Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake
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This Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake is super moist and layered with smooth chocolate ganache and raspberry filling, all covered in a fudgy chocolate frosting! It’s rich, full of chocolate and heavenly!
So getting out and about with two babies is no easy task and I desperately needed to make a grocery store trip yesterday. The hubs was working so my mother-in-law watched Ashton while I took Brooks on his first trip to the grocery store. It wasn’t the best day for our first trip, since it was raining, but we made do.
The first thing I noticed after putting his car seat in the grocery cart is where in the world do you put the groceries?! I was shopping for both regular food and baking ingredients, so it was a big trip. By the time I was halfway done, the cart was overflowing. Brooks was quite unhappy when a package found its way towards his foot. I finally just checked out, took it all to the car and made a second trip for the last few things. How is it that nobody has a good shopping cart for moms with babies yet?
Anyhow, Brooks did great. He fell asleep for a bit (until that package found his foot) and finally got upset just as we were leaving. The kid was hungry so I understand. We managed to get home and it seemed fairly uneventful until I took him out of his car seat. A blowout!! So yea, hungry crying and a poo at the end, but alll in all a success. We survived anyway! He’s got plenty more grocery runs in his future because – as he will learn – mommy bakes a lot. 🙂
And one day he will enjoy cakes like this one. This is a cake I’d been dying to make at the end of my pregnancy and it just couldn’t quite make happen. So it ended up being my first cake postpartum! I’ve been so excited to share it with you!
The cake base is my favorite chocolate cake! Insanely moist and SO chocolatey! Don’t be alarmed by the thinness of the batter or the low bake temperature. It’s all correct and gives the best cake.
The filling is a combination of a layer of chocolate ganache and homemade raspberry filling. The ganache gives a little fudgy factor and the raspberry adds a little tart to the sweet. Amazing!
And then the frosting is made with loads of melted chocolate, making it nice and fudgy and giving it the best flavor and texture. It just about melts in your mouth. The whole combination is out of this world good! I can’t wait for you to try it!
Read transcript
Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake
This Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake is super moist and layered with smooth chocolate ganache and raspberry filling, all covered in a fudgy chocolate frosting!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
RASPBERRY FILLING
- 1/4 cup (52g) sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
- 2 cups (225g) raspberries*
CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups (414g) sugar
- 3/4 cup (85g) natural unsweetened cocoa
- 2 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) hot water
CHOCOLATE FROSTING
- 1 1/2 cups (336g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 5 tbsp (35g) Hershey’s dark cocoa powder
- 6 cups (690g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10–12 tbsp (150-180ml) heavy whipping cream
CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 9 oz (1 1/2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
1. Combine the sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat and stir to combine. Heat until the mixture is wet and the sugar begins to melt.
2. Add the raspberries and stir to coat with the sugar mixture.
3. Continue to cook until the raspberries start to soften and let out juice. Use your spatula to mash the raspberries.
4. Remove from heat when raspberry juice has begun to thicken, after about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture into another bowl and refrigerate until cool.
TO MAKE THE CAKE LAYERS:
5. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare three 8 inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray and parchment paper in the bottom.
6. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
7. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
8. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
9. Slowly add the hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
10. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
11. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
12. Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
13. Add the melted chocolate and mix until well combined.
14. Add the cocoa powder and mix until well combined.
15. Add about half of the powdered sugar, salt and half of the heavy cream and mix until well combined.
16. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
17. Add the remaining heavy cream as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
TO MAKE THE GANACHE AND FINISH THE CAKE:
18. To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl (see my tips on making chocolate ganache).
19. Heat the heavy whipping cream in the microwave until it just begins to boil. Keep an eye on it because it happens quickly.
20. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Set aside.
21. To layer the cake, first use a large serrated knife to remove the domes from the tops of the cakes so they are flat. See my tips on how to level a cake and how to stack a cake.
22. Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or on a cardboard cake circle.
23. Pipe a dam around the outside of the cake layer with some of the chocolate frosting.
24. Spread about 1/4 cup of chocolate ganache on top of the cake, in the center of the dam.
25. Drop spoonfuls of the raspberry filling (use about half of the raspberry filling per layer) over the chocolate ganache and then spread into an even layer.
26. Add the second layer of cake, then repeat steps 23 thru 25.
27. Add the third and final layer of cake on top.
28. Frost the top and outside of the cake with the remaining chocolate frosting.
29. Use the remaining chocolate ganache to drizzle chocolate around the edges of the cake, then fill in the center. If the ganache has gotten a little firm from sitting, just reheat for a few seconds until pourable again. See my tips on making a chocolate drip cake.
30. Pipe swirls with the remaining chocolate frosting around the top of the cake, then decorate with additional raspberries and chocolate sprinkles, if desired.
Refrigerate the cake until ready to serve. The cake is best when served at room temperature and holds up well for 4-5 days when well sealed in an air tight container.
*You’ll need about 2 pints of raspberries for the filling and decor.
Keywords: chocolate cake recipe, chocolate ganache recipe, chocolate frosting recipe
Enjoy!
I'm a wife and mom to twin boys and a sweet black lab with a serious sweets addiction! Bring on the sugar!
Your cakes are so beautiful! I wish you would do a video sometime. I’ll love to see the step by step of how you do it so I can learn. They’re pure perfection!
Thanks Julie! Is there a particular part of the decorating process you’d like to see. I have a tutorial and video of how I frost them smoothly here. And then there are various cakes with video where you can get an idea of how I do things. I hope that helps! If you have a specific request, I can try to make it happen some time.
Oh wow, I didn’t see those! Thanks so much…I’ll check them out.
Hi there,
I have a question!
I made the chocolate frosting the night before. Can I store it in the refrigerator and use on my cake the next day?
Definitely! Just let it come to room temperature before using it.
Hey Lindsay!
