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This Triple Layer Chocolate Raspberry Cake is a SHOWSTOPPER! This recipe features three layers of moist raspberry chocolate cake, raspberry preserves, and rich chocolate frosting. Top with fresh raspberries for an extra lovely presentation.
Chocolate Raspberry Cake
TGIF! We made it. What are your weekend plans?! Baking anything special? Watching anything fun on Netflix?!
I’ll be spending most of the weekend in my kitchen. No surprise there, right? I need to finish testing and tweaking a few recipes, but I also REALLY need to clean and organize; my cupboards, pantry, and fridge are all way overdue for a makeover! Also having a few girlfriends over Sunday afternoon for coffee and cake. So basically a little work, a little play, and a lot of cake 😉
Which is where this moist and beautiful chocolate raspberry cake comes in! I’ve been dying to try a chocolate raspberry cake and I’m SO happy to report the flavor combination is a total winner. The chocolate cake layers are rich, moist, and bursting with fresh raspberries! And the chocolate frosting is thick and creamy. But it’s the layer of raspberries preserves ties that really ties everything together! I like to this of this as the chocolate version of my lemon raspberry cake.
I suggest topping the cake with extra raspberries and chocolate shavings for a breathtaking presentation. Because is there anything more delicious than chocolate with raspberries?!
Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling
Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success:
- This recipe calls for vegetable oil, but you may use an equal amount of melted coconut oil in its place, if preferred. I do not recommend substituting oil with melted butter because it will not yield a very moist cake.
- For best results, make sure your eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, and milk have all come to room temperature before you begin baking.
- When you measure your flour, be sure you’re not packing it into the measuring cup. Because packed flour will yield a dense and dry cake.
- You must toss the raspberries in all-purpose flour before adding them to the batter. This dusting of flour helps keep the berries afloat during the baking process, and ensure you won’t slice into a cake full of sunken berries.
- You may use fresh or frozen raspberries for this cake, but if you use frozen, don’t thaw them first.
- I used store bought raspberry preserves in this recipe, but feel free to use homemade if you’d like!
- The cake layers should all be baked on the middle rack of your oven. If there’s not enough room in your oven to bake them all in an even row at once, you can bake them in two batches.
- For the chocolate raspberry cream cheese frosting, you’ll want to make sure your butter and cream cheese are both VERY soft before creaming it.
- The cakes should be completely cooled before adding the frosting and raspberry preserves.
- The assembly is a two part process: you’ll place one cake level on a large plate, top it with a thin layer of frosting, then add the raspberry preserves, then add another cake level and repeat. Once you’ve added the final cake level you’ll want to leave the top bare and place the cake in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes. Once it’s set, you can finish frosting it and add the edible decorations.
More Chocolate Raspberry Recipes:
- Dark Chocolate Chunk Raspberry Crumb Muffins
- Healthy Raspberry Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
- Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
If you try this recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Cake Recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day ♥
Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Raspberry Cake:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 and 3/4 cups PLUS 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 and 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 cups full-fat sour cream
- 1/3 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil (you may also sub in melted coconut oil)
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups hot water
- 2 and 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen, if using frozen, do not thaw first
For the Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese, VERY soft
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces), VERY soft
- 4 and 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream (more if needed)
- 2 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
Garnish:
- 1/2 cup raspberry preserves
- Fresh raspberries, optional
- Shaved chocolate, optional
Instructions
For the Chocolate Raspberry Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°(F). Cut out three 9-inch round segments of parchment paper to line your cake pans with. Spray each pan generously - sides and bottom - with nonstick cooking spray, then place the parchment paper cut out in the bottom of the pans and spray again. It's important to make sure every bit of pan and paper are sprayed so your cakes don't get stuck. Set pans aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, combine both sugars, 2 and 3/4 cups of the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt; mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Use your hands to break up any large clumps, if needed.
- In a separate bowl combine the eggs, egg yolks, sour cream, milk, oil and vanilla extract; mix until completely combined.
- Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and beat on low until just incorporated. Pour in hot water and continue mixing until completely combined; about 1 minute. The batter will quite thin.
