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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.
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!
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!
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 ?
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 🙂
Hello! Could I make mini cupcakes with this recipe? Thank you.
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 🙂
I made this over the weekend and it was such a great recipe – thank you!
So glad to hear it, Maria 🙂
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
very beautiful
Chocolate and raspberry! Perfect combination!
Thank you, Medeja! It’s one of my favorite flavor combos 🙂