Decadent, but refreshing, my chocolate raspberry cake ticks all of the packing containers for an indulgent dessert. Moist darkish chocolate cake layers, recent raspberry filling, and a raspberry-infused chocolate buttercream come collectively on this successful cake recipe. Recipe features a how-to video tutorial.
Chocolate Raspberry Perfection
At present’s chocolate raspberry cake was an experiment in steadiness. I needed near-even measures of indulgent chocolate and shiny raspberry with out skewing too far on both aspect of the spectrum.
After plenty of tweaking and testing, I believe you’re going to like the top end result simply as a lot as I do. It’s each decadent and refreshing with clear notes of each flavors. Between the wealthy, moist, fudgy chocolate cake layers, the raspberry-infused chocolate frosting, and the sweet-tart raspberry filling, it’s the right mix of the most effective flavors and textures of each worlds.
Why This Recipe Works:
- By no means dry or dense: my method prevents over-mixing (similar to when making my triple chocolate cake), and we’ll use fastidiously chosen substances so this chocolate raspberry cake stays moist for days (regardless of needing to be refrigerated!).
- Spectacular look: three cake layers means it is a large cake, and including the ganache drip and recent berries on high simply makes it look so fancy.
- Just one bowl and NO mixer wanted for the cake itself. My purpose was to make the cake as uncomplicated as potential since we’re making three elements right here (cake, filling, frosting).
- Celebration-worthy. This cake isn’t only for birthdays! It might make a beautiful anniversary or Valentine’s Day dessert too ❤️
What You Want (& Substitutions)
For the Cake Layers
You’ll discover these substances are fairly related to a couple different chocolate truffles I’ve shared round right here (specifically my peanut butter chocolate cake). When you could have an excellent factor, you keep it up!
- Darkish cocoa powder. Darkish chocolate & raspberry was a no brainer, the darker cocoa pairs fantastically with the brightness of the recent raspberries. Should you don’t have darkish cocoa, some other Dutch course of cocoa will work. Be aware that I do suggest pure cocoa for the frosting.
- Butter & oil. A mix of unsalted butter and a impartial oil (I like avocado!) makes this cake each flavorful and moist. It’s particularly useful to make use of oil when you find yourself making a cake that wants refrigerating like this chocolate raspberry cake.
- Buttermilk. Not solely does buttermilk add taste and moisture, however it additionally helps to activate our baking soda, since we’re utilizing an alkaline cocoa powder.
- Sugar. A mix of normal granulated and light-weight brown work properly right here, with the brown sugar including a bit of additional taste and moisture. Darkish brown sugar may very well be a bit too wealthy and robust, so stick to mild brown.
- Scorching water/espresso. I speak extra about this within the FAQ part under. Both will work, however espresso will give your cake a stronger chocolate (not espresso) taste, similar to in my mint chocolate cake. Whichever you go for, ensure that it’s sizzling!
SAM’S TIP: This recipe works finest when your entire substances are at room temperature. Attempt to keep in mind to set out your eggs, buttermilk, and many others. in order that they have time to heat up earlier than you get began!
For the Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream
- Raspberries. Both recent or frozen berries will work right here. I like to recommend utilizing recent raspberries if they’re in season although.
- Lemon juice. A squeeze of lemon juice brightens the flavour of our filling. Bottled is okay, however recent is finest, similar to when making raspberry lemonade!
- Cornstarch. This helps thicken our raspberry cake filling and retains it from spilling out of the cake!
- Cocoa powder. I went forwards and backwards with this ingredient. For ease, I needed to make use of the identical kind of cocoa within the frosting that I used within the cake layers (darkish or Dutch). Nonetheless, these merely didn’t work properly within the frosting; they overpowered the steadiness of chocolate raspberry and pure cocoa powder was simply truthfully your best option for a superior tasting cake.
- Heavy cream. It’s possible you’ll not want this, but when your frosting isn’t fairly as clean and silky and spreadable as you want it to be, be at liberty so as to add a splash or two of cream.