- In a medium bowl, gently toss the raspberries with remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. Add the raspberries, and any remaining flour, into the batter and fold in by hand, using a rubber spatula, until just combined. Again, be sure not to over mix! Over mixing is very easy to do, and will result in a dry, dense cake.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool cakes for 10 minutes in the pan before removing from pans and transferring to a cooling rack; cool cakes completely before frosting.
For the Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter on medium-speed until completely smooth; about 3 minutes.
- Turn the mixer off and sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into the mixing bowl.
- With the mixer on the lowest speed, mix until the sugar and cocoa have been absorbed by the butter; about 2 minutes.
- Increase mixer speed to medium; add in vanilla extract, salt, heavy cream and raspberry preserves; beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting appears too thin, add a little more confectioners' sugar; If your frosting appears too thick, add additional heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Assembly:
- Using a serrated knife, carefully trim the raised top of each cake, making each one an even, level surface.
- Transfer 1 layer to a large plate or cake stand.
- Spread a layer of frosting on top, then spread a 1/4 cup of raspberry preserves on top. Don't worry if they blend together a little!
- Top with another cake layer, and repeat, spreading it with a layer of frosting, then adding remaining 1/4 cup of raspberry preserves.
- Top with final cake layer and place cake in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
- Once set, finishing frosting the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings.
- Slice and serve, or keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Chocolate and raspberry! Perfect combination!
Thank you, Medeja! It’s one of my favorite flavor combos 🙂
very beautiful
Quick question: If I decide to use frozen raspberries instead fresh for the Chocolate raspberry cake do I need to toss them in flour ? Thanks
Yes, you’ll want to toss them in the flour no matter what 🙂
thank you
I made this over the weekend and it was such a great recipe – thank you!
So glad to hear it, Maria 🙂
Looks amazing! I’m going to make this for a birthday but it has to have a pink icing on the top. Do you think I should either just make your icing for the inside layers + a butter cream icing (dyed pink) on the top OR just make your icing as per the recipe and put some aside before I’ve added the coco powder and add some pink dye to that bit? I’m not sure. Love your recipes 🙂
Hi Alex! Happy (almost) birthday! I think you would need a double batch, but I do have a pink frosting recipe here http://bakerbynature.com/nutella-stuffed-chocolate-cupcakes-with-raspberry-frosting/ And it’s raspberry flavored (it’s mild, so I don’t think it would be overwhelming) if you want to check it out 🙂
Thanks! Looks perfect 🙂
Of course 🙂
Hello! Could I make mini cupcakes with this recipe? Thank you.
Your cakes looks amazing , i so wanna try to bake one , however the HUGE amount of ingredients used always scares me
A lot of them are pantry staples, so once you have them, you’ll be set for multiple recipes 🙂
Hi again! I ll try to make this cake . But do you mix the raspberry jam in the chocolate frosting ? Did I get that right ?
I haven’t tried it yet as it is for a cake war with my students but I replaced the raspberries with pomegranate and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I still tossed them in flour so here’s to hoping it’s a show stopper as well!
My son requested a chocolate and raspberry cake for his fourth birthday, so I gave this one a go, and everyone loved it! I just made two layers so took an extra ten minutes in the oven. Cooked perfectly so there was no need to cut the cake flat before icing. Will definitely put this one away for future use, thank you!
So, I just made this for my husbands birthday. He wanted a chocolate cake with raspberries in it as well as in the icing. I’m not typically a huge fan of raspberries, but it’s his birthday so I made it anyway. I’m lactose intolerant and can only handle a tiny bit of dairy, so I used daiya cream cheese substitute and soy yogurt mixed with baking soda as a sub for sour cream. Almond milk was used in place of whole milk. Sometimes this messes things up, so my hopes weren’t all that hight. Other than that, I followed your recipe to a T.
Let me tell you, we gobbled this up. We took some to our neighbors and they gobbled it up (didn’t tell them about the substitutions). The cake was moist, the buttercream not too sweet, the touch of raspberries wasn’t overwhelming – it was perfect. He asked for this to be his cake for every birthday from here on out. Thank you so much.
