Thick, gorgeous layers of dark chocolate cake baked with a touch of raspberry emulsion, filled with homemade seedless raspberry jam, frosted in raspberry buttercream AND a luscious layer of chocolate ganache – THIS CAKE is practically life-changing when it comes to that first bite. Valentine’s day is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than with a a gorgeous cake on the table to share with those you love most?

I asked a while ago on my Instagram feed what everyone does for Valentine’s Day to celebrate with their loved ones. The responses ranged from staying in, to going out, to going all out, to keeping it simple. Before we had our two boys, Valentine’s Day usually involved a fancy dinner at home or a night out on the town with some kind of quiet dinner together at a nice restaurant. When the boys came around, we quickly learned how that quiet dinner together was nearly impossible with the little ones “helping” our evening along.

So we adapted and changed things up a bit. Now, we try to go out together alone for Valentine’s Day either the day or week before the actual 14th, and then on the 14th we stay in as a family. We decorate the table and have a “fancy” dinner for the boys to enjoy. I also make sure to leave out some chocolate hearts for them to enjoy that morning. I also am a huge fan of decorating Valentine’s Day boxes and making little Valentines with them for their friends. Ryan always comes through with roses and a sweet note. It really is such a lovely holiday!

For this cake, I wanted something less pink-and-red heart explosion, and more on the side of simple elegance. I knew I wanted to have my dark chocolate cake as the base, but I wanted to have a touch of that raspberry flavor IN the cake, too. So I added a bit of raspberry emulsion to the cake batter. It tasted just like a chocolate raspberry, and I knew the second I smelled it baking in the oven that we had a winner so far!

Next, I wanted to smash some raspberries in as the filling for the cake, but decided that a jam or jelly would work best. You can totally use just store-bought jam/jelly, that’s fine! If you’d like to make your own, this is a small batch that works great for the filling, and a little leftover for some toast a breakfast. 🙂 . You can use fresh or frozen raspberries in the recipe, either one has worked out great! When you’re frosting your cake and adding your filling, remember that a little filling goes a long way, so you don’t need to use a lot to get the message across. If you are planning on making my cake with the homemade raspberry jam below, make sure you give yourself plenty of time for the jam to set/cool.

I frosted the entire cake with my INSANELY delicious raspberry buttercream (tastes like those creamy raspberry candies), using more of that delicious raspberry emulsion. You can also use freeze-dried raspberries or a fresh raspberry compote, too, if you’d like. I frosted the entire cake with the buttercream, and then decided that it wasn’t quite finished yet ;).

We needed MORE.

I covered the entire cake in chocolate ganache. A drip just wasn’t enough! The trick to frosting your cake in ganache is that your ganache needs to be thick enough to spread, and cooled enough to not melt the buttercream layer underneath. I used a 3:1 ratio when it comes to chocolate and heavy cream. Make sure you give it enough time to cool before spreading it on.

To get the double-frosting layer effect, I used TWO different acrylic CAKESAFE disks (theirs are by far the best quality and they are an amazing company to order from and work with). I started with the 6.25 size for the raspberry buttercream and then the 6.5 size for the ganache layer. It helped guide the layers to be really neat and tidy as I added them to the cake.

Lastly, I added on a little bit of chocolate shavings along the bottom, and then topped everything off with fresh raspberries! It really came together beautifully, and it was so satisfying to have that clean slice at the end. Tip: if you want a clean cake slice, heat your sharpest knife over a gas stove or in blazing hot water. Slice into the cake, then wipe, heat through, then slice again. I slice my cakes very cold, so this helps a lot, too. Then I let the slice come to room temperature, covered, before serving if I’m doing everything in advance.

And that’s it! My husband tastes cake after cake of mine, and this one, he says, is by far his favorite one! It is already up for an easy request for his birthday cake, and I can’t blame him for a second.

