This Chocolate Raspberry Cake is one of the all-time favorites and always impresses (perfect for Birthdays!). The mix of rich chocolate cake and fresh raspberries is both indulgent and refreshing. You can use either homemade or store-bought raspberry jam (instructions for both included), and the cake stays moist and fresh for days, making it a perfect make-ahead, stress-free dessert!
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This Chocolate Raspberry Cake combines the richness of dark chocolate cake and ganache with layers of light, silky chocolate mascarpone, and fresh raspberry jam, topped with fresh raspberries. Each bite is deeply chocolaty, smooth, and filled with raspberry flavor.
This Chocolate Raspberry Cake has a few steps (even fewer if you use store-bought raspberry jam), but each step is easy
CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CAKE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Flour: All-purpose flour works best for this recipe, but you can also use gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour.
- Cocoa Powder: Use unsweetened cocoa powder. There’s no need for fancy Dutch-processed cocoa; regular cocoa powder delivers the greatest chocolate flavor. It’s made from dried leftover solids of cacao beans after the cocoa butter is extracted.
- Vegetable Oil: This provides a neutral flavor and high-fat content, making the cake ultra-moist and tender, even more so than butter-based cakes. It also helps the cake stay moist longer. Coconut oil can be used as an alternative.
- Buttermilk: Essential for a rich, tender, and moist chocolate cake, buttermilk also helps activate the baking soda to leaven the cake.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: These leavening agents work together to make the cake rise and tenderize it. Ensure they are fresh for the best results.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is best to enhance the chocolate flavor.
- Eggs: Use room temperature eggs for baking. If you forget to take them out early, submerge them in a bowl of warm tap water for about 20 minutes before mixing into the batter.
- Vanilla Extract: A little vanilla enhances all desserts. The better the quality, the better the flavor, so use the best you can find.
- Salt: Regular table salt enhances flavors and balances sweetness.
- Raspberries: Use ripe but firm raspberries for topping the cake. The more, the better!
FOR THE RASPBERRY JAM
Creating raspberry filling is easy with this recipe, or you can opt for store-bought jam.
- Raspberries: The riper, the tastier! You can go for fresh, very ripe raspberries or thawed frozen ones. If you’re buying frozen raspberries, make sure they don’t have any added sugar.
- Sugar: Just regular granulated sugar to sweeten the raspberries into jam.
- Lemon juice: Fresh is great, but bottled works too. Lemon juice boosts the fresh berry flavor and balances out the sweetness.
- Cornstarch: This thickens the jam; without it, you’d need to use double the sugar and reduce the cooking time!
For the Chocolate Ganache
- Chocolate: Use high-quality bittersweet baking chocolate with no more than 61% cacao to avoid bitterness. Baking chocolate is cooled and hardened chocolate liquor with more cocoa butter than chocolate chips, making it melt more smoothly.
- Heavy Cream: Only use heavy cream. Its high-fat content creates a rich and stable ganache, preventing it from becoming too thin and grainy.
- Corn Syrup: This ingredient keeps the ganache shiny, smooth, and pliable, so don’t skip it.
CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE FILLING
- Mascarpone: This creamy, mild Italian cheese is sold in tubs in the specialty cheese section. It makes a rich, velvety filling that blends beautifully with some reserved ganache.
- Heavy Cream: Adds creamy volume and thickens as the filling ingredients are whipped together.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens the filling without making it grainy.
- Vanilla: Use quality extract for the perfect flavor.
How to Serve Raspberry-Filled Chocolate Cake
- The cake is easier to slice when chilled. If not chilled, the cake can fall apart or the layers may squeeze out under the pressure of the knife. After slicing, let the cake come to room temperature – it tastes much better when warmed!
How to Store Leftover Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling
- Cover the assembled and frosted cake with a cake cover or foil and refrigerate. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days, but is best in the first two days. Before serving, bring slices to room temperature or microwave individual slices for 8-10 seconds.
How to Freeze
- To freeze individual cake layers: Tightly wrap each layer in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months.
- To freeze crumb-coated cake: Wrap the set cake tightly with a few layers of plastic wrap followed by a couple of layers of foil. This will keep it fresh in the freezer for up to two months.
- To freeze frosted cake: Flash freeze the cake until it’s solid. Then, tightly wrap it with a couple of layers of plastic wrap followed by a couple of layers of foil before freezing. This method preserves it well for up to two months. When you’re ready to enjoy it, remove the plastic wrap, transfer it to a cake container, and allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before slicing. Once sliced, let it come to room temperature before serving.
Love cakes? Be sure to check out these other delicious cake recipes!
Strawberry Cake
Carrot Cheesecake Bundt Cake
Lemon Raspberry Cake
White Chocolate Almond Raspberry Cake
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