Raspberry White Chocolate Loaf Cake
Raspberry White Chocolate Loaf Cake
This loaf is soft, moist, and easy. It tastes like a bakery cake but uses one bowl for wet, one bowl for dry, and a spatula. The batter is vanilla-forward with white chocolate for sweetness and raspberries for bright pops of tart fruit. The steps are simple: mix wet, mix dry, combine, fold in the good stuff, bake, cool, and frost. No special tools, no hard words, no weird tricks. If something goes wrong, the fixes are below. You’ll get clean slices that hold together, a light crumb that isn’t dry, and a frosting that spreads smooth without turning runny.
Why this recipe works
Oil keeps it moist. Oil stays soft when cold. Butter tastes great but firms up in the fridge. Oil gives a tender crumb that stays soft for days. If you love butter flavor, you can use melted butter instead, but the loaf will be a little firmer after chilling.
Baking powder does the lifting. The loaf rises tall without sinking because the dry mix holds enough baking powder to lift the batter but not so much that it blows out the sides.
Flour on the berries stops sinking. A light dusting of flour on the raspberries helps keep them from dropping to the bottom. It also soaks up a bit of extra juice, so the crumb stays even instead of soggy lines through the middle.
Warm oven, steady temp. 350°F is hot enough to lift and set the loaf without burning the edges. If your oven runs hot, tent with foil near the end. A slow, steady bake gives even color and clean slices.
Simple frosting. Cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. It spreads smooth and holds shape. No fancy steps.
Ingredients (cups & tablespoons)
Loaf Batter
- 1 3/4 cupsall-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 2 tspbaking powder
- 1/2 tspkosher salt
- 3/4 cupgranulated sugar
- 2large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cupneutral oil (or cooled melted butter)
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 3/4 cupwhole milk, room temperature
- 1 cupfresh raspberries (or frozen, unthawed)
- 3/4 cupwhite chocolate chips or chopped bar
- 1 tbspflour (to toss with raspberries)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 ozcream cheese, softened
- 3 tbspunsalted butter, softened
- 1 cuppowdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- pinchfine salt
- 1–2 tspmilk or cream, only if needed to thin
Recipe
- Prep pan: Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment so it hangs over the long sides. Lightly grease the short sides.
- Dry mix: In a medium bowl whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Wet mix: In a large bowl whisk sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla until smooth and a bit lighter, about 30 seconds. Whisk in milk.
- Combine: Add dry mix to wet. Stir with a spatula until the flour disappears. Stop while it still looks a little lumpy. Do not beat it smooth.
- Fold-ins: Toss raspberries with 1 tablespoon flour. Add raspberries and white chocolate to the bowl and fold gently just to spread them through the batter.
- Bake: Scrape batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake 50–60 minutes. Start checking at 48 minutes. A toothpick near the center should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. If the top is browning fast at 40–45 minutes, tent loosely with foil.
- Cool: Let loaf sit in the pan for 15 minutes. Lift out to a rack and cool to room temp, 1–2 hours. Do not frost while warm or it will slide.
- Frost: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. If too thick, add a tiny splash of milk. Spread over the cooled loaf. Slice and serve.
Clean slices: wipe the knife between cuts. For neat edges, chill 20–30 minutes after frosting, then slice.
Bake cues (what to look for)
Color
Top should be golden with some deeper spots around berries. White chocolate may leave pale marks; that’s fine.
Crack line
A simple crack down the middle is normal and a good sign. If it stays flat, your oven was likely a bit cool or the batter was overmixed.
Toothpick test
Poke near the center but not through a pocket of melted chocolate. A few moist crumbs are perfect. Wet batter means keep baking in 5-minute steps.
Mixing & crumb
Stir, don’t beat. Overmixing works the flour and makes the loaf tough. Once the flour is wet, stop. Small lumps vanish in the oven.
Room temp helps. Milk and eggs that aren’t cold blend smoother and help the loaf rise evenly.
Fruit spread. Fold berries from the bottom up so they are not all stuck on one side. If using frozen berries, work quick so they don’t bleed color.
Cream cheese frosting (simple)
This frosting is smooth, not too sweet, and spreads easy. If you want a thicker look, chill the bowl for 10 minutes before spreading. If you want a glossy drip, warm it 5–10 seconds in the microwave.
