Moist and delicious chocolate cake layered with raspberry buttercream and drizzled with chocolate ganache make this Chocolate Raspberry Cake an amazing dessert!
If you haven’t noticed already, I love cake. Like literally love cake. Layered, sheet, cake pops, ice cream cake, poke…as long as it says cake, I’m addicted.
I just can’t help myself, I’m a serious sweets addict and if I could only have one more dessert type of food in my life it would hands down be cake.
Besides absolutely loving eating cake, I have fun creating different flavor and learning to decorate cakes. I’ve been really into making layer cakes lately like these Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Blackberry and Almond Buttercream and Strawberry Lime Cake.
I guess you could say since it’s Summer I’ve been going crazy using berries in my creations. All the bright colors really make it fun. Besides, who doesn’t love cooking with all the fresh berries? I know that my family adores them in pretty much all desserts imaginable.
I’ve been craving a good chocolate cake for a while now and I knew that I needed to make something that was a little different but paired well with chocolate. They had raspberries on sale at my local grocer and I had to pick some up!
Then it came to me, Chocolate Raspberry Cake. Seriously, yum! You get the rich flavor of the chocolate then the burst of the fresh raspberries popping through from the buttercream.
But what would this cake be without a little more chocolate, because seriously….you can never have enough chocolate. Or frosting…I like frosting just as much as I like cake, so always always always need tons of frosting.
My husband isn’t the hugest frosting lover, I think he has something wrong with him, but don’t tell him I said that. Now his mother on the other hand is a fan just like me, that girl knows whats up!
Ok, so now since I’ve given you this little PSA on cakes, berries, frosting and just rambled my way through this entire post how about we just get right to the most important part which is the recipe, ok? OK!
Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cups cocoa powder unsweetened
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup coffee cooled
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
Buttercream:
- 2 cups raspberries
- 4 Tbs lemon juice
- 2 cups butter
- 5-6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1-2 Tbs milk or heavy cream
Ganache:
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line 2 9" round cake pans with parchment paper and spray the edges with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix together in large bowl with hand mixer (or stand mixer) sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined.
- Add in eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth. Don't worry if the batter is runny, it is supposed to be.
- Pour batter evenly into pans and bake for about 30 minutes or until center springs back when touched and toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5-10 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
- Meanwhile to make your buttercream add raspberries and lemon juice in sauce pan and head on medium high, stirring occasionally until berries mash easily. Keep heating until reduced, you will end up with about 1/2 cup. Let cool to room temperature (can put in fridge or freezer to speed up process).
- Once puree is cooled add your butter to large bowl and beat until light and fuffy. Add in your raspberry puree and continue to mix until blended.
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency then add in the milk and vanilla to smooth it out.
- To assemble cake split each cake in half using a cake leveler or a knife. Add one layer of cake to a cake stand or turntable.
- Top with about 3/4 cup of your buttercream and smooth out until it just reaches the sides. Continue until you reach the top layer.
- Add buttercream to the sides of your top layer and smooth downward and around sides of cake and finish off by adding a thin layer to top of cake.
- Place in refrigerator or freezer for at least 10-15 minutes.
- To make ganache place your chocolate chips in heat proof bowl, warm your cream on stove top or in microwave and heat until simmering.
- Pour your cream over the top of the chocolate chips and cover and let sit for about 5 minutes.
- Remove cover and stir until smooth. Let sit until it has come to room temperature and thickened.
- Remove cake from refrigerator or freezer and using a spoon, spoon a little bit of your ganache at the side of the top and nudge it over the edge where you want your drips.
- Once you've placed your drips finish off by spooning more over the top of cake center and smooth out to edges using offset spatula.
- Cut and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Mary Hohman
I’m 73 years old and have been baking most of those years. Without a doubt this is the best cake recipe I’ve ever made. The chocolate cake was so moist and rich and the filling, which I also used to frost the sides was incredible, and it was perfectly topped with the ganache. I took it to my daughter’s home and my son-in-law ate three pieces that night and they finished the cake the next day. Truly, a perfectly delicious cake!
Jo Hatch
I do not like ganache but really want to make this. Would buttercream icing work?
Tornadough Alli
You can leave the ganache off if you’d like.
Lori
This is absolutely the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. I also make it into cupcakes and they are light and springy.
I always reduce the sugar in the recipe, as I find it quite sweet with all the buttercream. I’ve used coconut sugar and white sugar and each time the recipe is superb. For a kids version I substitute the cup of coffee for 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 water.
I really cannot recommend this recipe more highly.
Mimi
WoW This cake look so amasing. Can I make it a day before or as to be the same day. Thanks
Tornadough Alli
You can make it the day before, no problem. I would keep it refrigerated until serving.
Diana Salyer
This is the best cake I have ever eaten! I took it to a church potluck, and everyone loved it! I strained the puree to remove the seeds, but I had to add a tablespoon of the seeds back into the puree to make 1/2 cup. It was the best buttercream I have ever made!
The ingredients for the buttercream called for almond extract, but when I got to the directions for making the buttercream it called for vanilla. I used almond extract, because that is what was listed in the ingredients. I think this was probably the correct extract to use, as the buttercream was amazing! I will definitely put this cake on my “keeper” list, and will be making it again soon!
Jen
The ingredients list says almond extract but the instructions say to add the vanilla. Which is it?
Tornadough Alli
It’s almond, sorry about that. We get so used to typing vanilla all the time it goes in there naturally!
Fernando
I wish I could attach a picture! Just finished it and ready to take it to my sisters birthday dinner!!
Hazel
After the puree is made and slightly cooled, could I strain to remove the seeds?
Tornadough Alli
Hi Hazel, absolutely!
LadyJ1225
Oh YUMMMMM!!! My favorite – chocolate and raspberries. Going to the store now to buy more raspberries (I already ate the ones I bought this weekend) so I can try this cake. Can’t wait!
Tornadough Alli
Omg this combo is amazing!! I hope you get the change to try this, we loooooved it!!
Carol
I love love LOVE this recipe. My husband as well is not a huge fan of frosting on cakes. What’s with these guys? Oh well, more for us. I can hardly wait to make this phenomenal recipe! and lots of frosting,too.
Tornadough Alli
Crazy guys I tell you. Frosting for life with this gal. Thank you so much for the kind comment!
Carlee
This cake is still killing me! I wish I lived close enough to just pop in and try some of your creations. This one looks deadly. And amazing. And dangerous! I’m with you, give me all of the frosting!
Christine | Mid-Life Croissant
Stunning, Alli! Thanks for bringing this to #SaucySaturdays.
Michelle @ O Blog Off
Alli- Your link caught my eye at Saucy Saturdays. This cake is calling me! I really want a bite! Lol. Thanks for sharing! It really is pretty!
Michelle
Ahila
Love the addition of raspberry buttercream to the layered chocolate cake. Sounds and looks delicious! #SaucySaturdays
Melissa
That is a beautiful cake!
Tornadough Alli
Awe Melissa thanks so much!!
Christine
The marriage of chocolate and raspberry flavors!!! Decadence at it’s best! The raspberry buttercream a tad sweet but ohhh so delicious!