You will love this rich, easy and slightly tart chocolate and raspberry cake! This easy chocolate cake doesn't need a mixer, and the raspberry ganache filling inside is next level. I finished it off with a super easy chocolate ganache drip for the drama.
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This cake isn't one I would usually do, as I'm usually a 'no fruits allowed!' when it comes to chocolate. But when a friend of mine commissioned a cake from me for her birthday and requested a raspberry chocolate cake, I started to come round to the idea. And thank goodness, because this is DELIGHTFUL.
How to make a chocolate & raspberry cake
Usually when it comes to chocolate cake, I like a dense, fudgy and super dark cake (like this one over chocolate and peanut butter cake!). I felt if I was combining the more delicate taste of raspberries though, I didn't want a cake or frosting that was too heavy and would overpower the raspberries. I went with a much lighter crumb cake, based off of the chocolate cake from Dominique Ansel's latest book.
In this book Ansel mentions a way to add fruit to a ganache, where you puree fruit, strain it, and add it to your usual chocolate ganache. This is what made me realise I had to make this cake again for the blog because that ganache is so tart, sharp but still has a great chocolate base. Once I piped the raspberry ganache on to the cake, I added more raspberries on top. Not only do you get that great burst of colour when you slice into the cake, but you also get even more of that tartness when you bite into it.
I am usually a fan of a Swiss meringue buttercream, but decided to try out a French buttercream after seeing it mentioned in the Ansel book and the new book by Claire Saffitz, Dessert Person. Instead of making the meringue base with egg whites, this buttercream uses egg yolks. It gives you a much more custard like buttercream and felt very rich, so using it as part of a naked (ish) cake felt like the perfect combo.
Expert Tips & FAQs
For this drip I use an equal part combination of double cream and chocolate. The chocolate I used was 51%, but if you were to use one that is more 70-80%, you would need to use a tablespoon or more of cream as otherwise the ganache will be too thick and not drip.
I microwaved the double cream and chocolate together in a bowl, stirring every 15 seconds until the chocolate was melted. Then I left it to the side, occasionally stirring until I had the right consistency. If you used it right away, it would be far too thin and would run all the way down your cake. While you're waiting for the ganache to set a bit more, make sure to keep your cake in the fridge. A cooler cake is going to make this a lot easier! You can test the ganache on the side of the bowl to see how far it drips down. I like to put my ganache in a piping bag but you can also just use a spoon. I made the drips all along the side of the cake, then pouring the rest of the ganache on the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the top and you're done!
Love layer cakes? Try these recipes!
Recipe
Chocolate & Raspberry Layer Cake
Equipment
- 2 x 8-inch cake pans
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 440 grams flour
- 600 grams granulated sugar
- 90 grams cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- 230 ml vegetable oil
- 450 grams whole milk
Raspberry Ganache
- 100 grams raspberries, fresh or frozen
- 23 grams milk
- 110 grams double cream
- 110 grams dark chocolate, chopped
- 23 grams butter, room temperature
- 200 grams raspberries for decoration
Chocolate Buttercream
- 65 grams granulated sugar
- 22 grams water
- 50 grams egg yolks
- 225 grams unsalted butter
- 25 grams melted dark chocolate
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Drip
- 60 grams chocolate, chopped
- 60 grams double cream
Instructions
Make Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Grease and line two 8" cake pans.
- Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.
- Whisk the eggs, oil and milk in a large jug.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in three goes, mixing well after each addition.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 45-50 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean.
- Let the cake cool and then take it out of the tin.
Raspberry Ganache
- Take 100grams of raspberries and puree in a blender. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
- Combine the double cream and milk in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
- Place the chopped chocolate and puree in a large bowl. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk until smooth.
- Add the butter and whisk until smooth. Let cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Place it over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until the sugar dissolves. Using a candy thermometer, continue heating until it reaches 250°F
- Place the egg yolks in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk the egg yolks on high. While the mixer is running, pour in the hot syrup on the side of the bowl. Continue whisking until pale and fluffy, for about 5-7 minutes. The bowl should be cool by now.
- Turn the speed to low and add the butter one piece at a time. Pour in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract and whisk on low until combined.
Make the Chocolate Drip
- Put the chopped chocolate and double cream in a bowl and microwave in 15 second bursts until the chocolate is melted. Keep the side and keep checking the texture of the ganache until you can drip it down the side of a bowl and it doesn't continue running down.
Assemble the cake
- Using a serrated knife, slice the domed tops of the two cake. Place one layer down on a plate and pipe the raspberry ganache on top. Add fresh raspberries on top of this. Add your second cake layer and gently press down.
- Using an offset spatula, cover the top of the cake with the buttercream. Bring it around the sides and then using a bench scraper, smooth of the sides of the cake. Put the cake in the fridge to stay cool.
- After 15-20 minutes, drip your ganache along the sides. Finish off with raspberries on top.
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Ella says
Thanks so much Samara!
Mp says
I made this cake last week and it tastes fantastic, raspberry and chocolate are a match made in Heaven, no doubt. It resulted in quite a big cake for my liking, so next time I think I'll just make half the amount of batter for a smaller cake, but that's just personal preference.
The only thing I would add to the recipe (or as a blog post so it can be easily referenced) is conversion from measures for things that are a bit weirder to weight, ie. 50gr of egg yolks = 4 small/medium size eggs; I understand the weight is to get perfect results, but when I have to buy stuff it would be easier to know how many eggs I need.
This weekend I'm trying the cookie cream macaroons to use the egg whites left from this recipe 😀
Ella says
Thank you so much for your review and your feedback! I'll be sure to keep that in mind about the eggs for future recipes!