Hey Ashley! I was looking at your chocolate raspberry cake recipe and I was wondering whether it’s dense cake? If not, are there any ingredients I can add to the recipe to make it dense (but still moist and rich)? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Celeste! Yes, this cake is dense but very moist 🙂
Made cake for a friend’s birthday. Received several comments on how moist the cake was and the icing was excellent. Now others are asking I make the cake for their birthday. Thank you Sharing the recipe. One guest even commented I lived up to my email address.
Hey there! I’ve already made the cakes and put them in the freezer, what I taste delicious of them were fantastic! It’s for my moms wedding next week! I’m wondering how stiff the frosting is or isn’t (they wanted the frosting from this recipe) and what I should be expecting for decorating. Thanks!
I like to bake for the faculty at my grandchildren’s school, and I’ve learned to simplify the process by making sheet cakes [9×13” pans].
Big group of 70+, and I’m old! Any tips? I know it won’t be as good as your layers.
Hello! This cake looks delicious and wanting to make for Christmas. How many does this recipe serve?
Hi!
I would love to make this for Christmas. Is there any substitute to not adding the cream cheese to the frosting? My mother isn’t a fan of the taste, and I am afraid she will know if I use it. Thanks!
Hi. Can I freeze the sponge without icing and thaw it when I want to ice it? I am planning to make this cake But need to do it in 2 stages – a few days apart.
I made this for my sister’s engagement party and it was so perfect! I only wanted to do 2 layers, so I baked it a little longer and left everything else the same. The cake was dense yet moist, the raspberry flavor was delightfully subtle but still noticeable through the intense chocolate flavor. Absolutely delightful. When she requested something with chocolate and raspberry I knew you would have just the right recipe! Thanks for helping me deliver the perfect celebration cake!
Hi Ashley, your recipe looks very delicious would like to try it out soon. I have. a query, isn’t 3 spoons of baking soda too much. I add 1 spoon to my 1and 3/4th cup of flour and my cake smells of soda.can i make baking soda 1and half spoon and increase 1 spoon of baking powder.
Hello! Would you tell me, can i substitute cream cheese with cottage cheese? i know, it is weird, but in my country it is easier and cheaper thing to buy, also once i tasted filling made with cottage cheese and i liked it, so light and delish<3
P.s Love your content!
Can I substitute the veggie oil and coconut oil for avocado oil? I have done that before for a cake and worked well, but thought I would ask:)
Hi Ashley
Can I substitute Sour cream with Buttermilk ? If Yes then what would be the quantity for Buttermilk ?
I just made this-it’s not as professional looking as I’d have liked (my fault not your) but the flavour of the cake (the trimmings to level it) and the frosting are sensational. Good easy instructions for a great result.
Hello Ashley, I have tried many of your recipes and have loved them all. My husband wants me to try this cake on the weekend for our anniversary. What I am not sure is about the frosting. I wanted a navy blue decoration. Should I do the chocolate frosting for the layers and then your vainilla buttercream and add blue coloring for outside the cake? Or should I try adding the coloring on the chocolate frosting? Any suggestion?
Hi! Thank you so much for your amazing receipts! You have a very big fan here in Romania! 😀
I have 2 questions about this one, if you could help me:
1. Can I decorate this cake with sugar paste? I don’t really like it but someone specifically asked for it.
2. I only have 1 pan of 9 inch. Is it ok for the batter to “wait” for me to bake it separately? Or should I just prepare the batter in 3 batches to put it in the oven immediately after was done?
Thank you in advance!
Hi what can i substitute fir sour cream … and i hv dried berties not frozen or fresh can dey b used .. andd can v substitute wid strawberry or blueberries thnks
Made this yesterday (for no reason besides that it looked really good…) and it was a HIT! Really straight forward directions, basic ingredients and easy to put together. Didn’t quite think about how massive this cake would end up being but my family and parents’ friends were MORE than happy to volunteer to help eat it all. Everyone kept saying how moist the cake was and they loved how light and fluffy the chocolate frosting was. Thanks for another great recipe!