Love the recipe! Curious if it would mess with the layering of the cake at all if I used a silicon heart shaped mold? It is meant to hold 1.6qt of liquid/batter. I haven’t used a silicon mold before with a cake- but Valentine’s Day is around the corner!
Let me know what you think, thanks!! ❤️
I think it should be fine.
Could strawberries be substituted for raspberries?
In theory yes, but you’d probably want to make the filling a little differently. I’d suggest pureeing the strawberries before adding them and increasing the cornstarch to 1 1/2 tablespoons. Then I’d cook the mixture and let it simmer a bit – for probably 8-10 minutes. The strawberries have more water in them, so you’re adjusting for that.
I don’t know what i did wrong… did the recipe 3 times… every time the cake edges came out uneven from the lining with parchment paper, i tried cutting the paper, measuring it to the pan and everything… the cake is DELICIOUS… i just don’t know what keeps happening… i almost feel like it doesn’t make enough batter for 3 cake pans…
What a scrumptious cake! Absolutely beautiful! My daughter’s birthday is coming and she loves
chocolate and raspberries. This will be her birthday cake!
I enjoy baking and sharing these wonderful desserts with the family. Thanks for sharing with us, Lindsay! Blessings for the day!!!!
Thanks so much Suzy-q! I hope she enjoys it!
First and foremost congratulations on your beautiful baby boys. Such a blessing.
Chocolate and raspberry is one of my favorite cake flavors. This cake could not be more beautiful. If I wanted to use raspberry jam as a shortcut how much jam do you recommend I use?
Thank you, Angela! I didn’t measure exactly how much went between the layers, but I’d guess it’s roughly 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup per layer.
Love this recipe.. I am going to make it in a sheet pan and give it to the mission here in town. I make 4 or 5 desserts and 10 loaves of bread each week for them.. this will be a good one. Thanks for all your recipes… They are so great.
That’s awesome! I hope everyone enjoys it! Thanks Gail!
OMG Lindsay! This looks amazing. I was wondering if you the chocolate ganache works over a whipped cream frosting or does it only work for buttercream? Thanks so much!
Yes, it would work over a whipped cream frosting. You just want to make sure it’s cold before adding the ganache so it doesn’t soften too much or melt. 🙂
Thank you so much for the reply! Hope all is going well with your little bundles of joy and that you’re getting some sleep!!
Can you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour ?
Yes, that should be fine.
https://www.shoppingcartsafety.com
I was at the grocery store this morning and noticed these carts with car seat docks. Try to convince your local store to get them.
How interesting! I’ve never seem them before, but the site says our local store has them. I’ll have to ask next time. Thank you!
Hi Lindsay, I can’t wait to try this cake out! I’m a huge fan of your cakes especially the Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake which I think is amazing! Every time I make it I get so many compliments. Your cakes are beautiful and delicious, you are an inspiration. Thank you so much 🙂 xx
Thank you so much! So glad you enjoy them!
Hi there,
This looks beautiful! I am hoping to make the sponges for a couple of layer cakes I am making next week but I will be converting them to gluten free.
I just want to check, is the quantity of baking soda correct? I am used to the baking powder always being higher in quantity than the baking soda? But yours is the opposite so just wanted to check before I make them!
Thank you, Debs
★★★★★
Yes, it’s correct. I hope you enjoy it!
This cake looks perfect for spring and anything with a raspberry filling is perfect for me 🙂
Hi, how big pans did you use? Thx
I used 8×2 inch pans.
This is the most beautiful cake I’ve ever seen. Can you make it without vanilla? I made your lemon cupcakes with them and they turned out fine. Thanks so much for sharing this chocolaty goodness with us!
Thanks Mercy! If you wanted to leave out the vanilla extract, you could.
Hello how do you do the drizzle of chocolate ganache for the top. I am planning to make your chocolate berry cake for my husband’s 30th birthday.
I use a squeeze bottle to drizzle it around the edge. If gives you nice control over the flow of chocolate.
Can buttermilk be used instead of milk?
I haven’t tried it with this cake to say for sure.
My two favorite things!! I will try making this gluten free!! ????????
can we substitute eggs with anything else ??
I’m not really familiar with using egg substitutes, I’m sorry!
I made it with Ener-G egg replacer and it came out beautifully. Thank you for the recipe! I make birthday cakes for my kids with it.
Hi, what quantities to use if using frozen raspberries..cannot get fresh raspberries in Sri Lanka. Thx
I haven’t tried it with frozen raspberries. I’d try using the same amount, just be sure to defrost and pat them dry so you don’t add a lot of extra water.
Your cake looks delicious! Definitely want to try it for my hubby birthday. Wanted to know if I can substitute the choc chips with dark chocolate?
Yes, dark chocolate chips should be fine.
I’ve just made the cake (only the biscuit) but the result was a disaster! It tastes horrible, I can feel the flavour of the baking soda and I cant handle it. I had to throw it away. Maybe your recipe has too much baking soda? The cake looks delicious in the pics but my results, following your recipe step by step tastes not good. Sorry!
Are you quite sensitive to baking soda normally? I’ve made this chocolate cake many times and never gotten that feedback before. I’m sorry you weren’t happy with it!
Recipe looks great. Do you use natural cocoa powder or dutch process? I’m guessing that the reviewer used dutch.
★★★★★
I’ve used both natural cocoa and a combination of natural and Dutch process, but never just Dutch process cocoa.
HI, I want to make this cake but I only have loose bottomed tins is the mixture very runny?
I will make it with strawberries,
It’s a pretty thin batter, but if your pan is really leakproof it should be ok.
Thank you, I will try with my tins because it’s a beautiful cake.
Hola soy de españa me gustaria saber que es la crema de leche pesada? gracias
Es una crema líquido semi-espesa sin endulzar. En Mexico usamos la media crema de Nestle como substituto. Ojalá te sirva la información.
This looks like an awesome recipe!
