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This chocolate raspberry cake is made up of three layers of super moist chocolate cake, homemade raspberry filling, and rich, creamy chocolate frosting. The whole thing is topped off with a decadent chocolate ganache and a smattering of fresh raspberries.
Table of Contents
The Best Chocolate Raspberry Cake
If you’re looking for a cake that will wow your family and friends, this cake is it. It’s not only beautiful, but it’s so darn delicious. The cake layers alone make a wonderful cake. They are super easy to make, perfectly chocolatey and so moist. Add the delicious homemade raspberry filling and fudgy chocolate frosting made with real melted chocolate and the cake nearly melts in your mouth.
To finish it off, there’s the chocolate drip and more fresh raspberries. Yes, please! Real chocolate. Real raspberries. HUGE flavor. And it’s actually pretty simple to make. This raspberry chocolate layer cake is definitely a must-try.
Why You’ll Love This Layer Cake
This cake makes me swoon every time. If you love chocolate and raspberries, you might just have found your dream dessert. Here’s why I think you’ll love it.
- Simple mixing method. All you have to do is whisk together your dry ingredients and then your wet ingredients (separately) before mixing them all together and adding some hot water. No fancy mixing methods here!
- A classic flavor combo. Chocolate and raspberries are a match made in heaven. They both have a bitter-sweetness that comes together in all of the right ways. Each balances the other out.
- Unbeatable texture. This cake uses oil instead of butter, which gives it a wonderful, silky smooth, moist texture. The addition of hot water to the batter takes it over the top, adding the perfect extra kick of moisture without making the cake too heavy.
- So chocolaty. Both the cake layers and the frosting are just exploding with chocolate flavor. The hot water added to the cake batter allows the flavors of the cocoa powder to bloom into full effect. And then the frosting. The frosting has a base of butter and real chocolate. The result is an almost fudgy frosting that will have you licking the mixing bowl.
What You’ll Need
Here’s a list of ingredients you will need to make this chocolate and raspberry cake. For exact measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Raspberry filling
- Sugar – Adds sweetness and some volume to the filling.
- Cornstarch – To help thicken the filling. Just don’t cook it for too long or it can actually have the reverse effect.
- Water – To help dissolve the cornstarch and melt the sugar.
- Raspberries – You’ll need about 2 pints of raspberries for the filling and decor. Feel free to use frozen raspberries, just thaw them and remove the excess water first.
Chocolate cake
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure it accurately with either a food scale or the scoop and level method. Don’t pack your flour. You could also use a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is all that’s needed.
- Natural unsweetened cocoa – You could use Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead for a deeper chocolaty flavor, your layers just may not rise quite as tall.
- Leavening – Baking soda and baking powder are both used to give the cake a super tender texture, but also not so tender that it falls apart too easily.
- Salt – For flavor. Don’t leave it out.
- Milk – Whole milk and 2% both work great.
- Vegetable oil – The vegetable oil adds lovely moisture to this chocolate cake.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs – They hold everything together. Be sure to use large size eggs.
- Hot water – Hot water awakens and intensifies the chocolaty flavor in this cake and also adds moisture without weighing the cake down and making it too heavy. You could also use hot coffee.
Chocolate buttercream
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature. Butter that is too cold will give you a lumpy frosting and butter that is too warm with leave you with a runny frosting.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – Melted, so that they can be folded into the frosting.
- Hershey’s dark cocoa powder – You could use natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-processed cocoa powder instead but I love the intensity of Hershey’s dark chocolate rendition.
- Powdered sugar – Definitely necessary for buttercream. It adds sweetness and volume to the buttercream and also affects the frosting consistency.
- Salt – For flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream – Adds creaminess to the buttercream.
Chocolate ganache
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Heavy whipping cream
How to Make Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ready to learn how to make chocolate raspberry layer cake? Here’s a quick overview. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more thorough instructions.
To make the raspberry filling
- Melt the sugar. Melt the sugar with the cornstarch and water over medium heat.
- Add the raspberries. Stir in the raspberries and cook until they start to soften. Mash the berries a bit and cook until thickened. Strain to remove the seeds, if desired.
- Chill. Refrigerate until cool.
For the cake layers
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350°F, line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans parchment paper, and grease with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients.Whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- Put it all together. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients followed by the hot water.
- Bake. Divide the batter between the cake pans and bake for 22-25 minutes.
- Cool. Cool for a couple of minutes in the pans before turning the cakes out onto cooling racks.
To make the chocolate frosting and chocolate ganache
- Beat. Beat the butter until smooth.
- Make it chocolaty. Mix in the melted chocolate followed by the cocoa powder.
- Finish it off. Add half of the powdered sugar, salt, and half of the heavy cream. Mix until smooth before mixing in the rest of the powdered sugar followed by the remaining heavy cream.
