Frosted white chocolate Easter cake

Frosted white chocolate Easter cake

A slice of this Madeira-style cake is wonderful with a morning cup of tea or coffee

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr

plus cooling
Freezable

Can be frozen un-iced

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Grease a deep 23cm cake tin and line the base with greaseproof paper. Place the butter, white chocolate, milk and vanilla extract in a small saucepan, then heat gently, stirring, until melted. Combine the flour, bicarb and sugar in a large bowl with a pinch of salt, then stir in the melted ingredients and eggs until smooth. Pour the batter into the tin, then bake for 1 hr, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin. Once cool, the cake can be wrapped in cling film and foil, then frozen for up to 1 month.
  2. To make the frosting, beat together the Philadelphia, butter and icing sugar until smooth. Spread over the cake, then decorate with mini eggs.
Try

Use full-fat cream cheese

- Don't use low-fat cream cheese, as this has a much higher water content than full fat and will be more prone to going runny.

Choosing chocolate

- We've used various qualities of white chocolate and have had a good result with all of them, but found that flavour-wise the standard 200g own-brand bars that each supermarket sells tasted great, plus the chocolate was easy to work with.

Icing know-how

- For the icing, don't over-soften or melt the butter, or your icing will be too soft. It should be at room temperature but not looking greasy. The more you beat, the more you'll warm the ingredients, and the softer it will become.

Tips for success

This cake has been made 10 times by 5 different people for various photo shoots and testing, so we can assure you it does work. However, white chocolate can sometimes be temperamental, so before you start cooking, take a look over our tips for success:

Bake for an hour

- Because this cake has a high sugar content, it will develop a very dark crust as it bakes. Don't remove the cake from the oven until an hour is up - even if it looks ready.

Bubbly mixture?

- The surface of the cake will get a volcanic-looking ring of bubbly mixture in the middle during cooking. This is because the batter is much thinner than a normal cake mixture. By the end of the cooking time, this will have evened out and the surface should be uniform.

The skewer test

- To test that it's ready, insert a clean skewer into the cake. It should come out clean without any hint of stickyness.

Egg size

- Make sure your eggs are the right size.

Watch the heat

- Don't let the chocolate, milk, butter mixture get too hot. Melt over a very gentle heat, stirring regularly so the chocolate doesn't catch on the bottom. This should take a good 5 mins.

PER SERVING

770 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 76g, fat 50 g, saturated fat 29g, fibre 1g, sugar 58g, salt 1.04 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2009.

Try 3 issues of Good Food magazine for £3 - subscribe now!

Latest comments and suggestions

Results 41-60

  • Binder photo Anne S.

    22 February 2011

    Anne S. commented on this recipe

    I've made this cake many times and it has always been a big hit. Some people have said its their favourite cake ever. I've never had any trouble with it although I don't use a spring-form pan, just a non stick pan bottom lined with parchment. The topping is great and I vary the decoration according to the occasion-toasted flaked almonds are a favourite and very simple to do.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo snailmail

    18 March 2011

    snailmail commented on this recipe

    OMG! This cake has caused many laughs in my office. I'm no chef, but I can usually bake a cake!! This is possibly the worst cake I've ever made...see picture here: http://twitpic.com/4ap4ur My troubles started when I put it in a springform tin without greaseproof paper... it started pouring out of the bottom of the tin, so I quickly transferred it to a loaf tin, only for it to spend the next hour pouring over the top of the tin! To top it all it wouldn't come out of the tin!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo snailmail

    19 March 2011

    snailmail commented on this recipe

    Ok take 2....but with a standard sponge cake recipe, with the same topping. The topping is de-lish, but I did use more icing sugar than suggested, to make it thick enough to spread. See pic here: http://twitpic.com/4b6sph

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo eva

    17 April 2011

    eva rated this recipe

    5 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo niddlynoo

    18 April 2011

    niddlynoo commented on this recipe

    I made this as mini muffins, half the recipe makes about 28 mini muffins. I baked them at 150 degrees for 20 minutes and they were really really good!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Stephie_Kay

    20 April 2011

    Stephie_Kay rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made this in cupcake form and in cake form but using a loaf tin. It seemed easier to frost with a loaf tin cake! Everybody loved it, and looked lovely during Easter, although a bit too spongey for me. I think cutting the sponge in half and putting a layer of the frost in the middle would break up the sponge. Although if cooked right, the sponge turns out beautifully soft! A nice one for Easter

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Yvonne

    22 April 2011

    Yvonne rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    The white chocolate makes no difference to the taste of the cake. The batter is really thin so cooking time takes more than an hour and a half. Dont use the eggs illustrated if you are not going to serve the cake immediately as the colour from the eggs will run onto the icing.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Elizabeth

    22 April 2011

    Elizabeth rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    I have just tried to bake this cake and completely failed and this has really upset me because I can make a cake... the outside went very crispy but inside was a fatty batter so i baked it for a bit longer but it was still no good - the top had sunk into the middle and the consistency did not resemble a cake at all - COMPLETE DISASTER!

