The Best Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake is a three-layer chocolate cake, filled with homemade raspberry filling, frosted with chocolate ganache, and topped with fresh raspberries.
This delicious Chocolate Raspberry Cake has three layers of “made from scratch” chocolate cake, filled with homemade raspberry filling and topped with creamy chocolate ganache frosting.
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WHY I LOVE THIS RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
- This Chocolate Raspberry Cake is one of my special decadent cakes that’s perfect for many special occasions such as a birthday, Valentine’s Day, or anytime really.
- The Homemade Raspberry Cake Filling is made from simple ingredients that will delight your taste buds.
- There’s a special ingredient. The cake, filling, and frosting are all flavored with raspberry liqueur which is a bonus!
Ingredient Notes
- Chocolate Chips – We used bittersweet chocolate chips for the cake and semi-sweet chocolate chips for the frosting. You can use bittersweet chocolate chips for both the cake and the frosting, if you wish. Keep in mind that it won’t be as sweet.
- Raspberry Liqueur – We used Chambord but there are plenty of other liqueur options to choose from.
- Eggs – You want to make sure to bring your eggs to room temperature. They blend more evenly in batters and help the dough rise more easily than cold eggs straight out of the fridge. Cold eggs, on the other hand, can result in lumpy batter and require longer baking times.
- Sour Cream – Sour cream helps thicken a cake and creates a moist chocolate cake. And, since sour cream contains fat, your cake will also be richer.
- Heavy Whipping Cream – If you are trying to reduce the dairy, Silk offers a dairy alternative heavy whipping cream that can be purchased at organic markets such as Whole Foods.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
1) To make the cake batter, in a large mixing bowl, start by beating butter and sugar on low speed until fluffy. Add room temperature eggs and liqueur. Then add your dry ingredients; a mixture of all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt alternately with wet ingredients; milk and sour cream.
2) Once that’s all combined, you’ll have a light brown mixture like the first photo above. Then stir in melted chocolate for a deeper chocolate flavor.
3) Divide batter into three 8-inch cake pans that have been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
4) Bake at a preheated 350°F. oven for 25 minutes.
5) Meanwhile, make your raspberry sauce filling. Place frozen raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, water, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil for one minute and keep stirring. Strain. Then add the liqueur. Let cool.
6) To make chocolate ganache frosting, place semi-sweet chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Boil heavy cream in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate chips. Cover and let it sit for 15 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let cool completely.
7) To assemble, spread half the raspberry mixture onto one of the chocolate cake layers. Add a second layer and repeat. Add a third layer. Frost the top of the cake and sides with chocolate ganache filling to get the entire cake frosted. I used an offset spatula to frost the cake. I love the swirly, old-fashioned look of the icing. Plus, it’s just so much easier than trying to make the frosting perfectly smooth.
8) Decorate with fresh raspberries and serve immediately.
EXPERT TIPS
- Ensure all of your ingredients are at room temperature for a smoother batter that won’t cause any issues.
- It’s best to make the cake and serve it right away. Once you put the cake in the refrigerator, then the frosting loses its shine. It’s still delicious but just has a different look. You can see the difference in the sliced cake photos compared to the whole cake photos.
- I used the aluminum foil pans you get at the grocery store because I didn’t have three pans. They worked great!
- Prepared Cake Pans – It’s very important to grease your 8-inch pan very well to make sure your cakes don’t stick. Use shortening, butter, or nonstick baking spray and rub it all over the inside of the pan, covering all the crevices. I used a generous amount of Crisco and they popped out perfectly after baking and cooling.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How to store: You can store it covered at room temperature for one day. That way, you could make it early in the day, then serve in the evening. After that, store covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
Can I substitute frozen raspberries for fresh raspberry?: Absolutely! You may need to add a little water to get the right consistency.
What is a healthier substitute for all-purpose flour?: Oat flour. It can be purchased or made inexpensively at home with a food processor or blender. It’s also high in fiber and protein compared to all-purpose wheat flour.