- Make the chocolate ganache. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until it begins to boil. Pour it over the chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes before whisking until smooth.
- Level the cakes. Cut the domes from the tops of the cakes.
- Make a dam. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Pipe frosting around the top edge of the cake (you are making a dam to keep the filling inside).
- Fill and stack. Spread 1/4 cup of the chocolate ganache over the top of the cake (inside the dam) followed by 1/2 of the raspberry filling. Top with another cake layer and repeat.
- Frost the cake. Once you’ve added the final cake layer, frost the top and outside of the cake.
- Decorate. Drizzle chocolate ganache around the edges of the cake and fill in the center. Pipe swirls of chocolate frosting around the top of the cake. Garnish with raspberries.
Tips for Success
One of my favorite things is helping you achieve spectacular baking results. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you do that with this cake.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl. When making the cake batter, be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl intermittently as you add and mix in ingredients. This will help ensure that all of the ingredients make it into the batter and are incorporated fully.
- Don’t over-mix. When combining the wet and dry ingredients for the cake batter, mix just until everything is incorporated. Over-mixing can cause the glutens in the flour to overdevelop. This is a one-way ticket to a tough, overly dense cake.
- Room temperature butter. The butter in the frosting should be at room temperature. Butter that is too cold will likely give you a lumpy frosting. Conversely, butter that is too soft can make your frosting runny.
- Add chocolate slowly. When making the buttercream, it’s best to add the melted chocolate in 2 or 3 parts so that it incorporates evenly and you don’t end up with lumps of chocolate.
- Do your homework. This cake requires a slightly more complex stacking and filling process because you are working with a softer filling. Check out my tutorial on How to Fill and Stack a Layer Cake for the best results.
- Let it cool. It is crucial to allow the cake layers and filling to cool completely before stacking, filling, and frosting. Otherwise, things won’t stay in place.
Can This Chocolate and Raspberry Cake Be Prepared in Advance?
Yes! You can make the cake layers up to 2 days in advance. Once they’ve cooled, seal them in separate ziplock bags and store them at room temperature. In addition, you can make the chocolate frosting and the raspberry filling up to 4 days in advance. Seal them in separate airtight containers (allow the raspberry filling to cool first) and store them in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, all that’s left to do is make the ganache and stack, fill, frost, and decorate the cake.
Alternatively, you could make the whole cake and refrigerate it for a day or two before serving. I often make cakes the day before I serve them. Just keep in mind that the frosting gets firm when cold, so I’d let it sit at room temperature for a bit before serving so that it isn’t too firm.
How to Store Leftovers
Hesitant to make an entire cake for just you and your household? Do it anyway. This cake will stay good for several days in the fridge and for months in the freezer. It’s totally worth it. Here’s how to store it properly.
- Refrigerator: Transfer the cake to an airtight cake carrier. If you don’t have one, wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap. Use toothpicks to prop the wrap away from any decorations. If you already sliced the cake, arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container and seal it shut. Store the cake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It is best enjoyed closer to room temperature, so allow it to sit on the counter for an hour or so before serving.
- Freezer: Let the cake hang out in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping the whole thing in a double layer of plastic wrap. Sliced it already? Arrange the slices in a single layer in an airtight container and seal it shut. Store the cake in the freezer for up to 3 months. When a chocolate raspberry cake craving hits you, allow the cake to thaw in the refrigerator. Once thawed, allow it to come to room temperature on the counter before serving. You can also wrap individual layers of cake separately and pull one out as needed.
More Layer Cake Recipes:
Layer cakes are so festive and fun. You can pretty much pick any cake flavor, frosting, and filling and put them together to make a masterpiece. This chocolate raspberry layer cake is one of my favorites but here are some other must-try gems.
- The BEST Chocolate Cake
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Cake
- Chocolate Mousse Cake
- Nutella Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate Oreo Cake
- Hot Chocolate Cake
- S’mores Chocolate Cake
- Orange Layer Cake
- Moist Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe
- Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
- Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake
- Oreo Brookie Layer Cake
Watch How to Make Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Print
Recipe
Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 Slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
This chocolate raspberry cake is made up of three layers of super moist chocolate cake, homemade raspberry filling, and rich, creamy chocolate frosting. The whole thing is topped off with a decadent chocolate ganache and a smattering of fresh raspberries.
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
To make the raspberry filling
- 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.
- Add the raspberries and stir to coat with the sugar mixture.
- Continue to cook until the raspberries start to soften and let out juice. Use your spatula to mash the raspberries.
- Remove from heat when raspberry juice has begun to thicken, after about 5 minutes. Strain to remove the seeds, if desired. Pour the mixture into another bowl and refrigerate until cool.
To make the cake layers
- 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.
- Add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
- Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate in 2-3 batches and mix until well combined.