Elective: Add a chocolate drip! This provides a pleasant contact by way of look, style, and texture. Within the recipe card under I linked to my detailed directions on tips on how to do a ganache drip on a cake and I additionally briefly exhibit it in right this moment’s video, it’s simpler than you may assume!
How one can Make Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Make the Cake Layers
We skip the standard creaming course of right here (beating collectively butter and sugar) and as a substitute add melted butter and oil to our dry substances and sugar. This cake may be made with or and not using a mixer, however it’s crucial to scrape the perimeters and backside of the bowl periodically and intention for a batter that’s clean and uniform. Utilizing substances which are all room temperature will assist with this.
SAM’S TIP: Buttermilk expands because it warms to room temperature. Measure it chilly and let it sit at room temperature earlier than utilizing (reasonably than making an attempt to measure it heat).
Put together the Raspberry Filling
Some useful hints: Just remember to don’t crank up the warmth too excessive otherwise you’ll evaporate an excessive amount of of the water and find yourself burning the combination (and even in the event you don’t, you could possibly lose an excessive amount of taste this manner). Stir regularly, which may also maintain issues from burning. Should you’ve made my raspberry cake filling, you’ve executed this all earlier than.
You’ll know the combination is completed when your spatula leaves distinct trails by the combination. Take away it from the warmth and pour right into a heatproof bowl to cease the cooking course of (and word the
SAM’S NOTE: Raspberries have seeds, and, properly, so does this chocolate raspberry cake! Whereas in some recipes I’ll pressure out the seeds (like my raspberry cheesecake) I opted to maintain them right here for the most effective raspberry texture and taste. You truly can’t go away the seeds out of this recipe otherwise you received’t be left with a lot to work with!
Make the Frosting
The frosting comes collectively merely and begins similar to a basic chocolate buttercream, till we get to the raspberry infusion. You’ll want ⅓ cup of raspberry filling (from above) however don’t add it !
Add the (cooled!) raspberry filling only a spoonful at a time. It’s crucial to do that steadily, as a result of including it too rapidly can break or curdle the frosting.
Meeting
A piping bag will likely be your buddy right here for creating the dam that holds within the raspberry filling; that is important so the filling doesn’t squeeze out of the cake! In case your frosting appears too stiff and isn’t spreading easily on the cake or is tearing up the fragile fudgy crumbs as you attempt to unfold it, don’t hesitate to stir in a splash of cream or milk to skinny issues a bit (however, additionally take into account doing a crumb coating, talked about under).
A ganache drip is non-obligatory, however so fairly and decadent, and don’t miss my tips about tips on how to adorn a cake for newcomers.
SAM’S TIP: Whereas non-obligatory, a crumb coat will make adorning your chocolate raspberry cake a lot simpler. To do that, unfold a really skinny, even layer of frosting across the cake, catching any crumbs (it doesn’t need to be fairly!). Place the cake within the freezer for Quarter-hour, then take away and add your last layer of frosting. Must be clean and crumb-free!
Steadily Requested Questions
Sure, you could possibly use my raspberry buttercream as a substitute of the chocolate frosting referred to as for. For an additional enjoyable twist, I believe this chocolate raspberry cake would even be tasty with my white chocolate buttercream.
Utilizing sizzling liquid of any type will bloom the cocoa powder and improve its taste (like steeping tea!), so utilizing a sizzling liquid is important. Scorching water works simply effective right here, however espresso particularly enhances the chocolate taste much more. Should you don’t need to use espresso, simply use water, however in the event you’re nervous about your chocolate raspberry cake tasting like espresso, don’t fear it received’t. It’ll simply have a deeper chocolate taste.
This often occurs when the raspberry filling combination is added to the frosting too rapidly, or if it was nonetheless too heat.
To repair this, you’ll be able to attempt to place your frosting within the fridge or including a bit extra sugar. It may be onerous to get well frosting that breaks although, so prevention is essential right here!
Get pleasure from!
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Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Servings: 14 servings
Energy: 633kcal
Components
Chocolate Raspberry Frosting
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
Directions
Cake
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Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line the bottoms of three 8” spherical cake pans with parchment paper and grease and flour the perimeters. Put aside.
