Chocolate and Raspberry Cake Recipe

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Chocolate and Raspberry Cake Recipe

This chocolate raspberry cake has raspberry preserves in the batter and a fresh, homemade raspberry filling. It's moist with a perfect crumb and and a deep chocolate and raspberry flavor.

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Chilling1

Total Time1 1 2

Course: cake, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: Servings

Author: Laura Sandford

Cost: $15

Equipment

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ cup seedless raspberry jam (or preserves)

Raspberry filling:

4 cups raspberries (20 ounces)
¼ cup seedless raspberry preserves
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Raspberry Frosting

½ cup raspberry puree (from filling)
1 cup salted butter (softened)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
6 cups powdered sugar

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (double recipe)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Raspberry Filling (Needs to Chill)

Blend the raspberries and raspberry jam together in a high-powered blender until smooth. It’s important to use a high-powered blender with a 48 ounce blending container (or smaller).
Transfer the raspberry puree to a medium saucepan and stir in the sugar and vanilla.
cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until slightly thickened (about 3-5 minutes).
Remove ½ cup of the mixture from the pan and transfer it to a glass jar to be used to make the raspberry frosting.
Mix the water and cornstarch together in a small bowl.
Add the cornstarch mixture and whisk to combine.
Cook over medium heat, stirring often until thickened (thickly coats the back of a spatula) about 5 minutes to 8 minutes.
Transfer the raspberry mixture to a glass jar with a lid or a glass container with a lid and chill overnight, or for at least 6 hours. It thickens more as it cools.

Make the Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
Line two 9” (23 cm) round cake pans with parchment paper and grease well. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together canola oil, eggs, sour cream, milk, vanilla and raspberry preserves until the mixture is smooth.
Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients whisk until smooth.
Divide the batter evenly into the two prepared cake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Place cake pans on a wire cooling rack to cool to room temperature (takes about 30 minutes).
Once cool, lift cakes out of the pans and remove parchment paper. Let cool completely on the wire cooling rack.*
I suggest putting it in the freezer overnight or at least in the refrigerator while the raspberry sauce cools. This will reduce crumbs in the frosting.

Make the Raspberry Frosting

Beat the butter in a standing mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the reserved raspberry puree from the filling and beat until combined.
Add the vanilla and 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat until combined.
Continue adding powdered sugar, 2 cups at a time, beating well after each addition until the frosting is thick, light and fluffy.

Make the Chocolate Buttercream frosting

Double this recipe and follow the instructions to make the chocolate buttercream frosting.

Assemble the Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Spread about 2 Tablespoons of frosting on a cake plate.
Then, position the bottom layer on the frosting on the plate.
Pipe a thin circle of chocolate frosting around the outside edge of the bottom layer.
Then, evenly spread the raspberry filling inside the piped circle of frosting. You may have leftovers – it’s better to have a little leftover than put too much in the center because it will ooze out.
Then, put the top layer over the filling and freeze for 1 hour – until the filling sets.
Once the cake is frozen, spread or pipe the raspberry buttercream frosting evenly over the outside and top of the cake. Save leftovers for decorating. Return the cake to the freezer for the frosting to set and harden completely (about 30 to 60 minutes).
Then spread the chocolate buttercream frosting over the raspberry frosting (quickly before the frosting starts to thaw).
Pipe decorations on the outside of the cake with the leftover frostings.
Chill in the refrigerator until set (up to overnight), then remove from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before serving so the cake can come to room temperature.

Video

Notes

*Nutrition Information: Calculated for the cake and filling not frosting, for one serving being 1/16 of the cake.

Ingredient Substitution Notes

All-purpose flour. you can use cake flour. Or, use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour to make this recipe gluten-free.
Unsweetened cocoa powder. Choose your favorite variety. For an extra-dark cake use dark cocoa powder.
Canola oil. Oil keeps this chocolate raspberry cake extra moist. You can substitute equal amounts of melted butter or another neutral oil like olive oil if desired, however canola oil will yield the best results. Or try my olive oil chocolate cake.
Sour cream. Full-fat, plain yogurt works well in place of sour cream.
Whole milk. half and half or heavy cream are the best substitutes.
Seedless raspberry jam. If you'd prefer, you can make extra filling and use it in the cake instead of jam. But it has to be seedless, or completely smooth.
Raspberries. fresh or frozen berries both work well.

Store/Freeze

Store leftover cake in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let it slowly come to room temperature - do not heat or microwave or the frosting will melt.

Nutrition