To see this cake frosted, see the video below:

As always, I LOVE to see your Baking with Blondie creations! Make sure to tag @bakingwithblondie or #bakingwithblondie on Instagram or Facebook for me to see. 🙂 Thanks again, and happy baking!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Author: Mandy | Baking with Blondie
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake Layers, raspberry jam filling, raspberry buttercream, a dark chocolate ganache layer, chocolate shavings, and fresh raspberries on top, this cake tastes as decadent as it looks!
Ingredients
  • Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake[br]
  • 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoons Raspberry Emulsion
  • 1/2 Cup Sour Cream (room temp)
  • 1 Cup Buttermilk (room temp)
  • 3 Eggs + 1 Egg White (room temp)
  • 1/4 Cup Dark Chocolate Cocoa
  • 1/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour, Sifted
  • Dark Chocolate Cake Mix (Duncan Hines), Sifted
  • [br]
  • Raspberry Jam Filling[br]
  • 12oz frozen raspberries, thawed (or fresh)
  • 1/4 Cup + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch + 1 Tablespoon water for slurry
  • [br]
  • Raspberry Buttercream [br]
  • 3 Sticks (1 1/2 Cup) Unsalted Butter
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
  • 2 Tablespoons Raspberry Emulsion
  • 1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
  • 6-7 Cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
  • 1 drop “base red” Wilton coloring gel
  • [br]
  • Thick Chocolate Ganache [br]
  • 3 Cups Van Leer Dark Chocolate Melts
  • 1 Cup Heavy Cream
  • [br]
  • Garnishes[br]
  • Fresh Raspberries
  • Chocolate Shavings
Instructions
  1. [u]TO MAKE THE DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CAKE[/u]
  2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Prep 3 6″ cake pans with a swipe of shortening and dust of flour. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla, emulsion, sour cream, buttermilk, eggs, and egg white until thoroughly combined.
  4. Sift in the flour, cocoa, and dark chocolate cake mix and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix.
  5. Bake for 25-27 minutes until center is baked through. Don’t overbake!
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 3 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely until room temp. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze before decorating (for easier decorating).
  7. [u]FOR THE RASPBERRY JAM FILLING: [/u]
  8. Add frozen/fresh raspberries in a food processor and pulse until a puree forms. Strain raspberry puree in a fine mesh sieve to get out any seeds. You should have a cup of raspberry puree/liquid.
  9. In a small saucepan, stir together the raspberry puree, sugar, and lemon juice and heat over medium heat until bubbly (about 3-4 minutes). Stir and add in slurry (cornstarch + water) until it begins to thicken.
  10. Add jam to a glass dish and let cool in the fridge for an hour to set.
  11. [u]TO MAKE THE RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM[/u]
  12. Remove butter from the fridge and let sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes to slightly soften.
  13. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter until it’s light and fluffy.
  14. Add in salt, vanilla, emulsions, and heavy cream, and whip up to combine. Sift in the powdered sugar add to the mixer about 1/2 cup at a time, add in a touch more heavy cream if needed.
  15. Add in a drop of coloring, then whip up the buttercream on high speed for about 3 minutes until it’s light and fluffy in color and texture.
  16. Hand beat with a wooden spoon to remove any excess air bubbles. Add to a piping bag without a piping tip. Set aside.
  17. [u]FOR THE THICK CHOCOLATE GANACHE[/u]
  18. In a medium glass bowl, stir together the chocolate and heavy cream. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir until there are no lumps. Set aside to cool for about 10-15 minutes until it’s easily spreadable with a cake knife.
  19. [u]ASSEMBLY: [/u]
  20. Tape a 8″ cardboard cake round to a 6″ cardboard cake round. On a cake turntable, add on a touch of raspberry buttercream to act as glue.
  21. Place the first 6″ round in the center of the 6″ cardboard round, add on a thin layer of raspberry buttercream, then pipe a thick dam of buttercream along the outside rim. Spoon in about 1/2 cup of the raspberry jam. Place on the next cake layers and repeat.
  22. Crumb coat and freeze 2 minutes.
  23. Add on the final coat of the raspberry buttercream. Freeze 5 minutes.
  24. Add on the ganache layer over top the raspberry buttercream layer. Use a cake scraper to create an even layer (acrylic discs work wonders here, too. I used the CAKESAFE 6.25 size for the raspberry layer and a 6.5 for the ganache layer).
  25. Press the chocolate shavings along the bottom side and top with fresh raspberries.
  26. Slice with a hot sharp knife on a cold cake for perfect slices.