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raspberry chocolate layer cake, round two layer pink cake with slice removed to reveal chocolate interior, flowers and raspberries on outside

Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake

Heather Janak
Rich chocolate cake layers filled with creamy chocolate ganache, raspberry jam and enrobed in a perfectly tart raspberry Swiss meringue buttercream.
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Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Cooling time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Swiss
Servings 12 slices
Calories 590 kcal

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
  • 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
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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.

Notes

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 590kcal
Keyword chocolate, chocolate cake, raspberry, raspberry cake, raspberry chocolate cake, raspberry chocolate layer cake, valentine's day, valentine's day dessert, valentines cake, valentines day cake
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