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo catia

    23 April 2011

    catia commented on this recipe

    The cake worked perfectly using a flan tin, I think that may be the trick to stop it being slightly too soft or sticky in the middle.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo sigrid

    25 April 2011

    sigrid commented on this recipe

    Actually, considering the huge amount of negative feedback, what really surprises me is that the people from GoodFood suggested this as 'cake of the week' during the easter holidays. Anyhow, for me there are to many 'wet' ingredients in there, so, in order to avoid the sticky center everyone mentions, I added 100g flour to the batter. And I also added the grated rind of 1 lemon and sprinkled grated white chocolate all over the final frosting (the frosting in itselve isn't bad but it's a normal cream cheese frosting, definitely not something I would give mr. Martin a Nobel price for). So my cake came out firm and tasted ok (but, for me a holiday cake should be more than just ok...), would also suggest to cut it in halfs and sandwich with a fair amount of white chocolate ganache though.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo sigrid

    25 April 2011

    sigrid rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    Forgot to rate...

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo marilynr

    25 April 2011

    marilynr rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    Good basics, but needs some work. This cake rose and fell in the pan. It was overly moist. However, the flavor was great. So, the next time i make this, I am going to reduce the butter somewhat. Hopefully that will do the trick

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo foooodie

    25 April 2011

    foooodie rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Without wanting to hurt anybody's feelings, I thought it was a totally fool-proof cake recipe. And I have to admit, baking usually ends in disaster for me. This cake, however, turned out beautifully! Very easy to follow instructions, very little prep required and it was perfectly cooked after exactly 1 hour. Yes, it was very moist and slightly greasy, but the recipe does state that it is a Madeira-style cake, therefore one should not expect it to be a Victoria sponge..

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo castonette

    26 April 2011

    castonette rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Very average cake also icing too rich.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo HC

    27 April 2011

    HC rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Lovely cake - Everyone at my work is raving about it. I was a little aprehensive when taking it out of the oven but it turned out beautifully. I thought the white choc taste came through very well, it was there, but not too overpowering or sickly. The icing goes perfectly with the cake. This is not a sponge cake - it is dense and moist and you only need a small slice.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo curtissjay

    27 April 2011

    curtissjay rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I made this for the Easter weekend. I was a bit worried because of some of the negative comments. However I followed the tips at the bottom and it turned out really well. Everyone commented on how lovely the icing was. I let off the mini eggs till the last minute as the dye does run after a while especially from the pink ones. I have been asked to make it again and I will.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Emily Crowley

    29 April 2011

    Emily Crowley rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this cake for a bunch of Italians for "Pasquetta" or little Easter and it turned out beautifully! I absolutely loved, although took the advice of saffij and used two smaller sandwhich tins. Conssitency was great and the cream cheese was stunning. It disappeared within minutes. Hazelnuts also a great addition for decoration.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Ninnymoo

    09 May 2011

    Ninnymoo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this cake as our Easter Cake and it was gorgeous. I followed the recipe exactly....was a little worried when I read all of the comments (but had already bought all of the ingredients) but I have no complaints. The cake was moist and the topping was lovely - even had the thumbs up from the mother in law! Don't let the negative comments on here put you off a delicious cake.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Ujjaini

    12 May 2011

    Ujjaini commented on this recipe

    great cake, very moist, soft melts in mouth. It was a success on first try. I made the mistake of trying to cut it in half to make a layered cake. to make a layered cake it will be better to make divide the batter in two portions and bake in separate tins and sandwich them using a bit of the frosting.

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

  • Binder photo Ujjaini

    12 May 2011

    Ujjaini rated this recipe

    4 stars

    Flag as inappropriate

    Please let us know your name and the reason you find the above comment inappropriate.

Leave a comment or suggestion

You must sign in or register to leave a comment.

Sign in / Register

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 10

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr

plus cooling
Freezable

Can be frozen un-iced

Ingredients

  • 250g butter , plus a little extra for greasing
  • 140g white chocolate , broken into pieces
  • 250ml milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 300g caster sugar
  • 2 large eggs , lightly beaten

FOR THE FROSTING

  • 300g tub Philadelphia cheese
  • 85g butter , softened
  • 100g icing sugar , sifted
  • mini eggs , to decorate (or use 50g/2oz chopped hazelnuts)
Print this recipe
Add to your binder

PER SERVING

770 kcalories, protein 7g, carbohydrate 76g, fat 50 g, saturated fat 29g, fibre 1g, sugar 58g, salt 1.04 g

Advertisement

Your binder

Here are three other great reasons why to sign up:

  • You get an online binder, where you can store all your favourite recipes and create menus.
  • You can add your own recipes to this site for others to try; plus, rate and make comments on recipes, and share your views on our blog.

Follow Good Food

Advertisement

All about Good Food

Magazine

Good Food Magazine

Subscribe to Good Food magazine - enjoy 100+ triple-tested recipes delivered to your door, every month.

Order today, and receive your first 3 issues for just £3

On TV

Foodie TV

See your favourite chefs on Sky Channel 247, Virgin TV 260 and find their recipes at goodfoodchannel.co.uk.

Good Food Apps

Good Food Apps

For Good Food on the go, download our apps to your phone or portable device.
Find out more here

Buy ingredients

With just one click, the full list of recipe ingredients will be put into a basket at your choice of provider. Choose from:

mySupermarket Compare prices and choose a retailer you wish to buy them from.

Ocado Let Ocado deliver all you need for this recipe, right to your door

Tesco Buy all the ingredients from our recipes through your Tesco online shop.

new

Asda Shop with Asda? You can now buy ingredients for our recipes via your Asda online shop.

In association with the above providers. Terms and conditions apply.

Close