Chocolate Raspberry Cake
There’s just something about baking a cake that’s so beautiful using simple ingredients and this decadent chocolate raspberry cake is one of them. It features layers of moist, fudgy chocolate cake, a tart raspberry filling, and a luxurious chocolate ganache frosting. It’s the delicious combination of chocolate and raspberries that makes this cake so indulgent yet refreshing at the same time.
The breakdown
This cake features 4 components, so let’s break it down:
Chocolate Cake: We use our classic chocolate cake recipe here which makes 2 layers of cake using 9 inch pans. This cake is made using key ingredients, including buttermilk, coffee, and vegetable oil which creates a moist crumb and has rich chocolate flavor.
Raspberry Filling: The filling is made with fresh raspberries that are cooked down with some sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch. It’s pretty simple to make and doesn’t take too long! Scroll down a bit for some tips and tricks to cooking the raspberries to the perfect consistency.
Chocolate Buttercream: The chocolate buttercream is the first layer of chocolate coating for the cake. It’s made by beating the butter until it’s smooth and creamy. Then, you’ll slowly incorporate the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Lastly add the heavy cream and you’ll have a thick and fluffy buttercream frosting.
Ganache: Our 2-ingredient chocolate ganache is the last layer that coats the cake. It’s made by slightly heating up heavy cream then pouring it over the chopped chocolate and mixing until you achieve smooth, rich consistency. We recommend making the ganache first because it needs about 45 minutes to set in the fridge before coating the cake.
Key ingredients
- Cornstarch: Instead of using cake flour in this recipe, simply adding cornstarch to all-purpose flour does the trick! The cornstarch gives the cake a softer, fluffier texture.
- Unsweetened Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder gives the cake a rich chocolate flavor so make sure you use a high quality cocoa powder like Ghirardelli or Guittard . We recommend using a combination of natural cocoa powder and dutch process for the perfect balance of flavors and textures.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is an essential ingredient for baking cakes. It works with the baking soda to give the cake a fluffy, moist crumb. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can definitely make your own at home!
- Vegetable oil: We don’t recommend substituting vegetable oil for butter because the vegetable oil adds a more complex flavor and moistness to the cake.
- Coffee: Strongly brewed coffee acts as a flavor booster for the chocolate, making your cake taste 10x better. Don’t worry though, you won’t be able to taste the coffee!
Watch how we made it:
Raspberry Filling Tips
Cooling time: The filling should be cooled before spreading it bwteen the cake layers. It will also thicken as it chills so that it doesn’t ooze out of the cake.
Adjust the sugar: We added 2 tbsp sugar to the filling, but feel free to adjust the sugar to your liking. Keep in mind the other components also contain sugar!
To make seedless: If you prefer a seedless raspberry filling, you can simply strain the filling through a strainer. It will work just as well!
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Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Ganache
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped
Raspberry Filling
- 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp water
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Chocolate cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar room temp
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder room temp
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup warm coffee
Chocolate Buttercream
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3-4 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
To make the ganache
- In a saucepan over medium low heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer, then remove from the heat. Pour into a bowl with the chocolate and cover for 5 minutes, allowing the chocolate to melt.
- Uncover the bowl and whisk until smooth. Then, cover and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes to set.
To make the raspberry filling
- In a saucepan over medium heat, bring filling ingredients to a boil. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.
To make the chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and line two 9 inch round cake pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Then, whisk in the coffee.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet batter into the dry. Whisk until smooth.
- Evenly pour the batter into two 9 inch cake pans and bake 35-40 minutes.
To make the chocolate buttercream
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, followed by cocoa powder. Beat for 3-4 minutes until everything is incorporated.
- Add the heavy cream and beat for another 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. If too thick, add more heavy cream 1 tsp at a time.
To assemble
- Spread 1/2 cup of buttercream over the first cake layer. Then, transfer 1/2 cup of buttercream cream to a piping bag and pipe a line around the edges of the cake, creating a border. Spoon 3/4 cup of raspberry filling into the center and spread evenly.
- Place the second cake layer on top and spread the remaining buttercream all over the cake to create a crumb coat. Lastly, spread the ganache over the buttercream, fully coating the cake.
Is it okay to make this cake without coffee because some kids may be eating it?
Yes, absolutely. You can use hot water instead.