Do you think it’s possible to make this cake a few days in advance? Like, make it on Thursday evening for Sunday evening?
Or would a Cheesecake be more suitable for that?
So generally speaking I would say cheesecake holds up better for that length of time. But, if you really want to make a cake, this is probably one of the better ones to make for that length of time. It won’t be as fresh, but this is a very moist cake and should hold up pretty well since it will be refrigerated.
I plan on making this tomorrow. If I don’t include the filling, do I still need to refrigerate? Thanks!
Would you be leaving out both the raspberry and chocolate filling? If leaving out just the raspberry and keeping the chocolate, it should be fine at room temperature for about 24 hours. Longer than that and I might refrigerate it.
Just a point of clarification. In the ganache it says to use 9 oz of chocolate chips. It says that equals 3/4 of a cup. But one cup of chocolate chips is 6 oz. So do we use 9 oz which is a cup and a half or the 3/4 cup?
Great catch! Sorry about that! The 9 oz is correct, which is 1 1/2 cups. It’s been updated. Thanks!
Hi this cake looks delicious and I wanted to try baking it for my birthday. I am curious if this recipe can be made eggless and what can I use as a substitute for eggs. Thank you.
I’m really not sure. I’m sorry.
I love this recipe and wish I could make it for my mother who loves raspberry! I gave up baking anything layered 🙁 it seems like every time I make the frosting it is like CoolWhip :/ kinda runny and doesn’t hold the layers. Just squashes out. So I’ve been sticking to cupcakes. Is there a way to transform this into cupcakes stuffed with the raspberry?? Or if you have any tips on the icing that would be great!! Thank you. Love your page!
You could make them as cupcakes and use the raspberry filling in the centers. Maybe just leave out the chocolate ganache part of the filling. If you’d like to try out the cake though, here’s a post on frosting consistency that might be helpful.
I can’t wait to make this! I think that Chambord would be delicious to add!
Oh yes! Sounds delicious!
Hi,
I see you that you use a hand mixer for your frosting instead of a stand mixer, does it make a difference? I am trying to make smooth frosting, I have both just wondering what will give me the best result.
Thank you!
I actually use a stand mixer. The video production company I use for videos uses the hand mixer. However, I’ve used both and both will work just fine.
This was the first layered cake I had ever made and the first cake I’ve ever made from scratch! That being said, it was challenging and messy but still doable for a beginner! Video made the recipe easy to follow. I had some issues with slippery layers so be sure to build a decent “dam” and take the time to cut layers completely flat and cool properly. Thought it would be a disaster but it ended up turning out BEAUTIFULLY and tasted AMAZING!! My friends and family were SO impressed. The cake is sooo moist and the fresh raspberry filling is easier than it sounds and adds a nice touch. I was nervous about adding the cup of water since it turned into a runny batter but I think this is the most important step and helps enhance the flavor of the cocoa! This was the best chocolate cake I’ve ever tasted (yes, better than bakery cakes I’ve bought before) and it was made in my kitchen! Thank you Lindsay, you are a star!!! I could rave about this cake forever and I have a feeling it will be my new specialty! Will be using more of your recipes in the future! 🙂
Wonderful! So glad to hear you enjoyed it and found the recipe and video easy to follow! Thanks so much Mary!
Hi,
Can we make d cake one day before d occasion and refrigerate it …nd use it next day. Will d ganache become hard..pls guide
Yes, that’d be fine. The ganache will firm up a bit, but it’ll still be soft enough.
Hi Lindsay,
Planning to bake your cake for my friend’s birthday. Just wandering if Hershey’s dark cocoa powder can be substituted with normal cocoa powder? Thank you
You used to be able to use the Hershey’s dark cocoa, because it was actually a blend back then. Now it’s 100% dutched cocoa and it actually doesn’t turn out as well, in my opinion.
Hi Lindsay,
Your cake looks gorgeous, can’t wait to try out this recipe!
I was wondering – would you recommend substituting hot water with hot coffee?
Cheers
Vanessa
You could certainly do that. I know a lot of people think it brings out the chocolate flavor.
Hi Lindsay,
Would you mind tell me the pan size you have used for this recipe? Thanking you in advance.
★★★★★
They are 8 inch cake pans that are 2 inches in height.
This is going to sound odd, but I made this for my own birthday! Haha! And I was skeptical as I’m still a bit of a novice when it comes to baking. But oh my lord did this cake turn out wonderful!! Not three tiered and not as pretty as yours, but I fam proud of this! What a great recipe. THANKS!!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed it and happy belated birthday!
I made this cake today, very delicious. I only tweaked the raspberry filling. I pureed it in the processor, then pressed it through a strainer (I don’t care for the seeds). Other than that, all was perfect.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Love the recepie! Will try it out this weekend. I have a doubt though, how much fat does cream have to have to be considered “Heavy whipping cream”? Where I’m from they are called differently, and I want to make sure I’m getting the right cream. Thanks!
I believe heavy whipping cream has about 36% fat.
Hi, how high are the layers supposed to be? I made the layers and they came out really thin, about 1.5 in, less than 1 in once I leveled them to stack
I’d say they are roughly 1 1/2 inches. Sounds about right. Taking off 1/2 an inch for leveling though seems like a lot.
Hi, I can’t wait to make this cake for my daughters 21st birthday next weekend as it’s all her favourite tastes rolled into one! But I’m a little pushed for time and wondering if the cake layers could be made in advance and frozen for 2 days. Have u ever successfully frozen this cake recipe?
Yes, that should be fine. The cake layers are very moist and should hold up well. I’d just suggest wrapping them well before freezing and thawing in the fridge.
INCREDIBLE! This was my first layered cake and it came out amazing! The flavors are rich and the combination with the fresh raspberry filling taste just beautifully. My brother noted that the frosting had a nice salt aftertaste, very different and delicious from any other frosting I’ve had. A glorious recipe, I will definitely be making this again!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks Bernadette!