- Add the cocoa powder and mix until well combined.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar, salt and half of the heavy cream and mix until well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- Add the remaining heavy cream as needed to get the right consistency of frosting.
To make the ganache and finish the cake
- To make the chocolate ganache, add the chocolate chips to a medium sized bowl (see my tips on making chocolate ganache).
- Heat the heavy whipping cream in the microwave until it just begins to boil. Keep an eye on it because it happens quickly.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- 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.
- Place the first cake layer on a serving plate or on a cardboard cake circle.
- Pipe a dam around the outside of the cake layer with some of the chocolate frosting.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of chocolate ganache on top of the cake, in the center of the dam.
- 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.
- Add the second layer of cake, then repeat steps 23 thru 25.
- Add the third and final layer of cake on top.
- Frost the top and outside of the cake with the remaining chocolate frosting.
- 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.
- 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.
Notes
*You’ll need about 2 pints of raspberries for the filling and decor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 940
- Sugar: 100.8 g
- Sodium: 481.2 mg
- Fat: 51 g
- Carbohydrates: 122.3 g
- Protein: 9.7 g
- Cholesterol: 108 mg
Could you make this into a 9×13 layer cake?
Sure. You can find the chocolate cake part as a 9×13 in this chocolate cake recipe.
I am a total believer! This recipe turned out perfect. Not too sweet, moist, chocolatey with a slight raspberry tartness. I am amazed and grateful! It was a easy to make and a perfect birthday cake. I want to find excuses to make it again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this cake last year and it was amazing! Making it again this year for my birthday. I was wondering for the frosting if it would be ok to do the same unsweeten cocoa powder for the cake or would it be a big difference if I didn’t use the Hershey dark cocoa? Also if I don’t do the ganache would there be an issue with the frosting and raspberry filling? Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And yes, you can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder for the buttercream. The color is just less dark and the flavor is a little less intense. And if you don’t use the ganache, it’s possible that the raspberry filling will seep into the cake layers a touch, but it should be fine.
I have made this recipe so many times because people have requested it for their own birthday or special event once they taste it! Definitely a favorite! I’m making it again this weekend for about 20 people. Do you think I could make it as a layered 9×13 sheet cake? Should I double the recipe?
I’m glad it’s a hit! It should be fine as a 9×13. You can actually find the chocolate cake recipe as a 9×13 in this chocolate cake recipe. You could divide it into two layers to fill it. I hope that helps!
Does the chocolate dry over the cake or is it still wet
It firms up, but it doesn’t become hard like chocolate. It’s soft enough to easily cut through and eat, but firm enough to stay in place and not get ruined by gently touching it.
Not for the faint of heart. While this recipe is delicious, it is ALOT of work!!
I will be traveling with this cake by car from Indiana to Florida the beginning of January. Does the cake need to be chilled or is it ok at room/car temperature for a 2 day trip? Thank you
It would need to be refrigerated.
Can we replace Raspberry with strawberry?
That should be fine.
I want to make this cake for husbands birthday this weekend but I only have 9 inch pans. Will the layers be too thin if I just do 3? Would it be better to double the recipe and make 4 layers?
Doubling the recipe will give you a very tall cake. I would do one and a half recipes worth and do three layers. I hope you enjoy it!
Hi i would love to try this recipe u think its ok if i use regular sweet chocolate chips??
Milk chocolate chocolate chips should be fine. It’s just a thinner chocolate, so you may not need as much cream in the frosting. I hope you enjoy it!
Hello! I made last year this recipe and I remember it was so delicious that my son asked me this year to make it again! But, I feel confused about the 2 1/4 tsp of baking soda. It means 2 tsp and 1/4 tsp of baking soda? It’s not too much? Help!
Yes, that’s correct.
Another winner!!!
I made this for my daughter’s birthday. Chocolate cake was delicious and raspberry filling was the perfect addition ! Brought it to the restaurant and 3 servers asked if they could try some.
Thanks AGAIN Lindsay for another delicious cake. Making again next week by request.
Awesome! I’m so glad it was a hit!
I have made chocolate cupcakes with raspberry filling, but I never thought about the cake. This looks really good. I am going to try it, and let you know what my co-workers think. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I hope you enjoy it!
I have been making this recipe for my kids birthdays and when I’m in charge of desserts for gatherings for several years now. It’s phenomenal 🙌🏻 Everyone says it’s the best.
Awesome! I’m so glad it’s a hit!
I made this cake for a friends bday. It was beautiful and they loved it.
A friend wants the same, but with vanilla cake, and to turn it into cupcakes.
Love to here your thoughts. Thanks so much, new to baking.
I’m so glad it was a hit! I would recommend these vanilla cupcakes. They will be most similar.
I would like to make a 10” 3 layer and 6” 3 layer tiered cake using this recipe without the raspberry filling. Would you simply double this recipe?
