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A slice of raspberry chocolate cake with rich ganache topping and fresh raspberries on a white plate.
Maryam

Raspberry Chocolate Cake

Moist, fudgy chocolate cake studded with tart fresh raspberries and finished with a glossy ganache that will make you forget every box mix you've ever tried.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 1.75 cups all-purpose flour
  • 0.75 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed preferred
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1.5 tsp baking soda
  • 0.75 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 oz fresh raspberries divided, plus more for topping
For the Ganache
  • 0.75 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Equipment

  • Two 9-inch round cake pans
  • Parchment Paper
  • Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Small saucepan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Heat oven to 350F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line bottoms with parchment paper, and dust with cocoa powder. Tap out excess.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt until no cocoa lumps remain.
  3. Add buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth and glossy. Fold in 4 oz of raspberries gently with a spatula, trying not to crush them completely - a few streaks of pink are fine.
  4. Divide batter between pans and smooth tops. Bake 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in pans 15 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely.
Make the Ganache
  1. Bring cream to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan. Pour over chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk until completely smooth. Cool 15-20 minutes until thick but still pourable.
Assemble
  1. Place one cake layer on a platter. Spread 1/2 cup ganache on top. Scatter remaining 2 oz raspberries over the ganache. Top with second layer and pour remaining ganache over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Chill 20 minutes to set, then top with fresh raspberries before serving.

Notes

Frozen raspberries work in a pinch - do not thaw, fold in while still frozen to prevent bleeding. The cake layers can be baked a day ahead and wrapped tightly in plastic; frost the day you serve. For extra raspberry punch, warm 1/4 cup raspberry jam and brush between the cake layers before adding ganache.