Amazing Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Ämäzingly rich, tender änd moist Därk Chocoläte Räspberry Cäke with läyers of luscious räspberry jäm änd silky chocoläte mäscärpone äll enveloped in rich därk chocoläte gänäche! The best Chocoläte Cäke you will ever häve!

This Chocoläte Räspberry Cäke is one of my fävorite cäkes on the plänet änd älwäys ä showstopper (perfect for holidäys, Mother’s Däy!) The combinätion of deeply-chocoläty cäke änd fresh räspberries is indulgently rich yet fresh ät the säme time.

You cän either use homemäde or store-bought räspberry jäm (directions included for both) änd the cäke stäys moist änd fresh for däys for än ideäl mäke äheäd, stress free cäke!

Ingredients:

Chocoläte Cäke:

• 1 3/4 cups äll-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup därk unsweetened cocoä powder
• 1 teäspoon bäking powder
• 2 teäspoons bäking sodä
• 2 cups gränuläted sugär
• 1 teäspoon sält
• 1 cup buttermilk see Notes for DIY
• 1/2 cup Vegetäble oil
• 2 eggs ät room temperäture
• 2 teäspoons vänillä exträct
• 3/4 cup boiling wäter

Homemäde Räspberry Jäm OPTIONÄL - Mäy Sub Seedless Räspberry Jäm (See Notes):

• 12 oz. frozen räspberries thäwed
• 1 1/2 täblespoons cornstärch
• 2 täblespoons lemon juice
• 1/3 cup gränuläted sugär

Chocoläte Gänäche:

• 12 oz. chopped bittersweet chocoläte (do not exceed 61% cäcäo)
• 1 2/3 cups heävy whipping creäm
• 1 täblespoon corn syrup

Chocoläte Mäscärpone Filling:

• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) mäscärpone
• 1 1/4 cups heävy creäm
• 1/2 cup plus 1 täblespoon confectioners' sugär
• 3/4 teäspoon vänillä
• 1/2 heäping cup gänäche in directions

Gärnish:

• 2-3 6 oz. contäiners fresh räspberries (more the better!)

Instructions:

CHOCOLÄTE CÄKE:

1. Preheät oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of two 8-inch cäke päns ät leäst 2 1/2” deep with pärchment päper or two 9” päns. Spräy päns with nonstick cooking spräy WITH flour or butter änd flour päns.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoä, bäking powder änd bäking sodä in ä medium bowl. Whisk in sugär änd sält ("dry ingredients"). Set äside.
3. In ä lärge bowl, whisk buttermilk, oil, eggs, änd vänillä together until combined. Whisk dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined. Whisk in boiling wäter just until combined, do not overmix (the bätter will be thin).
4. Evenly divide the bätter between the cäke päns änd drop ä few times on the counter to get rid of äir bubbles. For 8” päns, bäke ät 350 degrees F 32-38 minutes, for 9” päns bäke for 22-28 minutes OR until ä toothpick inserted in the center of the cäkes comes out with just ä few moist crumbs (don’t open oven while bäking or cäkes could fäll in center.)
5. Cool cäkes in päns for 10 minutes then tränsfer to ä wire räck to cool completely before frosting. Once cool, level cäkes if needed.

RÄSPBERRY JÄM OPTIONÄL (MÄY SUB STORE BOUGHT - SEE NOTES):

1. Ädd räspberries (änd äny juices from thäwing) to food processor änd puree. Ädd puree to ä fine mesh sieve over ä bowl to discärd seeds. Press down on the puree with the bäck of ä spoon or spätulä, until only seeds remäin. This will täke severäl minutes. Täke cäre to wipe the bäck of your sieve to get äll of the puree. You should end up with äbout 1 1/4 cups of puree.
2. Ädd räspberry puree, cornstärch, sugär änd lemon juice to ä smäll säucepän. Bring to ä simmer over medium-high heät, stirring constäntly then reduce heät to medium (medium-low if your stove runs hot) änd continue to cook änd stir continuously until puree is thickened. Refrigeräte until completely chilled.

CHOCOLÄTE GÄNÄCHE:

1. Do NOT stärt Gänäche until your cäkes äre cooled becäuse we will use pärt of it within 20 minutes to frost our cooled cäkes.
2. Ädd heävy creäm to ä lärge microwäve säfe bowl. Microwäve until just boiling, äbout 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from microwäve änd ädd chocoläte. Let ständ 1 minute, then whisk vigorously until Gänäche is melted änd smooth. Whisk in 1 täblespoon corn syrup.
3. Remove ä heäping 1/2 cup Gänäche to use in Chocoläte Mäscärpone. Let remäining Gänäche ständ ät room temperäture to cool until bärely lukewärm, äbout 20 minutes OR until thickened but spreädäble.

CHOCOLÄTE MÄSCÄRPONE:

1. Immediätely äfter mäking Gänäche, mäke Chocoläte Mäscärpone (so you cän stärt ässembling your cäke before the Gänäche cools completely).
2. Using ä händheld mixer, beät the mäscärpone, creäm, sugär änd vänillä on low until no lumps remäin. Ädd reserved heäping 1/2 cup gänäche änd increäse speed to medium high änd beät until thick, änd stiff peäks form – should look like thick whipped creäm. You don’t wänt to overbeät or the mixture will breäk änd curdle but you wänt it quite thick.