For a 10 inch cake, I’d double the recipe. For a 6 inch cake, I’d probably cut it in half. But you might want to test it, just to be sure it’s all how you want it.
Hi, I will be making this for the first time but i just realized the recipe is for three 8 inch cake pans but I have 3 three 6 inch pans. I am fine to make extra but just don’t want to overfill the pans. How much should I fill the pans?
I haven’t made 6 inch cakes of this recipe. How tall are your pans? If you want a very tall cake, I’m guessing you should be able to divide the batter between the 3 pans and be fine. If you want a cake that’s closer to 4 inches tall, I’d cut the recipe in half.
We let our kids choose their cake every year for their birthday and my son chose this for his 15th this year! I subbed out the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free flour since we have an allergy in the home and it still turned out amazing. The best cake I’ve probably ever had! Kudos to you!
Awesome! Glad it was a hit!
Wow! I will make this cake for my son’s birthday! I want to prepare it in advance. How long can we keep the raspberry filling in the fridge? Thank you for the recipe!!!
The raspberry filling should be good in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days.
I have made this cake about 8 times for my best friend’s birthday. I strain the raspberry purée and add hot strong coffee in place of the hot water. She loves it. Making it again tomorrow for her birthday ritual.
I made this for an Auction and everone loved it. They said it was the best chocolate cake they had ever tried. The raspberry puree was amazing!
Wonderful! I’m so glad it was a hit!
There are many recipes I love baking, and this cake is my number one! I’ve made it twice so far! Once for an auction at my school and for someone’s 50th birthday! Everyone enjoyed it both times! Soon I’ll be making it again for my friend’s birthday next month!
So glad you’ve enjoyed it!
This recipe is incredible! Cake is really moist and the entire cake is full of flavor. The only thing I did a little different is push the cooked raspberry purée through a metal screen strainer to take out the seeds.
I made this for my husbands birthday yesterday and got high praises!! I will definitely be making this again!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
How many cups of frosting does this Chocolate buttercream make?
I’m not sure of the exact amount, but I’m guessing 4 to 5 cups.
wondering if you think the cake batter could work as cupcakes? i made this cake and it was amazing. trying to make a slightly simpler version for another party coming up and wondering if you had reccos for cook time for a cupcake version? thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! It should be fine as cupcakes. Bake time would probably be around 15 minutes, give or take.
Girl my son in law requested a raspberry chocolate cake for his 40th birthday so I took the challenge. It took me 4 hours to complete but it was awesome and so worth it! Best cake I’ve made ! I will be making this again!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Linsey I have made this recipe several times and loved it so much every time!
If I was to make cupcakes how full would I need to fill the cupcake liners. And how many cupcakes would this make?
Do you recommend filling them with raspberry filling in the middle?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake! I don’t typically make this particular recipe as cupcakes, since it sometimes gives me trouble. I would recommend these chocolate cupcakes, which are very similar but in my opinion even better. And then yes, you could fill the cupcake with the raspberry filling. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-homemade-chocolate-cupcakes/
Can this cake be made using 6 inch cake pans (4 layer cake)? Does the bake time change?
I haven’t made this as a 6 inch before, but you could. I’m just not sure of the bake time.
I made this cake for my school bake off and it won 2nd place! It was so delicious and moist and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it!
Awesome! Congratulations! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe! I am looking to make this cake for around 40 people, I have a 12″, 10″, 8″ pan set, but I would rather not make this a tiered cake. Could you estimate how many batches I would need to make a 12″ layered?
Additionally, if you only have 1 pan, or say 2 pans, is this batter OK to sit while the other batches cook? Or better to spilt the recipe and mix on demand?
I really don’t make any 12 inch cakes, so any number I throw out would be a total guess. For a 10 inch, my guess is usually to double or triple the cake depending on the height someone wants. So you definitely would want to do more than tripling it for 12 inch. And I’m guessing a 12 inch will take a while to bake, so I’d probably mix up the batter as I go rather than all at once.
Can you use raspberry jam in place of the raspberry filling recipe?
Sure.
Hi, this is a great recipe. Can i substitute the raspberry for strawberries?
That should be fine. Strawberries can have more moisture though so you might end up needing to cook the filling a touch longer.
I am making this cake for an event but need to be able to make components ahead of time. I know I can make the cake ahead and freeze the layers, but how far ahead can I make the raspberry filling and frosting? I know the ganache should be done at assembly.
The raspberry filling can be made and refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to six months. The frosting can be made and refrigerated for up to two weeks or frozen for up to three months.
I made this this past weekend for a friend’s birthday. What an amazing cake!!! Might just be the best cake I’ve ever eaten!!!
Awesome! So glad to hear that!
can i bake the cake at once? if so for how long and how warm in the oven
You need to bake at least two layers.