I wanted to make this cake on a Friday evening for a party that is at 3p the following day will it be okay at room temp until then?
To be honest, I’m not well-versed enough in the details of food safety and how things should be refrigerated but if it were me I would probably refrigerate it until the day of the party and then let it sit out for several hours before the party to come to room temperature.
Question where you list the ingredients it says 22 Tbs double creme is this the same as heavy whipping cream?
I don’t see anywhere that I list double cream. I’m not sure I understand your question.
I was reading the comments on the recipe and came across this one. The Pinterest page is where it shows 22 Tbs double cream. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/823173638114880300/
Oh I see. Thank you for sharing that with me! Unfortunately Pinterest doesn’t do the greatest job of importing ingredients on their site. I have no control over what is displayed there. It’s quite often inaccurate on Pinterest which is why people should click through and look at the recipe on the site. Thank you!!
can i use strawberry preserves instead of fresh raspberry?
im a beginner and i find your recipes very detailed and i want to do this for my youngest daughters bday. thanks in advance!
I would think that’d be fine. I hope you enjoy it!
Can I substitute vanilla cake in place of chocolate cake
I don’t see why not.
Hi Lindsay, where did you purchase your 8×2 pans from? I’ve made several of your cakes before but would like to upgrade to leakproof pans.
I use Wilton brand pans.
Hi,
Are these 8*2 inch pans or 8*3 inch pans?
Thanks
R
Either would be fine. I typically use 8×2 pans.
Can the flour be replaced with gluten free flour?
I’ve heard of people having success so I think it would be fine.
Can i possibly reduce the amount of powdered sugar that goes into the frosting? will it somehoe change the texture? 🙂
The powdered sugar is necessary for the right consistency. You could reduce it a little and then add more if needed for consistency. Check out my post on frosting consistency for some tips!
Hi!!
I am a home baker and made this recipe for my mom’s birthday yesterday. It is in fact my favorite kind of cake! I ran into just a few issues: let your ganache set in between layers or cool the ganache more before hand or the layers will slide.
Other than a few momentary slides before it went to cool in the fridge this cake was a big hit! My family loved it.
★★★★
How do you think this would be with a dark chocolate cream cheese frosting?
I’ve not tried that before, but it could be tasty!
Hi Lindsay!
I just love your cakes! They are beautiful and delicious! This is my second one, and the cake seemed really soft. We haven’t tried it yet but I bet it’s delicious! I had a problem with the frosting though. I followed the recipe exactly like it is written and the frosting seemed to be fluffy and soft. It was easy to spread, but once i stored the cake in the fridge, the frosting became hard, almost fudge-like! I am really bummed! I wanted it to be soft when we cut it and eat it! What went wrong? And what is the right frosting consistency? Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoy the cakes! It actually sounds correct. Because of the melted chocolate in the frosting, it gets fairly firm in the fridge. If you prefer a softer texture for serving, I’d let it sit out at room temperature a bit before cutting it. You could also make a more traditional buttercream, if you prefer.
Hi Lindsay!
I did take the cake out of the refrigerator for a few hours before cutting it. The frosting was soft and delicious! And the cake was to die for! Everyone raved about it! Thank you again for sharing these amazing recipes and for all your help!
Angie
Wonderful! Thanks Angie!
Hi I’ve made this cake and it was delicious! My boyfriend absolutely loved it thank you for sharing the recipe! Could these be baked as cupcakes as well? Would you change the bake time ?
Glad you enjoyed the cake! You could bake it as cupcakes, yes. I’d try baking them for about 15-18 minutes.
I’m taking it that the 1 cup of water goes in with the wet ingredients when making this cake, right? Can’t wait to try it but I’m not much of a baker so I don’t want to do something wrong.
First add the wet (not including the water) ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined. After the wet and dry ingredients are combined, slowly add the 1 cup of hot water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined.
Delicious! Super duper rich…I should have cut smaller slices. But so good!
Hola Lindsay hice esta receta solo la del pastel de chocolate y es la mejor que he probado en mi vida. El pan queda súper húmedo, esponjoso, muy sabroso. La modifiqué un poco lo que es el bicarbonato, el polvo de hornear y en lugar de la leche le puse buttermilk, lo rellené con dulce de leche y quedó riquísimo todo el mundo tenía que ver con el pastel. Muchas gracias por compartir esta receta tan rica, saludos desde Costa Rica ????????
★★★★★
I’m very excited to make this cake! Just wondering if the raspberries filling can be made in advance? And how long would it be ok for?
Thanks
It should be fine to make in advance. I think about a week would be ok.
How sweet is the frosting, or the overall? I want to make it for a kids birthday party and don’t want it to be overly sweet. Thank you!
I would probably say that it’s fairly sweet. But not overly sweet, in my opinion. That’s going to be subjective though.
I can’t stand raspberry seeds BUT I love raspberries!!! Can I put the filling thru a sieve after removing it from the heat to remove seeds?
Yes, you can. It does reduce the volume of the filling though, so you might want to make a little more.
WOW this cake is amazing! I love chocolate and raspberry together!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Can’t wait to make this cake! It looks amazing, will be making it for New Year’s Eve dinner. Question: I know you used 8 inch pans. I only have 9 inch. Would that be a problem? Presumably they will be a bit thinner and might require less cooking time? Would you recommend sticking with 8 inch?
Nine inch pans should be fine. Like you noted, you’ll just need to adjust the baking time.
Hello love this recipe.. I am planning to make it for my husband’s 30th birthday. For the frosting it seems there is a lot, will there be extra after making the cake. I don’t want any leftovers.
I didn’t have any leftovers, but I also use a fair amount of frosting. So it depends a little on how heavy you are with it. There could be some leftover.