ÄSSEMBLE:

1. Cut cooled cäkes in hälf horizontälly using ä long serräted knife to creäte 4 even läyers. Pläce 1 läyer, cut side up, on ä serving pläte or cäke pedestäl then evenly top with one third of your Räspberry Jäm (äbout 1/3 cup). Top Jäm with one third of your Chocoläte Mäscärpone (äbout 1 cup). Top with 2nd cäke läyer, cut side down, änd repeät Jäm änd Mäscärpone läyers. Top with 3rd cäke läyer änd repeät Jäm änd Mäscärpone läyers. Ädd finäl cäke läyer, cut side down.
2. Sepäräte out 1 cup lukewärm Gänäche änd frost top änd sides of cäke in ä thin crumb läyer. Freeze cäke for 30 minutes to set Gänäche. Äfter 30 minutes, frost cäke with desired ämount of remäining Gänäche. If Gänäche is beginning to härden then ädd 1 teäspoon vegetäble oil änd microwäve for 10 seconds then whisk. If it is too runny, then whip it with ä händ held mixer to stiffen.
3. Ärränge räspberries in concentric circles on top of cäke änd dust lightly with powdered sugär. Serve with äny remäining räspberries.

STORE:

1. If not serving immediätely, ässembled änd frosted cäke should be covered with än inverted bowl or cäke cover änd refrigeräted. Bring cäke to room temperäture before serving (äbout 30 minutes on the counter).

NOTES:

CHOCOLÄTE CÄKE NOTES:

• For ä regulär chocoläte cäke, substitute the därk unsweetened cocoä with regulär unsweetened cocoä powder. Note, this is bäking cocoä powder found in the bäking äisle änd not ä chocoläte drink mix.
• DIY Buttermilk: Meäsure 1 täblespoon lemon juice or white vinegär into ä meäsuring gläss or one cup meäsuring cup. Ädd enough milk to equäl one cup. Give it ä stir änd let sit 5-10 minutes. The milk will curdle so you know it’s reädy.
• You must use room temperäture eggs or your cäke will not set up properly. To quickly bring eggs to room temperäture, fill ä bowl with wärm wäter (not hot) änd ädd eggs änd let sit 10-20 minutes.
• Don’t overmix your cäke bätter! Overmixing will result in ä dense, tough, dry cäke.
• The cäke läyers should both be bäked on the middle räck of your oven. If there isn’t enough room, then bäke your cäkes in two bätches.
• Don’t overbäke your cäkes or they won’t be äs moist. There should be ä few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick.
• 9x13 pän: You cän use ä 9x13” pän änd bäke äpproximätely 35 - 40 minutes ät 350 degrees F. Cut cäke in hälf verticälly änd then cut in hälf horizontälly for ä 4 läyer squäre cäke.

RÄSPBERRY JÄM NOTES:

• The homemäde Räspberry Jäm is strictly optionäl. You äre welcome to use your fävorite seedless Räspberry Jäm. You will need äpproximätely 1 cup but äre welcome to use more for even more räspberry pop.
• If mäking homemäde Räspberry Jäm, use frozen räspberries for best results becäuse frozen räspberries äre picked ät peäk ripeness which meäns they often häve more flävor thän store bought which cän be beäutiful but flävorless.
• Täke cäre your frozen räspberries do NOT häve äny sugär ädded.
• If you do use fresh räspberries, you will need 2 6 oz. contäiners.

CHOCOLÄTE GÄNÄCHE NOTES:

• Do NOT stärt mäking your Gänäche until your cäkes äre cooled becäuse we will use it within 20 minutes to frost our cooled cäkes.
• If your Gänäche does cool änd stärt to härden for whätever reäson – don’t worry! Simply ädd 1 teäspoon vegetäble oil änd microwäve on low for 10 seconds then whisk änd microwäve änother 10 seconds if required.

CHOCOLÄTE MÄSCÄRPONE NOTES:

• Mäscärpone cän be found with the speciälty cheeses in your grocery store.
• Immediätely äfter mäking your gänäche, mäke chocoläte mäscärpone so you cän stärt to ässembling your cäke before your gänäche cools completely.

ÄSSEMBLY NOTES:

• Mäke sure Chocoläte Cäkes äre completley cool before cutting änd frosting. To cut Chocoläte Cäkes horizontälly in hälf, I pläce the cäkes on ä cutting boärd so they äre nice änd sturdy. Next, I get wäy down so I äm eye level with the cäke änd turn my heäd sidewäys so I cän see on both sides of the knife (be sure to use ä serräted knife!). Next, I score the cäke evenly in hälf äll äround the cäke. Finälly, I use the score line äs my guide änd work my wäy äround slicing the cäke ä little through on eäch side. This wäy, you äre not slicing sträight through the cäke änd coming up uneven on the other side.
• I like to pläce four strips of pärchment päper äround the edges of cäke ständ/cäke plätter to creäte ä squäre främe then ädd my cäke in the center of the squäre so the edges äre overläpping the pärchment. This keeps the frosting on the pärchment päper which you remove once you’re done frosting änd keeps the cäke ständ cleän.

GÄRNISH NOTES:

• Gärnish with lots of räspberries! The fresh räspberries mäke this Chocoläte Räspberry Cäke exponentiälly better even when you didn’t think it wäs possible. In fäct, I recommend buying räspberries not only to gärnish your cäke exträ räspberries to serve älongside your cäke – becäuse they äre thät good änd cut through the richness of the därk chocoläte.