Description
This Chocolate Raspberry Cake is a rich, moist chocolate cake layered with a fluffy raspberry buttercream frosting and topped with a smooth chocolate ganache. Fresh raspberries add a burst of tartness and beautiful decoration, making it a perfect dessert for any special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chocolate Cake
- 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 2 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 3/4 cup White granulated sugar
- 1 cup Buttermilk (room temperature)
- 1 cup Oil
- 4 Large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Hot water (steaming)
For the Raspberry Puree
- 1 cup Raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/4 cup Water
For the Raspberry Frosting
- 2 cups Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups Powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1/4 cup Grounded freeze dried raspberries (ground 1 oz.)
- 1/4 cup Reduced raspberry puree
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp Salt
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup Heavy cream
For Decoration
- Fresh raspberries (for decoration)
Instructions
- Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray. Line the bottoms with 8-inch parchment paper circles and spray again to ensure the cakes release easily.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and white granulated sugar. Set aside.
- Heat Water: In a small pan on the stove over high heat, bring the water to steaming hot. This will be slowly incorporated into the liquid ingredients to avoid cooking the eggs.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and buttermilk. Slowly add the hot water while mixing gently to keep the eggs from overheating.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix to ensure a tender crumb.
- Bake the Cake: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool Cakes: Let the cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Raspberry Puree: Blend the raspberries and water together until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds, discarding the seeds. Heat the puree in a small pan over medium heat until thickened and deepened in color, about 3-5 minutes. Let cool completely.
- Prepare Raspberry Frosting: Sift the powdered sugar and mix in the ground freeze-dried raspberries. Beat the butter on high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar mixture in two additions, mixing on low until combined each time. Add the cooled raspberry puree, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on low until combined, then increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway through.
- Make Chocolate Ganache: Heat the heavy cream in a small pan over medium-low heat until steaming. Pour over the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a bowl and let sit for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth and glossy. If any chunks remain, microwave in 15-second intervals until melted.
- Trim Cakes: Use a serrated knife to level the domed tops of the cakes for even layers.
- Assemble Layers: Place the first cake layer on your serving plate and spread about 1 cup of raspberry frosting evenly over the top. Repeat with the second layer. Place the third cake layer upside down (bottom side up) on top.
- Crumb Coat: Apply a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze for 15 minutes to set.
- Final Frosting Layer: Spread the remaining frosting over the cake, leaving a light layer for a semi-naked effect. Freeze again for 10 minutes.
- Apply Ganache Drips: Fill a piping bag with half of the cooled chocolate ganache. Pipe drips around the cake’s edges, starting from the top edge to let the ganache drip naturally downward.
- Top Ganache Layer: Pour the remaining ganache over the top center of the cake and smooth gently. Freeze for another 10 minutes to set.
- Decorate: Garnish the cake with fresh raspberries evenly on top of the cake for a beautiful finish.
Notes
- Use room temperature eggs and buttermilk for the best mixing and texture.
- Be cautious when adding hot water to the egg mixture to avoid cooking the eggs.
- If fresh raspberries are not available, frozen raspberries can be used but should be thawed before blending.
- Ground freeze-dried raspberries provide natural flavor and color without diluting the frosting.
- The leftover ganache can be stored in the refrigerator and gently reheated for other desserts.
- To make a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking mix.
- Ensure the cakes are completely cooled before frosting to prevent melting or sliding frosting.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/12 of cake)
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 38 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
Keywords: Chocolate cake, raspberry frosting, chocolate ganache, layered cake, berry cake, dessert, homemade cake
