My stunning Chocolate Raspberry Cake is four layers of rich cake that looks like it came straight from a bakery plus it’s incredibly delish!
Turn a classic Chocolate Cake into something a bit more special by adding a fruity filling! This simple layer Cake has a delicious chocolate and berry combo and looks fancy enough for a special occasion, just like my Chocolate Strawberry Cake!
Why You’ll Love This Cake?
- It’s the perfect mix of decadent chocolate and sweet fruit layered all in one.
- It is a stunning cake that is bakery worthy but easy enough for a new baker to make.
Sabrina’s Chocolate Raspberry Cake Recipe
This chocolate layer cake is a beautiful dessert idea to make for a birthday or another special occasion. Although it looks and tastes impressive, this cake is actually quite easy to make with basic baking ingredients. Experienced and beginning bakers can follow the step by step baking process to make the ultimate chocolate cake.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cups unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large egg
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
Dark Chocolate Frosting:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter , softened
- 2 cups unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 9 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling:
- 1 1/2 cups raspberry jam
- 12 ounces fresh raspberries , divided
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and dust with dark cocoa powder two 9 inch cake pans.
- In a stand mixer on low speed mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla then add it to the stand mixer on low until just combined.
- Add in the hot coffee carefully and stir it in by hand until just combined (do not turn on the mixer, it may splash on you).
- Pour half of the batter into each of the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes then remove, let cool completely before frosting. I recommend at least 2 hours at room temperature or 1 hour in the freezer.
Dark Chocolate Frosting:
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and whisk in the cocoa powder then remove from the heat and let cool.
- Add the cooled chocolate mixer to your stand mixer and whip on medium speed adding the powdered sugar and milk, alternating them ⅓ at a time, and finally add the vanilla in last.
- If the frosting is too thick, add a bit more milk.
Raspberry Layer:
- Add most of the raspberries to the raspberry jam and stir well with a spoon breaking them apart gently (reserve enough to top your cake).
To Frost:
- Trim off any top peak of the cake if you have a high peak.
- Cut each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers.
- Add one bottom layer of the cake to a cake stand or serving plate.
- Spread a 1 cup of frosting over the cake.
- Add ½ cup of raspberry jam and spread evenly.
- Top with top half of the first cake layer.
- Spread 1 cup of frosting over the second layer, spreading gently.
- Add ½ cup of raspberry jam and spread evenly.
- Add another top layer to the top of the jam.
- Add 1 cup of frosting and spread evenly.
- Add remaining ½ cup of raspberry jam and spread evenly.
- Add 1 cup of frosting around and top the cake in a thin crumb coat layer.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the frosting.
- Remove from refrigerator and spread remaining frosting over the cake evenly and pipe swirly mounds around the top of the cake.
- Top each mound with a raspberry.
- If desired, drizzle chocolate ganache over the top of the cake.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
As you frost the cake, it’s easy for crumbs to pull away from the cake and mix with the frosting. To avoid this, make sure you let the cake cool completely, and use two layers of frosting. The first layer of frosting will likely have some crumbs in it, but that’s fine. After adding the first frosting layer, you’ll pop the cake in the fridge to let it harden. The first layer of frosting then seals in the crumbs, so that the second layer glides on smoothly.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Any chocolate lovers are sure to enjoy rich, dark chocolate cake with raspberry filling. It’s sweet, but not too sweet, with a wonderfully moist crumb and dark chocolate flavor throughout. The simple raspberry filling adds a fresh, contrasting fruit flavor that perfectly compliments the deep chocolate taste of the cake and frosting. After assembling and frosting the recipe, finish the cake with dollops of extra frosting swirled around the top of the cake to decorate. Then add fresh berries for a beautiful finishing touch. If you just can’t get enough chocolate, you can also drizzle a bit of Ganache over the surface.
Ingredients
- Cocoa Powder: To give the rich cake a bittersweet chocolate flavor, use ¾ cups unsweetened dark cocoa powder to make the cake batter. You’ll use the same unsweetened cocoa powder to give the frosting dark chocolate flavor. This should be easy to find in the baking aisle at your grocery store.