Hi! Beautiful recipe!! Can this be made without egg? If yes, What should we substitute?
Thank you 🙂
I haven’t ever worked with egg substitutes, so I’m not sure how to advise.
I made this recipe and the layers were thin, cake was tough and not fluffy or sweet. I made it according to directions to a T as far as I can tell. .what happened? I did let the batter sit awhile…
Hard to say from a distance. The first thing I would check is your baking soda and baking powder. Be sure that they are both still good and that you used the correct amounts of each one. If you used mostly baking powder instead of baking soda by accident, it would definitely be the culprit. This cake will not rise properly and will be dense if you don’t use the baking soda. It’s possible that leaving it on the counter for a while before baking could affect it, depending on how long that is. Baking soda starts reacting immediately, unlike baking powder, so the longer it sits the more likely it is to affect the outcome. As for not tasting sweet, if you added the right amount of sugar that shouldn’t be an issue. Assuming none of those things were the issue, I would check to make sure all of the other ingredients are measured accurately. If you over measured some of the liquid (or under measured the flour by a good bit), the cake may not rise properly and be too heavy or dense.
Hi. Am planning to make this cake for my daughter’s 9th birthday this coming weekend.
Can i bake it the day before? Will the frost & ganache dry up in the fridge overnight as it will be difficult to put it in airtight container.
Any tips?
Thanks
Yes, you can definitely make it the day before and refrigerate it.
This has become my go to chocolate cake recipe. Everyone loves it.
Could you please tell me if I can use this recipe for a Vanilla version.
If I leave out the cocoa, do I substitute equal amount of flour.
Thank you so much
So glad it’s a hit! You can find a vanilla version here as cupcakes – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/moist-vanilla-cupcakes/ and I used it as the cake layers in this cake – https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/berry-mascarpone-layer-cake/
I didn’t read through the instructions well enough and add the hot water with the other wet ingredients, how will that affect the cake?
It should be fine. The main purpose of mixing things that way is so that you can incorporate the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients without getting a little lumps of dry ingredients. If you add too much liquid all at once, it just doesn’t incorporate as well. But the cake should still turn out fine.
Do you happen to know how I would reduce the batter if I wanted to make a three layer 6 inch cake?
I would cut it in half
Have you done this as cupcakes?
I haven’t done this particular recipe, but I’m guessing it would be fine.
Have you tried making this recipe with a reduced amount of sugar (say half or 3/4 the amount)? I love desserts but I always feel that they’re too sweet. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it.
How much in ml is the 3/4 cup of heavy cream for the ganache please?
180ml
The cake was good, nice & rich chocolate. I do think there is too much frosting. I only made half the amount of frosting that the recipe called for and still had some left over.
I did use 9 inch cake pans as I don’t own 8 inch pans.
What if i am using frozen berries? Do I use exact measurements?
Yes, I would still use 2 cups of raspberries.
I just want to say thank you for listing the sodium. It saves me from doing the math. That said, do you think it would affect the frosting too much if I omitted the salt?
I’m glad it’s helpful. You can definitely leave the salt out of the frosting. Lots of people don’t use salt in their frosting but I find that it gives more flavor. You’ll be fine without it though.
Perfect! Also, I’m about to start baking for my daughters party tomorrow and I only have 9 in pans. Do you have a guess on how that will affect the baking time?
I’m a little behind on responding – sorry! I hope it turned out well!
Is the cocoa used in the cake the same as the Hershey’s cocoa powder used in the frosting? If not, can you give me an example of the brand used for the cake?
Thanks
I used Hersheys special dark cocoa in the frosting and the regular cocoa in the cake. They can both usually be found at the grocery store. Feel free to use just regular cocoa for both.
This tasted delicious, but I had a terrible time assembling the cake. Maybe because the layers were almost but not completely cool??, but the bottom layer squished and the upper layers slid off. I put each layer on a plate and refrigerated, then reassembled. It stayed together, but the chocolate and raspberry filling was all mixed together. It didn’t look pretty but tasted so very good. I’ll make it again but be sure every layer is cool and raspberry sauce is chilled.
Yes, every layer needs to be fully cold and chilled for it to layer properly. When chilled, they are thick and things don’t slide around so much.
Do you filter the raspberry filling to get the seeds out?
I don’t think I did in this recipe, but you certainly can.
I made this for a retirement celebration and oh my goodness..everyone thought it was divine!! I did not use chocolate frosting but that is the only thing I changed. I will definitely be adding this to my cake selection menu!! Thank you!
So glad it was a hit!
I made this recipe before and it was a hit! I also really like the chocolate cake part and want to use it in another cake I’m doing which will be 2 layers that are 13 x 9. I’m at a loss if I should just double the cake part or if you have any other recipe that is for a 13 x 9. Also this is the only site I trust for my recipes. Anything I make on here has been amazing so thank you for making me look like I know what I’m doing!