The cake batter was a little too runny because of the hot water. A lot of it escaped the tin. I had to make another layer. That time, I didn’t add the hot water. Instead, I subbed it with a small dash of milk. It rose better and didn’t run everywhere. Also, I lined the tray all around. On the other hand, the cake was delicious and moist. I just didn’t understand the need for the hot water. Next time, i would just not use the hot water and use the milk instead, and i would line the tray. Or, I would not use a loose based cake tin. Overall, this cake is very nice.
★★★
MJ – the batter is meant to be thin and shouldn’t be used with a springform pan. Most springform pans leak, so that would be a problem. Whether using milk or water, it’s still just as thin. Glad you enjoyed the cake.
Just finished making this for my grandmother’s 86th birthday tomorrow. She loves raspberries! Can’t wait to try it, it looks amazing ????????
★★★★★
Happy Birthday to your grandmother! 🙂
Hi! If I wanted to make a 4 layer 6inch cake. Should I make the same amount of cake batter and cream??
I honestly haven’t really made any 6 inch cakes, so I’m not sure about amounts. Sorry!
Could this be made in a bundt cake pan?
I haven’t tried in a bundt pan, so I’m not sure how it would turn out.
I would love to make this for my friends grandmothers birthday, but she wants Yellow or White cake instead of chocolate cake. Still wants the raspberry, chocolate ganache, and chocolate frosting. Which would you suggest, yellow cake or white cake with this recipe?
Probably a preference thing and either would be fine. But you could try using this vanilla cake. I hope you all enjoy!
Iam going to make this cake for my sons 24 th birthday i think he will love it it sounds delicious, but my reason for comment is I have a burning question What do you do with all these cakes after you make them for your blog are you and your family eating all the cakes everytime you bake one or do you give them away to family and friends? See I am concidering starting a blog too but i dont know if my family and friends will be able to eat cakes or sweets as often as i would need to meke them and blog about it. Do you have a bakery too? Thanks for all your super hard work and sharing your time with all of us you seem like an incredibly busy lady your family must appreciate the super woman that you are Stay sugar sweet Lindsey!
Sincerely
Rhonda.
Aka another mom.
★★★★★
I do give a lot of it away. But you’re right, it’s a lot of cake for people to eat. I do freeze some things to use later and unfortunately too much probably does get thrown away. I hope your son enjoys the cake!
Oh my goodness!! Made this cake today, and I have to say it’s a new favorite. I’m not usually a complete recipe follower, followed this one and it was amazing!! Thank you for sharing!
❤️
Jeannine
★★★★★
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed!
What an amazing cake! I make this cake last weekend for my son’s bday. Everyone loved it.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed!
I don’t know if I missed it in the directions, but I didn’t see where it says to put buttercream in between the layers. I guess it’s assumed, but I was trying to follow the recipe very closely and it only said to put the ganache and the raspberries. I had to take the cake apart and add buttercream after the fact. It was a mess. The cake tasted good and I will know for next time. Also my layers were very thin, if I had time, I would have made a half batch to add another layer.
The frosting on the layers is from when you pip a dam on each layer of the cake before adding the chocolate and raspberry ganache in the center of the dam on each layer. I hope that helps!
Hi! Just wondering what flour you would recommend to make this cake gluten free? Thanks!
I haven’t used gluten free flour so I can’t really recommend which one to use. Sorry!
Your sugar is twice your flour. Is that normal? Im going to cut my sugar quantity by half. I feel it would be too sweet. I always reduce my sugar by 50% and still i get a nice moist ans fluffy cake.
Yes, that is correct.
Would I need to double the recipe if I want to do a sheet cake with 2 layers. Or would splitting just 1 layer work.
Depends on how tall of a cake you want. This cake will make your average 9×13 inch cake. If you’re looking for a larger sheet cake, you might want to increase it.
HI! What did you use to drizzle the chocolate ganache off the top of the cake or what do you recommend to make it look that nice?
I used a squeeze bottle. I think it gives you better control.
This cake earned 5 starts for flavor. My cake turned out incredibly delicious. I made it for my brother’s 28th birthday and he said it was probably the most delicious cake he’s ever had. My cake also looked like a “mound” cake by the end of it. I have no idea how to make them look pretty. The cake itself was moist and delicious, but fell apart as I was trying to assemble it (I’m not sure how to combat this, I am a novice baker). Also, I don’t think I put enough frosting between the layers because I had so much extra to put on the outside. There was 1cm – 2cm thick frosting over the cake. I was using it to “glue” together the cake as it was falling apart. It was pretty comedic, and a delicious cake. Any advice for the novice baker?
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I’m glad it still tasted good. My first question would be if you leveled the cake layers? If the domes are left on, that can create an issue with weight distribution as you layer the cakes and add weight.
How many cups of batter does the recipe yield? I am making a much larger cake than the recipe is written for at this time
I’m not sure, I’m sorry.
UMM… MAYDAY! Where’s the recipe go???? My ingredients are all out and it disappeared!
I’m so sorry for the trouble! There was an issue today that affected thousands of sites – mine included. It looks like it’s been resolved, so you should be able to access it here now. Sorry about that!
I panicked! I had it all measured out, luckily, so I winged it and it turned out! My boyfriend LOVED the look of it and will painstakingly make it through Friday until he tastes it! Raspberries are the perfect compliment to this cake.
Two things I noted: 1. I think the extract was missing from the ingredients list but shown in the video. I used one teaspoon of vanilla and one of raspberry and it gave the chocolate the best flavor, not overpowering. 2. I learned by error that you have to slowly stir the gnache in order to prevent air bubbles that masquerade as unmelted bits of chocolate. So we’ve got air bubbles but I’m certain they will taste just fine. LOL!
Sorry that had to happen with the site… Sigh, technology; its great when it works. The video is super helpful.
So glad you enjoyed it and that it worked out!
If I wanted to make these into cupcakes – how long would you cook them for and approximately how many would it make? Thanks!
