Chocolate Raspberry Perfection
Today’s chocolate raspberry cake was an experiment in balance. I wanted near-even measures of indulgent chocolate and bright raspberry without skewing too far on either side of the spectrum. After lots of tweaking and testing, I think you’re going to love the end result just as much as I do. It’s both decadent and refreshing with clear notes of both flavors. Between the rich, moist, fudgy chocolate cake layers, the raspberry-infused chocolate frosting, and the sweet-tart raspberry filling, it’s the perfect blend of the best flavors and textures of both worlds.
Why This Recipe Works:
Never dry or dense: my technique prevents over-mixing (just like when making my triple chocolate cake), and we’ll use carefully chosen ingredients so this chocolate raspberry cake stays moist for days (despite needing to be refrigerated!). Impressive appearance: three cake layers means this is a big cake, and adding the ganache drip and fresh berries on top just makes it look so fancy. Only one bowl and NO mixer needed for the cake itself. My goal was to make the cake as uncomplicated as possible since we are making three components here (cake, filling, frosting). Celebration-worthy. This cake isn’t just for birthdays! It would make a lovely anniversary or Valentine’s Day dessert too ❤️
What You Need (& Substitutions)
For the Cake Layers
You’ll find these ingredients are quite similar to a few other chocolate cakes I’ve shared around here (namely my peanut butter chocolate cake). When you have a good thing, you stick with it! SAM’S TIP: This recipe works best when all of your ingredients are at room temperature. Try to remember to set out your eggs, buttermilk, etc. so they have time to warm up before you get started!
For the Chocolate Raspberry Buttercream
Raspberries. Either fresh or frozen berries will work here. I recommend using fresh raspberries if they are in season though. Lemon juice. A squeeze of lemon juice brightens the flavor of our filling. Bottled is fine, but fresh is best, just like when making raspberry lemonade! Cornstarch. This helps thicken our raspberry cake filling and keeps it from spilling out of the cake! Cocoa powder. I went back and forth with this ingredient. For ease, I wanted to use the same type of cocoa in the frosting that I used in the cake layers (dark or Dutch). However, these simply did not work well in the frosting; they overpowered the balance of chocolate raspberry and natural cocoa powder was just honestly the best choice for a superior tasting cake. Heavy cream. You may not need this, but if your frosting isn’t quite as smooth and silky and spreadable as you need it to be, feel free to add a splash or two of cream.
Optional: Add a chocolate drip! This adds a nice touch in terms of appearance, taste, and texture. In the recipe card below I linked to my detailed instructions on how to do a ganache drip on a cake and I also briefly demonstrate it in today’s video, it’s easier than you might think!
How to Make Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Make the Cake Layers
We skip the traditional creaming process here (beating together butter and sugar) and instead add melted butter and oil to our dry ingredients and sugar. This cake can be made with or without a mixer, but it’s very important to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically and aim for a batter that is smooth and uniform. Using ingredients that are all room temperature will help with this. SAM’S TIP: Buttermilk expands as it warms to room temperature. Measure it cold and let it sit at room temperature before using (rather than trying to measure it warm).
Prepare the Raspberry Filling
Some helpful hints: Make sure that you don’t crank up the heat too high or you’ll evaporate too much of the water and end up burning the mixture (or even if you don’t, you could lose too much flavor this way). Stir frequently, which will also keep things from burning. If you’ve made my raspberry cake filling, you’ve done this all before. You’ll know the mixture is done when your spatula leaves distinct trails through the mixture. Remove it from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking process (and note the SAM’S NOTE: Raspberries have seeds, and, well, so does this chocolate raspberry cake! While in some recipes I’ll strain out the seeds (like my raspberry cheesecake) I opted to keep them here for the best raspberry texture and flavor. You actually can’t leave the seeds out of this recipe or you won’t be left with much to work with!
Make the Frosting
The frosting comes together simply and starts just like a classic chocolate buttercream, until we get to the raspberry infusion. You’ll need ⅓ cup of raspberry filling (from above) but don’t add it all at once! Add the (cooled!) raspberry filling just a spoonful at a time. It’s very important to do this gradually, because adding it too quickly can break or curdle the frosting.
Assembly
A piping bag will be your friend here for creating the dam that holds in the raspberry filling; this is essential so the filling doesn’t squeeze out of the cake! If your frosting seems too stiff and isn’t spreading smoothly on the cake or is tearing up the delicate fudgy crumbs as you try to spread it, don’t hesitate to stir in a splash of cream or milk to thin things a bit (but, also consider doing a crumb coating, mentioned below). A ganache drip is optional, but so pretty and decadent, and don’t miss my tips on how to decorate a cake for beginners. SAM’S TIP: While optional, a crumb coat will make decorating your chocolate raspberry cake much easier. To do this, spread a very thin, even layer of frosting around the cake, catching any crumbs (it doesn’t have to be pretty!). Place the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes, then remove and add your final layer of frosting. Should be smooth and crumb-free! Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter to be notified of all the newest recipes, and find my free recipe tutorials on YouTube 💜
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