So glad you enjoyed it! You can actually find this chocolate cake as a 9 x 13 here -https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/easy-moist-chocolate-cake/
Can I make the three cake layers a day before and, if so, how should I store them to prevent from drying out?
Definitely. I usually put them in an air tight container and store them on the counter.
Can I use box cake mix??
Sure.
Hi! I havent made a ton of cakes so im not to experienced; but I am hoping to make this for my moms birthday. Ím kind of looking for your opinion on whats best. Should I try to do the raspberry filling in the cake? Or should I leave it out in a dish for people to pour on. If I did what should I put to fill in instead. Or should I try to put the raspberry inside , but ím not sure how difficult it is.
Putting the raspberry sauce inside isn’t difficult, you just need to make sure the frosting you use for the dam isn’t too thin or it won’t hold the sauce in place. If you want to serve it on the side and not take the chance, you could either double the chocolate ganache used for the filling layers or just use chocolate buttercream. I hope that helps!
good
Is the batter supposed to be soupy? I have never made a cake that uses more sugar than flour. Have it in the oven now. Fingers crossed it is okay.
Yes, it’s very thin.
I made this for my mom’s 69th birthday today. It was soooo good! The raspberry filling definitely stole the show. So I have small children and very demanding cats that constantly scratch my legs when I’m trying to make a complicated multi step cake like this. I would absolutely adore it if literally any blogger would put measurements with the directions so you’re not constantly scrolling back and forth. Definitely made more than several mistakes between screaming children, demanding cats and husband and continually scrolling up and down. Lol! Before I make this again, I will invest in a ganache squeeze bottle. While this cake was delicious, my was *not* pretty. I completely forgot to add the 3 extra cups of powdered sugar to the icing (see my everyday chaos explanation above)…and it was perfect. I think with the full 6 cups it might be a tad too sweet for my taste. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I can’t wait to try some of your lemon cake recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it! And I hear you on a chaotic life. We have twins boys who are almost 4 and a one year old girl. Good for you for making this cake in the middle of the chaos!
I have homemade raspberry jam (cooked not freezer jam). Do you think I can use this for the raspberry filling instead of starting with fresh raspberries? Maybe layer it with a thin layer of the chocolate frosting?
That should be fine.
I want to use this recipe for my son’s skating rink birthday cake so I’d like to bake it in a 9×13 rectangle. Would you suggest splitting the recipe between two pans or pouring it all into one pan and making 2 cakes to stack?
Depends on how good you are at leveling cakes, LOL. Either way would really be fine.
This was yum!! I was very unsure about the batter, it was so thin, but it turned out great! I only had 9 inch pans, but it turned out fine. That is the best chocolate buttercream recipe I’ve ever tried. Thanks!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe for our son last year for his birthday and am currently making it again. We loved it!! I do have a question, though. Do we leave it in the fridge and just take it out as we want a slice? I notice you said refrigerate until ready to serve. I think last year I left it sitting out until it was gone. So should I just leave it in the fridge instead?
Love this recipe but the icing sugar in the chocolate frosting is way too much. I put half the amount and it was still too sweet. I am going to try it again for Christmas. Merry Christmas 🙂
Hello… making it for my son’s birthday tomorrow…. However don’t have access to dark cocoa powder. What else can I use?
Just use regular cocoa.
Can I omit the raspberry filling
Sure
This looks amazing. Thanks for sharing. I want to make this for my husband’s birthday, but I don’t have that many baking pans. Can I just bake them in one pan, then cut them into 3 pieces when it’s done. Thank you again
I wouldn’t bake it all in one pan, it will turn out dense and unevenly cooked. I’d bake each layer separately.
Can I use icing sugar for choclate frosting ?If so how much should be added
Powdered sugar and icing sugar are the same thing.
Hey!! Would this be a stable enough cake for a 3 tier cake???
It’s not a dense cake, but if it’s well doweled, I don’t see that as a problem.
By far the best cake I have ever made! Very moist crumb, tartness of the raspberry jam balances the sweetness of the chocolate perfectly, delicious icing. Was all gone in 3 days!
Things I slightly changed
– made 70% of the icing – still had plenty left over to ice a dozen cupcakes (note did not do a crumb coat – just piped icing on sides and smoothed with indented spatula and no crumbs!)
– used 70% dark chocolate for the ganache (also had plenty left over)
– put raspberry jam on top for a pop of colour
will also probably use 70% or even 80% dark chocolate in the icing next time
Can I freeze this? Or how long will it keep once made?
I should be good for 3 to 4 days. I don’t typically recommend freezing full cakes, but you can try it. If I need to freeze cake, I usually freeze slices.
