Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake

Who could resist the decadence of this chocolate raspberry cake recipe, as delicious as a slice of my chocolate strawberry cake. This dessert is a delightful blend of rich chocolate-flavored cake filled with a fruity, tangy raspberry cake filling and dark chocolate ganache

Just as tasty and delicious as my chocolate raspberry cupcakes, this chocolate raspberry cake is perfect for satisfying all your chocolate cravings.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients Notes
• Chocolate cake with raspberry filling instructions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage and freeze
• Tips for this recipe
• More Chocolate Cake recipes
• Recipe Variations
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Why we love this recipe

Imagine a heavenly chocolate raspberry cake where the rich cocoa flavor of the chocolate cake perfectly complements the sweet-tart raspberry filling. It's a delightful combination of flavors that blend beautifully.

This perfect chocolate raspberry cake features soft and moist buttermilk dark chocolate cake layers generously filled with a sweet-tart homemade raspberry filling and decadently covered with a rich dark chocolate ganache.

It's the ultimate chocolate and raspberry cake, perfect for special occasions like birthdays, baby showers, and other occasions when you want to enjoy a slice of chocolate cake.

Craving for more Chocolate recipes? Give these a try: Chocolate birthday cake, triple chocolate brownies, Chocolate ganache cheesecake, Whipped Chocolate ganache and Chocolate cake pops.

Ingredients Notes

Information on ingredients and possible substitutions (quantities in the recipe card at the end of the page).

Chocolate cake

• Oil: Neutral vegetable oil such as sunflower oil or grapeseed oil.
• Sugar: Extra-fine white granulated sugar, if possible. You can also make a blend of white sugar and flavored sugar such as cane sugar or dark brown sugar.
• Eggs: Medium to large eggs, which must be at room temperature. Take them out in advance, or let them rest in a bowl of hot water.
• Flour: Cake flour if possible, or even all-purpose flour.
• Cocoa: Unsweetened dark cocoa powder only.
• Yeast: A mixture of baking powder and baking soda. If you don't have baking soda, use a whole sachet of baking powder.
• Milk: Buttermilk if possible, or see recipe notes for substitutions with yogurt or semi-skimmed milk.
• Coffee: Your cake won't taste at all like coffee, it's just to enhance the chocolate flavor. You can use espresso, instant or filter coffee, leave to cool or use water directly.
• Vanilla and salt: pure vanilla extract if possible, or a sachet of vanilla sugar and table salt.

You'll also love: 10 best cake decorating tools for beginners.

Raspberry filling

• Raspberry: Fresh raspberries or frozen raspberries.
• Sugar: A small amount of white sugar just to balance the tart flavor.
• Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice or bottled lemon juice for preservation.

Chocolate ganache frosting

• Chocolate: 54% or 62% semi-sweet chocolate chips or a use baking chocolate bar.
• Heavy Cream: only full-fat heavy cream with 30% or heavy whipping cream with 35% fat content.

⚠️ You will find quantities and instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page.

Chocolate cake with raspberry filling instructions

Chocolate cake batter

• Preheat oven to 329°F/ 165°C and line 3 round cake pans measuring 6 inches 15 cm in diameter with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another bowl, mix the buttermilk with the cooled black coffee.
• In a large bowl or in the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, combine the oil and sugar with an electric mixer, then add the eggs and vanilla extract.
• Using a spatula, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk and coffee mixture until you obtain a smooth, slightly liquid cake batter.
• Divide the mixture into 3 and place in the 3 prepared cake pans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes until puffed.
• Allow cakes to cool before unmolding and cooling completely on a cake rack.

Tip: Check baking by plunging the blade of a knife or a toothpick into the center of the cake at the end of the baking time. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, otherwise extend the baking time by a few minutes.

Raspberry filling

• Place fresh or frozen raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan.
• Heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes until jam-like in texture.
• Allow the raspberry compote to cool completely in the fridge before using.

Tip: The raspberry mixture filling should have a thick texture; if it is too runny, continue cooking to evaporate the liquid. You can replace it with a simple homemade raspberry jam.

Chooclate ganache

• Break or finely chop the chocolate and place in a large bowl.
• Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat just until simmering.
• Pour the hot heavy cream over the chopped chocolate in a single pour, leave to set for a few moments, then whisk with a hand whisk or rubber spatula until you have a smooth, lump-free liquid hot chocolate ganache.
• Cover the chocolate ganache on contact with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until chilled (approx. 2-3 hours - it should come down to around 71°F/ 22-23°C).
• Whip the cooled chocolate ganache with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until lighter in color and airy and smooth in texture.
• Keep at room temperature until ready to assemble.

Assembling the cake

• Cut out the humps of the 3 layers of cake so that the sponge cakes are at the same level.
• Place a cake board on a cake turntable, then place a first layer of chocolate cake.
• Fill with a layer of chocolate ganache and add a boudin of ganache around the edges to make a hollow in the center and place the raspberry filling.
• Place the second layer of cake and repeat this last step for all the remaining layers.
• Finish by applying a thin layer of chocolate ganache over the entire cake to seal in the crumbs, and place the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes if necessary to harden a little.
• Once again apply a thicker layer of chocolate ganache over the whole cake, smoothing it with a icing smoother, and place the cake back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Pour the chocolate drip over the top of the cake and decorate with the fresh berries.

>> You'll also love: How to frost a cake for perfect results

Serving Suggestions

Here are a few delicious suggestions for serving your raspberry chocolate cake on a dessert plate:

• With whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to soften the full-bodied chocolate flavor.
• A hot chocolate sauce and a bit of raspberry filling or raspberry sauce.
• A few crunchy nuts to add texture.
• A vanilla custard.

Storage and freeze

In the fridge: The leftover raspberry chocolate cake recipe should be stored in the fridge under plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

Freezing: You can easily freeze them for up to 3 months, just place them cut up in bags and let them defrost gently in the fridge.

Tips for this recipe

• Allow the chocolate cake layers to cool completely in the fridge before assembling. If they are still warm, the filling may melt on contact and the cake will collapse.
• Apply a thin layer of ganache over the whole cake to seal in the crumbs and leave the cake with a clean, clear frosting.
• Leave the cake to cool for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before drizzling the dark chocolate glaze.
• Take the cake out 20 minutes before serving to soften the texture a little.

More Chocolate Cake recipes

Recipe Variations

More flavorful filling: Add a raspberry whipped cream and some fresh raspberries too, you'll get a sweeter filling and a more intense raspberry flavor.

Buttercream option: If you only swear by buttercream in your cakes then here are my all-time favorite whipped buttercream recipe made simply with unsalted butter and powdered sugar or you can simply add unsweetened cocoa powder to make a chocolate buttercream frosting version.

For the more experienced, try Swiss meringue buttercream, Italian meringue buttercream or French buttercream.

Chocolate frosting option: For a rich chocolate cake you can go to this chocolate mascarpone frosting, this whipped chocolate ganache, a vanilla white chocolate ganache or this milk chocolate ganache.

With other fruits: Replace the raspberry with strawberry compote and strawberry whipped cream, or lemon blueberry compote and blueberry frosting.

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