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In a big mixing bowl, whisk collectively flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
1 ¾ cups (220 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (200 g) mild brown sugar, ¾ cup (75 g) darkish cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoon desk salt
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Add oil and melted butter to flour combination, stir till totally mixed.
⅔ cup (155 ml) impartial cooking oil, ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
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Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir till totally mixed and batter is uniform.
2 massive eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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Regularly add buttermilk, stirring till mixed.
1 cup (236 ml) buttermilk
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Slowly and thoroughly, add sizzling water or espresso, stirring till utterly mixed. Scrape sides and backside of the bowl with a spatula to make sure all substances get integrated.
½ cup (118 ml) highly regarded/boiling water or sizzling espresso
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Divide batter evenly into ready cake pans and bake in preheated 350F (175C) oven for 24-25 minutes. When truffles are completed baking, a toothpick inserted into the middle ought to come out utterly clear or with a couple of moist crumbs.
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Permit truffles to chill of their pans for 10-Quarter-hour, then run a knife alongside the perimeters to loosen from pans and thoroughly invert onto cooling racks. Permit to chill utterly earlier than adorning.
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Whereas truffles are cooling, put together the raspberry filling.
Raspberry Filling
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In a small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch, whisk till mixed.
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
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Add raspberries, water, and lemon juice and stir collectively.
3 cups (340 g) recent or frozen raspberries, 3 Tablespoons water, 1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice
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Warmth saucepan in your stovetop over medium warmth and cook dinner, stirring continuously, till berries launch their juices and combination begins to bubble. This may take 5-10 minutes, don’t improve your warmth from medium, you need all the things to warmth slowly.
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Proceed stirring continuously and cook dinner till thickened (this often takes me about 2 minutes after the combination begins effervescent). This combination will seem to solely barely thicken, you’ll discover that once you pull your spatula by the combination you allow a path.
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Switch combination to a heatproof container and permit to chill to room temperature earlier than continuing.
Raspberry Frosting
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In a big mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment) use an electrical mixer to beat butter on low velocity till clean and creamy.
1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter
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Add about half of the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt and beat on low velocity till properly mixed.
3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar, ⅔ cup (65 g) pure cocoa powder, ⅛ heaping teaspoon salt
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Regularly add remaining powdered sugar, mixing on low velocity, till all sugar is added.
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Whereas mixing on low velocity, add ⅓ cup of the raspberry filling, a heaping spoonful (a couple of tablespoon) at a time, till all filling is evenly integrated.
⅓ cup (94 g) raspberry filling
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Regularly add heavy cream as wanted and stir till icing is a clean, pipe-able consistency. Place frosting right into a piping bag with a big open tip.
1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Meeting
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As soon as truffles are utterly cooled, stage truffles if wanted.
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Place one cake layer on serving platter. Unfold a really skinny layer of frosting excessive of the cake layer. Pipe a dam of frosting across the fringe of the cake.
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Unfold half of your remaining raspberry filling contained in the piped dam. High with the subsequent layer of cake and repeat the method.
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High with the final layer of cake. Use the remainder of the frosting to unfold an excellent layer across the sides and high of the cake. (I love to do a crumb coating on the cake and refrigerate for Quarter-hour earlier than doing the ultimate layer of frosting). If desired, comply with my directions (linked within the substances above) for including a ganache drip.
Ganache drip for adorning
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For finest outcomes, chill cake within the fridge for a minimum of half-hour earlier than slicing and serving.
Notes
Filling
It’s best to find yourself with roughly 1 ⅔ cup of filling (earlier than any is eliminated for the frosting).
Storing
Retailer cake in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
Vitamin
Serving: 1serving | Energy: 633kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 5g | Fats: 34g | Saturated Fats: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 4g | Monounsaturated Fats: 13g | Trans Fats: 1g | Ldl cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 280mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 694IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg
Dietary info is predicated on third-party calculations and needs to be thought of an estimate solely. Precise dietary content material will range primarily based upon manufacturers used, measuring strategies, cooking methodology, portion sizes, and extra.
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