You should call this one a chocolate raspberry “blowout” cake 😆
When adding the melted chocolate to the butter, should it be warm?
Room temperature is best.
I’ve made this cake as directed a couple years ago and it was absolutely superb. I’d like to adapt it to a 6″ layer cake. this time. Any guidance on how to modify the ingredients and bake time? Thanks.
I haven’t tried a 6 inch but I’m guessing you’d cut it in half. Not sure on bake time.
How did you know how to make it without measurements? Any tips pls?
What are you talking about? The recipe is above. There’s even a jump to recipe button just underneath the title of the post.
Does this make enough batter for three 8” pans?
Can i use frozen raspberries for the filling? they aren’t in season in my country!
Yes, that’ll be fine.
Can you use this recipe for cupcakes?
Yes, that should be fine. I use these chocolate cupcakes though. Very similar, the others are just a touch more tender.
This has become my most requested and go to cake. We are going on vacation and want to freeze the cake and assemble later in the week for a birthday. How long can I keep the cake frozen?
Glad you’ve enjoyed it! Cake layers usually freeze fine for up to 3 months. I haven’t tested it, but am guessing that’d be fine.
Okay…my cake fell. I have no idea what happened. I didn’t open the door & I do NOT live in high elevation. I am devestated. It’s suppose to be for my 4th of July BBQ & everyone is looking forward to it. I’m very sad. 😥
Are you sure you did the right amounts of baking soda/powder? It can be easy to mix them up.
Is it possible to use 9inch cake pans instead? Would I still have 3 layers?
You can, the layers would just be thinner.
What is the difference between “natural unsweetened cocoa” and “Hershey’s dark cocoa powder.”
Would a mixture of Valrhona cocoa powder and a little bit of black cocoa be a good substitute for the Hershey’s dark cocoa powder?
The difference is how they are made and their acidity level. Hershey’s dark cocoa USED to be a mix of natural unsweetened cocoa and dutch processed cocoa, but now it’s 100% dutch processed. They are quite different. I’m not really familiar with the two cocoa’s you mention, but when googling them it appears they are both dutch processed and the black cocoa is very heavily dutch processed. I wouldn’t say they are a good substitute. I’d recommend natural unsweetened cocoa powder.
This came out great, but I almost threw out the batter and tried another recipe, because it was so liquidy. I’ve never seen a cake batter so runny. I wish that had been in the description. The only reason I ended up keeping it; I had a wild notion to throw a few tablespoons in a mug and microwaved to see if it would bake. It did!! Close call!!
This ended up super moist and tender.
Im so glad I saw this. My batter looked really runny too so I came to the reviews and found this!!
Just found your website and made this cake. I’m new to baking, but I’ve been looking for a raspberry/chocolate cake. It was delicious, and the layers stayed strong. I found the links to your tips really helpful. I would be interested to know if anyone made smaller cakes. I was thinking of trying 4 inch cakes for an upcoming event. Would that be too small?
Hi I have just baked this lovely cake really enjoyed doing all the different components, I have one question can I freeze unsed frosing, don’t know if I can as it has cream in it, Many thanks carol
Made this before for my mother’s birthday and now she’s requesting it again for this year too! Considering turning it into a few smaller cakes instead of one giant one and individually packaging. Any advice on changing the cook time if I use something smaller instead of the 9″ cake pan recommended? Thanks!
I’m so glad it was a hit! I have not baked it in smaller pans so unfortunately I don’t have any advice.
Made this last night for my Mother’s Day lunch today ! Am so psyched since i have some chocolate lovers ! Thank you for sharing
I’ve been using this recipe for my husbands birthday! He requested it for past 4 years, since his birthday is the day you first posted!! What a great recipe, made exactly as instructed. It’s superb, thank you so much 😊
So glad to hear it’s been a hit!
What kind of milk do you use?
2%
This was awful, the cakes never baked right, we did it three times to check if we were doing it right. They were so bitter and thin.
Not only have I baked this cake many times, but it is one of my most popular cakes. I know it works. I would make sure that you were using baking soda and baking powder and measuring those properly. If you swapped them around, it could give you thin layers.
You may also want to check that you were using natural unsweetened cocoa powder. If you used Dutch cocoa powder, that could also have given you trouble.
Hi, can I make the coulie the day before?
Definitely
I got rave reviews with this cake recipe! Thank you so much for sharing it! Question – is the 1/2 tsp of salt in the frosting correct? It seemed odd to me, and I noticed in the video you made to accompany the recipe that you didn’t add salt but you did add vanilla, which wasn’t listed as an ingredient in your frosting recipe. Wondering if you meant vanilla instead of salt? Either way the cake tasted great!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! The frosting should have vanilla extract and salt in it. It may seem odd, but salt gives and amplifies the flavor in food. Including frosting. You don’t have to put salt in your frosting, but I personally believe it tastes better. And even though it’s a chocolate frosting, vanilla extract adds to a nice flavor.