- Flour: One easy way to make sure your cake turns out light and airy is to use cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Be sure not to over mix the flour, or you’ll end up with a dense cake.
- Butter: To prep butter for this recipe, melt ½ cup unsalted butter, and soften 1 ½ cups butter. The melted butter acts as the oil ingredient to moisten the cake, and softened butter will go in the frosting.
- Coffee: Pour freshly brewed coffee into the chocolate cake batter. The coffee enhances the sweet and assertive chocolate flavor to make the chocolate cake recipe extra rich. If you don’t have coffee, you can use hot water, but it won’t have the same effect on the flavor.
- Raspberries: Mix fresh raspberries with your favorite raspberry jam to make an easy fruit filling. If you have frozen raspberries, let them thaw and dry them to remove excess moisture before using them in the Chocolate Raspberry Cake.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this cake ahead of time. It will stay good for up to a week but it does need to be covered and refrigerated. You could also make the cakes ahead of time and freeze them. Just wait to add the frosting and filling, and assemble the thawed cake right before serving.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- Prep Time: Grease two 9″ cake pans with butter, and dust them with cocoa powder so that the cake doesn’t stick to the side.
- Wet Ingredients: Pour the wet ingredients from the mixing bowl into the stand mixer. Mix at low speed until just combined with the dry ingredients. Carefully pour the hot coffee into the cake batter, and stir by hand until just combined. Don’t turn on the mixer, or the hot coffee can splash you.
- Baking Time: It can be particularly hard to tell when chocolate desserts are done baking because you can’t go by the color. The best way to ensure the cake is cooked to the center, is to insert a toothpick or butter knife in the middle of the cake. If it comes out without any batter on it, then you’ll know the cake is done baking.
- Cooling Time: Let the dark chocolate cakes cool, then flip the cake pans to let them rest on a wire rack while you make the frosting.
- Dark Chocolate Frosting: Alternate between adding ⅓ cup powdered sugar and ⅓ cup milk until combined. Then add the vanilla and continue to mix until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, you can add a little extra milk to the mixture until it reaches the right consistency.
- Assemble: Use a serrated knife to trim off any uneven pieces from the cooled cakes. Assemble all of the layers. Then refrigerate the Chocolate Raspberry Cake for 30 minutes to set the frosting.
How to Store
- Serve: Let the frosting set for a few minutes before slicing and serving the Chocolate Raspberry Cake. You don’t want to leave this recipe uncovered at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, or it will start to dry out.
- Store: To keep the recipe fresh, cover the leftover cake or store it in an airtight container. It will keep best in a dry, cool place for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: To keep the cake longer, carefully wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in a freezer-friendly container. It can keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Variations
- Strawberry Chocolate Cake: You can swap out the raspberry filling for a mixture of Strawberry Jam and fresh strawberries. Hull and slice the strawberries, before mixing them with the jam and breaking them apart slightly as you mix. Then spread the strawberry filling over the chocolate cake layers. You could also use a mix of different fresh berries like raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and pitted cherries.
- Toppings: There are plenty of decorations that you can add to dress up this moist chocolate cake even more. Along with the raspberry toppings, you can sprinkle on sanding sugar, chocolate mini chips, chocolate shavings, slivered nuts, or drizzle rich Chocolate Ganache.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- If you want to add a slight, tangy flavor to the decadent Chocolate Cake, you can replace the classic chocolate frosting with cream cheese chocolate frosting.
- To make the chocolate cream cheese frosting add 1 cup of softened butter and 16 ounces of softened cream cheese to your stand mixer.
- Use the paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese mixture until light and fluffy.
- Then add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Turn the electric mixer to low as you slowly add 7 cups powdered sugar and 1 cup cocoa powder.
- When the mixture is just combined, raise the speed until the chocolate frosting is smooth and light.
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Could you use this recipe for cupcakes instead? Keep everything the same, but just divide the batter for cupcakes?
This is hands-down the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made. I was a little worried the coffee flavor would be too strong, but it just made the chocolate taste so deep and rich.
Thanks Mia for the great review! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.