-coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream and chill 30 minutes.
5. Frost a final thick layer of buttercream and chill 30 minutes (or freeze 10–20 minutes).
6. Pipe ganache around the edges to create drips, fill the center, and smooth. Refrigerate 15–30 minutes to set.
7. Pipe frosting swirls on top and place a white chocolate–covered strawberry on each swirl. Slice and serve.

Notes

1. Make-ahead: Cake layers, ganache, and buttercream can be prepared ahead. Store appropriately and re-whip frosting if chilled.
2. Do not make the dipped strawberries too far in advance — moisture can cause them to weep and the coating to become grainy.
3. Thawed frozen strawberries may be used for the purée; allow extra time to reduce liquid.

BON APPÉTIT!

Love, Dedra

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