I’d bake them for around 18-20 minutes. It should make roughly 24 cupcakes.
Can I use this recipe to make cupcakes? Any modifications needed?
Yes, that should be fine. You might need more filling to fill all the cupcakes and might not need all the frosting, but I’m not totally sure without trying it.
Sooooo good! Loved it. Next time I’ll probably make just 3/4 of the buttercream, as I had a lot left. But otherwise perfect, as all the recipes I’ve tried from your blog. Thanks!
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Looks delicious! What piping tips did you use for the icing and the ganache?
The swirls on top of the cake are Ateco tip 844 and the ganache was added with a plastic squeeze bottle.
Hi, I am making this cake today and I need to cover it with fondant, so my question is if your chocolate frosting will be OK to use under fondant? Thank you ☺️
I don’t work with a lot of fondant, but I would think this frosting should be OK.
I enjoy your recipes. its very delicious. Sooooo easy to read! Thank You so much for sharing your blog with us. Keep sharing!
Recipe says 3/4 natural unsweetened cocoa. I assume this is liquid cocoa and not a powder. Can you please confirm?
It is powdered cocoa.
This cake was heavenly, the vibrant raspberries were purely delightful with the heavy chocolate cake. Wonderful dance between tanginess and the deep chocolate flavour. My boyfriend and I absolutely adored making this cake! Heavens, we are making it again today! The family enjoyed it too!! Even our old pooch who ate a few crumbs. (accidentally of course)
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this cake for my Mums 80th Birthday, changing to a strawberry filling, as per previous comments. It was the best chocolate cake I’ve made from Pinterest. I did find when icing the outside it was beneficial to refridgerate the cake until firm, much easier. Everyone loved it and definitely make this one again. Thanks so much for an awesome cake.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Kim!
Is a good recipe! I’ve made this cake yesterday for my colleagues at work and came up just perfect. The only thing was the layers were not that thick as they suppose to be. That was because I used some batter for 6 cupcakes. Also, the same recipe was used 2 weeks ago for cupcakes filled with the raspberries filling. Perfect! It really works. I wonder if I can attach any pictures.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m not a baker – don’t love following recipes – so only do it on special occasions. This recipe is incredible! So easy to follow, and with a wonderful result. Cake is moist, frosting is just right, and the raspberry jam gives it the little tartness that it needs! I only have one cake pan, so I did it in two layers – thus having wayyy too much frosting, but no real loss there! Thanks for this 🙂
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I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Looove this cake, the cake itself was amazing so delicious , dark and moist. I did not have quite enough berries so I made the filling and put it into the cream filling, I then used raspberry jam on my cake slices and piped mounds and filled the centre with the now pretty blushing pink cream. I ganached the top of the cake with a pile of berries in the centre, dusting some gold and presented it as a naked cake, it looked and tasted divine, even if I do say so myself. Thank you for a go to recipe .
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Lindsay, how are you? I’m currently making your cake but i only have 125g of raspberries does the sugar, cornflour and water measurements change or does it stay the same?
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Yes, I would adjust everything else proportionally. It seems like it would be about half.
Hi! This is a fantastic recipe! Has anyone brought it to your attention that the ingredients for the frosting calls for salt and in the video you use vanilla? I just made mine with salt!
Hello! This looks amazing! Would it be possible to make this with 2 layers instead of 3? Would I just cut the recipe by 1/3?
You can do two layers but you don’t really have to reduce the amount of batter. You would just bake the two cakes for a little longer because they’ll be thicker. You could reduce the filling ingredients by half since you’ll only have one layer.
I just made this using two 8” pans instead of three. It took 42 minutes to bake. It was worrisome since the batter was so thin but I’m letting the layers set up overnight before I decide whether to cut them in half or just have a 2-layer cake. The raspberry filling was thin, also, so I’m hoping it will thicken up considerably overnight.
Hi there, I’ve got an egg allergy in the family and wonder if you think this cake would work without eggs or should I stick to the egg free recipe (and then do the ganache and frosting etc as per your recipe)?
I imagine leaving the eggs out will negatively affect the cake. There are egg replacements available that I’ve seen on the baking aisle though. You could try one of those.
I made it with an egg replacer (Ener-G but I am sure others are good too) and it was delicious.
I made this cake last weekend and the flavors came out very delicious. The cake was super moist and the frosting/ganache were excellent. I plan to use this chocolate cake recipe for cupcakes as well. The only thing I changed slightly was the raspberry filling. We don’t like raspberry seeds, so after I cooked the raspberry mixture as directed, I put it through a fine sieve and discarded the solids. I then whisked 2 TB of seedless Polaner raspberry jam into it and it worked out great. The only issues I struggled with was making the frosting in my Kitchen aid machine with the wire whisk attachment. There was so much frosting in the bowl that it didn’t mix up well on the bottom. But, in the end, it worked out fine. I also had a bit of trouble getting the top of the cake straight enough so that the ganache could drip down nice. But, I have to continue to practice my cake decorating skills and be patient enough to perfect the look of the finished product. The tutorials on this site give me hope! Can we see some smaller cake recipes in the future? 4 or 6″? My husband and I can’t eat a huge cake by ourselves. Thanks for posting this!
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I would suggest making frosting like a buttercream with the beater blade, not the whisk attachment. I have considered making some smaller cake versions so thank you for the feedback!
My daughter and I made this cake tonight for a party tomorrow. Couple things for us to work on, frosting I think was a little on the thick side and had a little trouble with the drip. Overall I think it went pretty well. Everything was delicious. Looking forward to making more cakes. Would you recommend any extra tips for the frosting and drip that isn’t already in your videos?
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Wonderful recipe–a truly decadent dessert! I used my standard chocolate buttercream recipe, but otherwise I followed the instructions with only minor adjustments for altitude. I really appreciated your leveling and torting tips, too. Cake came out beautiful and my family raved about it.