Can I substitute raspberry jam for the raspberry filling? If you want to simplify the recipe or use up the raspberry jam in your fridge, you can definitely swap it out. See this recipe from Kiwi Families.
Should I use a hand mixer or a stand-up mixer? You can use either, however, using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment is easier because the dough gets thick.
Story behind the cake
So I made this pretty Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake for my friend Susie. She’s my Bunco buddy. Actually, a little bird (named Mary) told me that Susie loved Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake, so that’s what I made. We celebrated her birthday at our Bunco game on Thursday. Have you ever played Bunco? It’s a fun dice game that is super simple to play. It’s mainly just a great way to get together with the gals! We get together once a month to play and it’s always a hoot! Gotta have some good girl time at least once a month, right!
Do you love fruit-based desserts?
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE RECIPES:
Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Rustic Honey Peach and Blueberry Galette
Honey Lemon Tartlets with Flowers
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Love this recipe? If you try it, be sure to tag me on @Instagram! You can also find me on Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook.
Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, good quality, I used Ghirardelli
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened, 1 1/2 sticks
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur, I used Chambord
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup milk, room temperature
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips, melted, I used Ghirardelli
For the filling
- 10 ounces frozen raspberries
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur, I used Chambord
For the frosting
- 16 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, I used Nestle
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon raspberry liqueur, I used Chambord
For the decoration
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries
Instructions
For the cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 3 (8″ round) cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Line with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Reduce mixer speed to low and add eggs, then liqueur. Keep mixing on low until combined. Then gradually add flour mixture, milk and sour cream. Keep mixing on low until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the melted chocolate, then pour batter into prepared pans. Smooth the batter with an offset spatula. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Let cakes cool in pans.
For the filling
- In a medium saucepan, place frozen raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and water/cornstarch mixture. Let the mixture come to a bowl over medium high, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for one minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat then press mixture through a strainer to get the seeds out. Stir in liqueur. Let cool.
For the chocolate ganache frosting
- Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl (I used a glass bowl). Pour cream into a saucepan and let it come to a boil over medium heat. Once it’s boiling, remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Stir until completely melted and combined. Let it cool completely. You can speed up the process by putting it in the fridge, but watch it carefully because it can get hard if it’s too cold.
- To assemble cake, place one cake layer on a serving platter or cake plate. Spread half of the raspberry filling onto layer. Add second cake and do the same thing. Add the third cake layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake with the cooled chocolate ganache frosting. Decorate with fresh raspberries.
- Serve immediately or store covered for up to one day. After that store covered in the refrigerator for several days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Please let us know by leaving a star rating and review!Side Note: I took photos of the whole cake, then brought it to my bunco night. After bunco, I brought it home to take photos (the next day). Don’t worry, Susie got her cake back. LOL! Just wanted y’all to know that the chocolate ganache frosting is the prettiest when you first frost the cake. It’s nice and shiny. Just beautiful! So it’s best to make the cake and serve right away. Once you put the cake in the refrigerator, then the frosting loses it’s shine. It’s still delish, but just has a different look. You can see the difference in the sliced cake photos compared to the whole cake photos. See what I mean?
Best chocolate raspberry cake ever. It is so moist and deliciously rich. My daughter has made this cake for my birthday several times over the years because it really is the best cake! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’m so glad you like it! Take a photo and tag @momlovesbaking on Instagram for a feature. 🙂
So glad that you and your daughter enjoyed this recipe!
The cake recipe is excellent, but the chocolate icing recipe ruined the birthday cake I made for my father. The proper proportions are 8ox cream to 8 oz chocolate for a smooth ganache finish. The proportions on the frosting make the cake top heavy and destroys the cake when attempting to slice. Kindly adjust for 5 stars!
Hi Erik, I’m sorry you had some trouble with the chocolate ganache. Did you possibly refrigerate it too long? The measurements included in this recipe are correct and I stand by them… 16 ounces of chocolate chips and 1 cup of heavy cream. I used to have a cake business and have made this recipe hundreds of times! It’s one of my favorite chocolate frosting recipes.
Yummy stuff!!!!