This Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake recipe has rich chocolate cake layers filled with creamy chocolate ganache, raspberry jam and a perfectly tart raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream. This decadent dessert is a perfect valentine’s day dessert or chocolate birthday cake.
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Many years ago, before I started this blog, I was commissioned by a friend to make this cake for his wife’s birthday. He let me have full creative reign, and what ensued was this magical cake. Every time we get together we talk about how good this cake was, so I knew it needed to be formally included on this blog. The base is adapted from the Daisy sour cream chocolate cake, but I give it a dutch-process cocoa and coffee makeover.
I am a big fan of raspberry and chocolate together, both regular and white chocolate. If you’re looking for a crunchy raspberry chocolate duo, try my Raspberry Chocolate Meringue Kisses. If you want something more explicitly Valentine’s Day try my Valentine’s Day Raspberry Blondies or White Cake with Raspberry Filling.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- The frosting has a level of tartness to offset the rich, chocolate cake.
- This is the perfect centerpiece dessert for a Valentine’s Day party.
- The frosting is naturally pink from the raspberries.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour is the base of the cake.
- Egg gives the cake and the buttercream structure.
- Baking powder gives the cake rise in the oven.
- Heavy cream provides richness to the chocolate ganache.
- The cake is moistened by sour cream and vegetable oil.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar sweeten the cake.
- Semi-sweet chocolate is the base of the ganache filling and adds richness to the cake.
- Vanilla extract and kosher salt balance the overall flavor profile.
- Coffee develops the rich chocolate flavor in the cake layers.
- Dutch-process cocoa adds a deep chocolate flavor.
- Raspberry jam is a tart and sweet filling.
- Freeze-dried raspberries give color and flavor to the buttercream.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and variations
Here’s how to customize this cake to your liking:
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- No sour cream — substitute with greek yogurt.
- Natural cocoa — substitute dutch-process cocoa for natural cocoa.
- Another oil — substitute vegetable oil with another oil, such as canola or grapeseed. Olive oil will also work, but you will taste a difference.
- Another chocolate — substitute semi-sweet chocolate for dark or milk, if preferred.
- No coffee — substitute warm water for coffee.
- Cake soak — make a simple syrup with equal parts water (or coffee) and sugar and add a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Douse the cake layers evenly before assembling.
- Different fillings — leave out the fillings and replace with buttercream, or swap for another filling, like chocolate pudding.
- Strawberry — substitute the freeze-dried raspberries for freeze-dried strawberries and the raspberry jam for strawberry jam.
This recipe has not been tested with any substitutions or variations. If you try any, please let me know how it turned out by commenting below!
How to assemble a layer cake
Step 1: On a cake turntable with a cake board or serving tray, put down a small dollop of the frosting (this will help the cake stick and not slide around). Place the first layer of cake on top. Pipe a thick ring of frosting on top near the edge of the cake. Pipe or spoon the ganache in the middle, saving a bit for decorating, if desired. Spread evenly. Spoon the raspberry jam on top of the ganache. Smooth to the edges.
Step 2: Place the second layer of cake on top. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of the buttercream to create a crumb coat to seal in any crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes to seal this coating.
Step 3: When the crumb coat is set, pipe or dollop more frosting around the outside and on top. Spread evenly with an offset spatula before scraping down the outside with a bench scraper.
Step 4: Garnish the cake with any additional ganache or frosting, fresh flowers and fresh raspberries.
Hot tips
- If your buttercream becomes too stiff, remove a small amount to a microwave-safe container. Heat for a few seconds at a time until completely melted. Quickly add this to the rest of the frosting and beat until combined. This should warm up the rest and make it more spreadable and pipeable.
- To remove air bubbles from your buttercream, spread the buttercream onto the inner side of a large bowl in a back and forth motion. I like to do this with small bits at a time as it is easier.
- For even more moisture, make a cake soak. Make a simple syrup with equal parts water (or coffee) and sugar and add a tablespoon of cocoa powder. Douse the cake layers evenly before assembling.
Recipe FAQs
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or 4 days in the refrigerator.
Yes, use 2 tablespoons more cake flour than what is called for in all-purpose flour.
Yes, swap for natural cocoa powder without issue.
More recipes you'll love
Lastly, if you make this Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake recipe be sure to leave a comment or give it a rating. I love to see when people make my recipes, so please tag me @youthsweets on Instagram if you post!
📖 Recipe
Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Chocolate cake
- ¾ cup vegetable oil (163g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup light brown sugar (228g) firmly packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 2 1- ounce squares semi-sweet baking chocolate melted and cooled (56g)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 1 ⅓ cups dutch process cocoa powder (135g)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup warm coffee
- 1 cup sour cream (230g)
Raspberry swiss meringue frosting
- 1 batch of vanilla swiss meringue frosting serious eats
- 1.25 oz freeze-dried raspberries (35g)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract optional
Chocolate ganache
- 200 g semi-sweet chocolate (~1 cup)
- 124 g cup heavy whipping cream (½ cup)
Other
- ¼ cup raspberry jam store bought or homemade (80g)
- ¼ cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
Do ahead
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round cake tins and line the bottoms with a circle of parchment paper to prevent sticking. Use bake-even strips on the cake pans, if desired.
- Fit a large piping bag with a large round tip. Set aside.
Make the cake
- In a large bowl with hand beaters, combine the vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract at medium speed for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and beat to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Add half of this mixture to the wet ingredients in the first bowl, beating on low just until combined.
- Add half of the warm coffee. Mix just until combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the remaining warm coffee and mix just until combined.
- Add the sour cream, mixing well until completely combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake 35-38 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pans for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the frosting
- Prepare the swiss meringue buttercream according to Serious Eats’ instructions.
- In a food processor or blender, blend the freeze dried raspberries until a fine powder. Sift into the buttercream, discarding bits that did not pass though, and mix until completely incorporated.
Make the ganache
- In a medium heatproof bowl, add the cream and chocolate. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring slowly in between, until completely melted and combined.
- Let cool at room temperature until thickened to a frosting-like consistency.
Assemble
- Prepare the cake layers by cutting off any domed parts with a serrated knife that may have developed when baking.
- On a cake turntable with a cake board or serving tray, put down a small dollop of the frosting (this will help the cake stick and not slide around). Place the first layer of cake on top.
- Pipe a thick ring of frosting on top near the edge of the cake. Pipe or spoon the ganache in the middle, saving a bit for decorating, if desired. Spread evenly. Spoon the raspberry jam on top of the ganache. Smooth to the edges.
- Place the second layer of cake on top. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of the buttercream to create a crumb coat to seal in any crumbs. Freeze for 10 minutes to seal this coating.
- When the crumb coat is set, pipe or dollop more frosting around the outside and on top. Spread evenly with an offset spatula before scraping down the outside with a bench scraper. You may need to do this several times to get a smooth look.
- I found that keeping the bench scraper in a bowl of warm water before using it (drying it off in between) helped remove air bubbles on the outside and made smoothing even easier. If you need a visual on how to frost a cake, check out this video.
- See note if your buttercream becomes too stiff.
- Garnish the cake with any additional ganache or frosting, fresh flowers and fresh raspberries.
You list baking powder in the recipe but soda in the instructions? Which is it?
You're so right! Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I just updated that. It is baking powder.