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it and found the Tips helpful!
Thank you for a great recipe, cake turned out great. I made it with a raspberry buttercream instead through, worked well! Thanks from Brisbane, Australia
Glad you enjoyed it!
Can I make the cakes a day before and then frost them the next day?
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Definitely!
Thanks! Going to try making tomorrow! Would the recipe be the same if I ued 9in rounds?
The layers would be thinner so you would want to reduce the baking time. The final cake just won’t be quite as tall.
I just made this for my hubby’s birthday tomorrow. I used frozen raspberries for the fillig and fresh raspberries for decoration, and that worked fine. I really appreciate the links to all the tips throughout the process; they are very helpful, and I learned a lot! Next time I will use more frosting for the dam around the top of each layer (new technique for me) because some of the raspberry filling still leaked out in a couple spots, but only slightly. I am also going to invest in a plastic squeeze bottle for my next attempt because my drips using a spoon are kind of gloppy. Thanks so much for providing this recipe and all the tips. I’ll definitely be back for more recipes!
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I’m so glad you enjoyed it and to hear that all the tutorials were helpful!
I’m planning on making this tomorrow for Valentine’s Day. Is olive ok instead of vegetable oil? Can I use oat or almond milk instead of regular milk? Or will that change the consistency and make it too watery?
Thanks!!
I have heard of using olive oil in cake before, but I’ve never actually tried it so I can’t say what kind of a difference it makes. as for the milk, I think the cake will turn out with a different kind of milk but keep in mind that those kinds of milk have less fat in them so it will likely change the final texture of the cake.
Turned out great!!
★★★★★
Thank you I love this recipe!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Lindsay, This cake is super yummy! My husband loves the Raspberry chocolate cake. I tried your Raspberry chocolate layer cake yesterday at my home. He liked the raspberry filling in the cake and just loved the cake so much. Thanks a lot for sharing this recipe Lindsay!
So glad you both enjoyed it!
This is an odd request, but i am having difficulty getting plain flour – do you think I can just substitute with self-raising and omit the baking powder & soda? Or should I look for a different recipe for the cake?
I’m sorry, I’m just not sure it’s that simple and it’s hard to advise since I don’t ever use self rising flour in cakes. I’m sorry! I know flour can be hard to find right now.
Oh my word, my mouth is watering! I cannot wait to make this cake for my husband’s birthday! That being said, would it work out to make the filling, frosting, and ganache a day or two in advance? I stay home with my 3 littles, so it would be a lot for me to do this all in one day!
Yes, that’d be fine. Just be sure to refrigerate them all. I hope you enjoy it!
Looks delish! My son is turning 13 and for his birthday month we have been baking what will be a total of 13 desserts and we share most of them with friends. His actual birthday is next week and we will make this for his crowning endeavor. Is there a way to get a printable version where the words show up? The pdf shows most of the words in light gray font and it’s really hard to read. Thank you!
Your recipe is perfect. Baked my first layer cake for my husband’s birthday and it came out better than the cake from the patisserie. The cake stayed moist and tasted absolutely delicious.
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I had this cake for my 18th birthday and it was genuinely the best cake I’ve ever eaten in my life! Thank you 😀
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Hi! I used this recipe for my son’s birthday last year, and it was delicious…a real crowd pleaser! 🙂 I am curious if you can tell me how many cups of batter the cake recipe makes? I wanted to make 10” round layers this time (which calls for 6 cups per layer according to the pan directions) and need to know how much to adjust! Thanks in advance!
★★★★★
I’m glad it was a hit! I’m sorry, I’m not sure how many cups of batter it makes.
This cake is amazing!! So delicious!! I am going to make it for the groom’s cake for my son’s wedding in December. I’m wondering if I should add meringue powder to the buttercream since the cake will be sitting out for several hours. I don’t want it to dry out. What would you recommend?
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ve never added meringue powder to buttercream so I’m not sure. I haven’t had issues with it holding up before, but I also don’t do wedding cakes.
Hi,
I want to try this recipe tomorrow. I only have 2 cake pans. Will it be okay to bake two cakes first and let the rest of the batter sit? Or is it best divide the ingredients into 2/3 and 1/3 batches.
Also, is the ganache essential? Can I make it without putting ganache between the layers?
Cheers
Tanya
Yes, it should be fine to let it sit. And you can leave out the ganache, if you prefer.
Hi Lindsay – This cake looks amazing and your videos are such great tutorials! I am planning on making this cake this weekend for my son and daughter-in-laws’ anniversary. Your recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder in the cake and Hersey’s Special Dark cocoa powder in the frosting. I am unable to find the Hersey chocolate powder in my area in Ontario. The only thing that I can find is Fry’s Premium Cocoa powder which is an unsweetened cocoa powder. Would it make much difference if I used this for both the cake and frosting or could you please suggest an alternative ingredient? Thanks
Any unsweetened cocoa powder should work just fine.
I’m thirteen years old, and my ten year old sister and I made this cake for our dad’s birthday. It was super fun to make as a team! It was our first time making a layered cake and a cake from scratch. The recipe was the perfect balance of challenging and fun for beginners like us! One tip: don’t be afraid to use more of the frosting, ganache, and filling….we ended up with a lot of extra. Also, it’s very rich! Our dad loved it and he was very thankful!
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Hi, my daughter tried baking the cake and it was absolutely delicious. However, it didn’t rise at all. We split it into three pans and they were hardly 1 inch high each. Any ideas on why they didn’t rise at all. She followed the recipe completely.
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I want to make the Raspberry Chocolate Layer Cake but cannot find Hersey’s Dark Cocoa Powder anywhere to make the chocolate frosting. What can I use for a substitute or is there another frosting recipe that works equally well with this cake?
You can definitely just use regular natural unsweetened cocoa. Hershey’s has changed their dark cocoa and it’s not really my favorite anymore, sadly.
