Description

This decadent Chocolate Raspberry Cake is a rich, moist dessert featuring layers of chocolate cake infused with cocoa and topped with a luscious raspberry-infused buttercream and a silky chocolate ganache. Fresh raspberries add a vibrant and fresh garnish, making it perfect for special occasions or any celebration with a passion for chocolate and fruit.

Ingredients

Scale

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)

Raspberry Puree:

1 cup Raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup Water

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

Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup Heavy cream

Decoration:

Fresh raspberries (for decoration)

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Instructions

Prepare Cake Pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with baking nonstick spray, then line their bottoms with parchment paper circles and spray again to prevent sticking.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar to ensure even distribution.
Heat Water: In a small pan on the stove over high heat, bring water to a steaming temperature. This hot water will be combined with the wet ingredients carefully.
Combine Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, and room temperature buttermilk. Slowly add the steaming hot water into the mixture a little at a time to avoid cooking the eggs.
Mix Batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and stir until just combined. Avoid overmixing to maintain cake tenderness. Distribute the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
Bake the Cake: Place pans in the oven and bake for 25-28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool Cakes: Let the cakes rest in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Prepare Raspberry Puree: Blend raspberries and water until smooth. If using frozen raspberries, thaw them first. Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds, discarding them.
Thicken Raspberry Puree: In a small frying pan over medium heat, simmer the raspberry puree for 3-5 minutes until it reduces to about 1/4 cup and deepens in color. Allow to cool fully.
Make Raspberry Frosting: Sift powdered sugar into a large bowl and stir in the ground freeze-dried raspberries. Beat the softened butter on high speed for 3 minutes until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar mixture, mixing on low until just combined, then beat well. Mix in cooled raspberry puree, vanilla extract, and salt on low, then increase speed and beat for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl halfway through.
Prepare Chocolate Ganache: Place chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat heavy cream until steaming on medium-low heat, then pour over the chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes. Stir gently until smooth and melted. If needed, warm in the microwave in 15-second bursts to finish melting.
Level Cakes: Use a serrated knife to remove the dome tops from the cake layers to create even surfaces for stacking.
Assemble Cake Layers: Place the first layer on your serving plate and spread about 1 cup of the raspberry frosting evenly over it. Repeat with the second layer. Add the final cake layer with the bottom side facing up for stability.
Crumb Coat: Apply a thin, light layer of frosting around the entire cake to seal in crumbs. Freeze the cake for 15 minutes to set this layer.
Final Frosting: Apply a second thin layer of frosting for a semi-naked look. Freeze again for 10 minutes while you prepare the chocolate ganache.
Decorate with Ganache: Transfer half of the ganache to a piping bag and carefully pipe drips along the edges of the cake to create natural drips down the sides.
Top the Cake: Pour the remaining ganache over the top of the cake and spread gently. Freeze the cake for 10 minutes to set the ganache.
Finish Decoration: Garnish the cake with fresh raspberries arranged on top, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Notes

Make sure eggs and buttermilk are at room temperature to ensure even mixing and better texture.
When mixing hot water into eggs, add slowly to prevent cooking the eggs.
For the raspberry puree, removing the seeds results in a smoother frosting and ganache topping.
Freezing between frosting layers helps set the frosting and makes decorating easier.
Use a serrated knife for clean cake leveling to avoid crumbling.
The semi-naked frosting look offers a modern and elegant cake finish.
Ganache drips should be piped starting at the edge to ensure natural drip formation.
This cake can be refrigerated and served within 2-3 days, but bring to room temperature before serving for best flavor.