Fast fixes
- Too thick: Add 1 teaspoon milk and mix. Repeat if needed.
- Too thin: Add 1–2 tablespoons powdered sugar and beat 30 seconds.
- Grainy: It wasn’t fully softened. Beat longer, or warm the bowl a few seconds and beat again.
Common mistakes (and how to fix them)
- Dense or gummy: Batter was overmixed or pulled too early. Next time, mix less and bake a few minutes longer. For this loaf you want a few moist crumbs on the tester, not wet batter.
- Berries sank: Toss them with flour first and don’t stir for too long after you add them. If using big, very ripe berries, cut them in half.
- Top too dark: Tent with foil once the top is the color you like. Check your oven rack—middle rack is best.
- Frosting sliding: Cake was warm. Cool fully before frosting.
Swaps & variations
Milk & fat
- Use almond or oat milk for the batter.
- Use oil instead of butter. Skip the cream cheese frosting and dust with powdered sugar.
Citrus twist
- Add 1 tablespoon lemon zest to the batter.
- Swap vanilla in the frosting for 1 teaspoon lemon juice.
More white chocolate
- Stir 1–2 tablespoons melted white chocolate into the frosting.
- Top with a small handful of extra chips.
1:1 blend
- Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour with xanthan gum.
- Let the batter rest 10 minutes before baking for a better crumb.
Simple finish
- Brush warm loaf with 1 tablespoon warm jam.
- Dust with powdered sugar when cool.
Use what you have
- Blueberries: same amount.
- Blackberries: chop large ones in half.
- Strawberries: chop small and pat dry.
Any swap may change bake time a bit. Start checking a few minutes early and go by the toothpick test.
Serving ideas
- Frosted loaf with a few extra berries on top.
- Warm slices with a spoon of vanilla yogurt instead of frosting.
- Light drizzle of melted white chocolate over chilled slices.
Batching & make-ahead
Half loaf (8×4 pan)
- Flour 7/8 cup
- Baking powder 1 tsp
- Salt 1/4 tsp
- Sugar 3/8 cup
- Eggs 1
- Oil 1/4 cup
- Milk 3/8 cup
- Raspberries 1/2 cup
- White chocolate 1/3 cup
- Bake 35–45 min
Two loaves
Double everything and split into two 9×5 pans. Bake side by side, rotating pans halfway for even color.
Timing for events
Bake the day before, cool, wrap tight, and chill. Frost the day you serve. Cold loaf slices very clean.
Equipment notes
- Pan size: 9×5 gives the right height. Smaller pans may overflow.
- Parchment sling: Makes lifting easy and keeps the sides neat.
- Scale (optional): Great for repeat results, but cups work fine if you spoon and level.
Nutrition (estimated)
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~420 kcal |
| Total Fat | 22 g |
| Saturated Fat | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 52 g |
| Total Sugars | 33 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Sodium | ~260 mg |
| Serving Size | 1/12 loaf with frosting |
Numbers vary by brand and how much frosting you use. Use as a guide.
Storage & reheating
- Room temp: Unfrosted loaf keeps 1 day wrapped.
- Fridge: Frosted or unfrosted keeps 3–4 days, wrapped tight.
- Freeze: Unfrosted slices freeze up to 2 months. Wrap each slice, then bag. Thaw in the fridge.
- Serve: Best slightly cool or room temp. If very cold, let slices sit 10–15 minutes before serving.
FAQ
Can I use frozen raspberries?
Yes. Do not thaw. Toss with flour and fold in gently. Bake time may be a couple minutes longer.
Can I swap the oil for butter?
Yes. Use 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled. The loaf will be a bit firmer when cold.
What if I only have a 8×4 pan?
Fill to 3/4 full and bake 55–65 minutes. If you have extra batter, bake a couple cupcakes next to it.
Why did my loaf sink?
It was underbaked in the center or the oven was opened early. Bake until the toothpick has only a few crumbs.
Cook notes
- Measure flour right. Spoon into the cup and level. Packed cups make dry cake.
- Don’t overmix. Stir until the flour is gone, then stop.
- Tent if needed. Foil saves the top if it’s browning too fast.
- Cool before frosting. Warm cake melts frosting. Wait it out.
- Slice clean. Wipe the knife between cuts for tidy pieces.