Hi Lindsay,
I made this cake today for my sons 7th birthday. Unfortunately we found it way too sweet. The cake itself was lovely, but the frosting and ganache was just too much.
Hi could I possibly store the chocolate cake, just the cake no frosting In the fringe or the freezer two days before continuing with the recipe? Or will it completely ruin the texture?
Ps: love this recipe, best cake ever!
★★★★★
This is the best chocolate cake ever! Its so moist and full of flavour and I make it for all my family’s birthdays because they love it so much.
★★★★★
I’m so glad it’s a hit!
Is there a way to turn these into cupcakes? I love how spongy the cake is and I want to make stuffed cupcakes
Yes, it should make about 24 cupcakes. Bake them for 15-20 minutes.
if i have to use 3 6 inch cake pan, do i need to cut the recipe in half? and how long do i need to bake it btw, thank you for your talent i made a lot of your cheesecake, and it never fails. always a hit.
I don’t really bake 6 inch cakes, so I’m not sure.
Glad to hear you enjoy the recipes!
Hi, want to try making your cake! But i need to bake it in 9inch pans so can you tell me how much to increase the ingredients for the biscuits so it is ok for 9inch pans?
Can you confirm if the salt in the frosting recipe is correct? The written instructions list 1/2 tsp salt, but the video shows vanilla extract instead. I am making this for my daughters 15th birthday and don’t want to mess it up.
Follow the recipe as written. It includes both salt and vanilla extract.
Hi Lindsay,
This cake looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it out! What kind of sugar did you use in the cake batter and the raspberry filling? Just granulated white sugar, or caster sugar, or brown sugar? Does it not make much of a difference?
Granulated white sugar
Fabulous cake! Just made this recipe today for a birthday. The recipe was so clearly written and all ingredient amounts and instructions made for a perfect cake! This was surprisingly easy but beautiful and looked very impressive. The raspberry jam was a perfect contrast to the swert frosting and ganache. The cake texture was moist and almost spongey. Worth the calories! Thank you!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it!
I want to half it and make a smaller one. What ratios do you recommend
I haven’t done a cake that size, so I’m not sure. You could try a 6 inch.
Hi LIndsay…This is so amazing!!! I am going to attempt this today(I feel I might be in over my head). I have 2 questions 1) can i use a stand mixer instead of a hand mixer. I unfortunately gave away my hand mixer when I bought the stand mixer. 2) Can I use cake flour instead of AP? Thank you so much for the recipe!
Yes, you can use a stand mixer. And cake flour should be fine. I hope you enjoy it!
Which would you recommend more this Cake recipe or ‘ The best Chocolate cake recipe’ ?
They are VERY similar, but the “best” one is still my favorite.
A complete disaster. The batter was a slurry. 1 cup of milk plus 1 cup if water plus 1/2 cup of oil and 2 eggs is about 3 cups of fluid in this recipe. 3 cups of fluid to 1 and 3/4 of flour. This cannot be correct! At the end of the 25 minute bake i had a 3 x 1 cm tall pancakes. Good luck guys!
It’s a lot of liquid, yes. But if it didn’t bake correctly then you did something wrong. Sorry to be blunt, but this recipe has been made countless times and does work wonderfully. It’s worth it too, so you might consider double checking everything and trying again.
I made this cake today and I am in LOVE!!
It was absolutely perfect! The recipe is so easy to follow and everything turned out perfect. Thank you so much for posting this. I will be using this recipe many many times in the future 😁
Made in the UK!
★★★★★
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it!
Walter again! I have now quadruple tested this recipe and it has failed four times. On the third and forth attempts I had a second person check all my ingredients and methods. All ingredients were electronically weighed. On both those occasions we both agreed I had followed the recipe faithfully. On all occasions adding the milk/oil/egg/vanilla extract mixer to the flour/sugar/cocoa/… mixture resulted in a very thin batter. On the 2nd and subsequent attempts I left out the water as an attempted remedy, however this resulted in a cake that collapsed in the middle. I’m not having any trouble with other cake recipes which tend to have much more flour in their ingredients.
So if you altered it in subsequent tries, then you didn’t actually make it 4 times as written. That said, I truly have no idea what to tell you. And I’m sure you can see from the reviews that it’s been successful for the vast majority of people. This recipe is pretty much fool proof and so simple that it’s got to be something else if your ingredients truly are correct and nothing is expired (like the baking soda). The batter is supposed to be very thin, so that’s correct. Where do you live? I know ingredients in other countries are often different than the ones in the US and that can lead to different results. From your email address, it looks like you might be in Australia. Also, altitude. Do you live at high altitude? Those are all things that can have large effects and unfortunately I’m not sure how to troubleshoot them.
So I manged to find that you had made a Youtube of the recipe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqfxCW7R67Y. Seems very watery to me I’m not sure how it is meant to hold any areration. As to my baking soda. Seems to be working fine on my other cakes both before and after making your recipe.
Anyway the problem wasn’t under aeration. The problem was the batter is so thin that all the aeration escapes the batter leaving a cake full of holes on top and looking like a crumpet. You know after four attempts and 3 different people checking could I have still made a mistake? Anything is possible, but not probable. What brand of flour are you using and do you always use the same brand? P.s the frosting is excellent and has replaced my usual go to frosting!
I wasn’t happy with this at all. The mix was really runny and the tin wouldn’t hold it. I followed it word for word.
The batter is very thin. It sounds like you used a springform pan and those often leak. Sounds like you might want to try again with a regular cake pan. The cake is worth it.
I was wondering if you could also substitute the raspberry for sweet potato?
I just want to make a vanilla cake using the filling recipe from here and I want to use sweet potato to make a fall cake. Also, I did try this recipe and my cake came out so DELICOUS!!!! Thank you in advance! 😀
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I’m glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t ever tried a sweet potato filling like that, so I’m honestly not sure.