How does this cake fare if frozen once frosted?
Not sure. I don’t usually freeze full cakes. But you could try it. I’d wrap it well and thaw in the fridge.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it always turns out perfect! I substitute the hot water for hot coffee for extra flavor and it’s amazing! Thank you for this recipe!!
Do you think it would still be could without the raspberry? Just as a chocolate cake? Hahah my boyfriend doesn’t like raspberry
Sure!
Do I need to strain the raspberries to get rid of some of the seeds?
That’s up to you. I didn’t, but you could.
I love your chocolate cake recipe, it’s my favorite! I’m slightly concerned though because it’s so rich and moist (why I love it) that if I were to make this cake with a filling it wouldn’t stack well. Does it hold up well if I were to make it for someone and it will be transported? It would be a 10″ so I’d double the recipe I think.
I don’t usually have issues with it stacking. But if you’re traveling, maybe refrigerate the cake really well prior to so that it’s cold and more firm.
The cake batter is very watery. Is that normal for chocolate cakes?
It’s normal for this chocolate cake.
I’m not normally a baker – I’m the savory guy but wanted to make my wife something special for her birthday and Valentine’s day. Wow! it worked really well. Super rich and moist cake the butter cream and genache were great. The Raspberry adds just what you need between the chocolate. i just need a few hundred more cakes before they look great. I’ll come back here next time baking is on my task list.
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, Lindsay,
I made your wonderful triple chocolate/raspberry cake for the 3rd time today for my better half’s birthday. She and all our friends have assured me multiple times that this is the best chocolate cake they have EVER had. Of course, being more of a cook than a baker, I cannot match your decorating skills (sigh).
The first two times the cakes came out perfectly. This time however, they slumped in the middle. Don’t worry, I came up with a work around: I cut our the middles and saved them. Then I made the layers as rings. I had to use outer and inner dams– no biggie. I chopped up the slumped middles and made some slightly sweet stiffly whipped cream (with a little cocoa for color). I mixed the cream and cake pieces together sort of like a truffle and then stuffed the hollow center of the 3-ring layer cake with the mixture. Finally I covered the cream/cake trifle with raspberry sauce before putting the ganache on the cake. Yum– and it didn’t look horrible. As my dad said, “we all make mistakes. It’s how well you recover that counts.”
Anyway. I am trying to figure out why it slumped. We live at 7100 feet. I usually half the leavenings but may have forgotten to. Also, I bought some 8″ diameter, 2″ deep cake pans just for your cake. However, they are much heavier walled than my 9″ pans. Finally, I put all 3 cake layers on the bottom shelf and used Miele’s convection bake setting at 350 degrees. (Normally I would kick the temp up to compensate for altitude but did not for your cake any of the 3 times I have made it. ) So, can any of these be the cause of the cake slumping?
I’m so glad it’s a hit! As far as slumping the third time, I don’t know anything about high altitude baking so that’s hard for me to say. That said, too much baking soda can definitely cause cakes to sink, so if you think you might have used too much that’s totally possible.
I am trying this recipe today in preparation for Valentine’s Day. Can I use butter instead of vegetable oil ?
You wouldn’t get the same result with butter.
I made this cake yesterday for a friends birthday – I haven’t tasted it yet but with chocolate on chocolate with ganache and raspberry filling it has to be delicious! My cake isn’t as beautiful as yours but it’s still impressive. I have so much frosting left over, I think I could have halved the recipe and still have had plenty. I have plenty of ganache left over too. Was it intended that all the frosting be used?
I appreciate your accompanying video – it was very helpful, especially when it came to assembling the cake. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
So glad you’re happy with it! I do use most, if not all, of the frosting. But I’m probably a little more heavy handed with it than most. I have a tutorial showing how I frosting cakes and it uses a good bit of frosting usually. Feel free to freeze what’s left. It should be fine in the freezer for about 2 months.
I did get to taste the cake and it was delicious! Thanks for the tip on the left over frosting – unfortunately I tossed it because I can’t be trusted to have it in the house. I would eat it all by the spoonful. A moment on my lips, forever on my hips (actually my belly). Thanks again for a fabulous recipe!
OMG. I made this cake for 50th COVID Birthday party. It was the hit of the evening. The birthday girl said this was by far the best chocolate raspberry cake she has ever had, as it’s her favorite cake. She is also in the food industry and stated she would sell it at her place of business if she could. It hit all the notes – it was moist and the flavor profile was spot on. Needless to say, we each ate two pieces each – and it was worth every calorie. I will definitely make this again.
So glad it was hit!
I’m planning on making this for a friend’s birthday and am super excited to try this recipe! I was wondering if for the raspberry filling I could strain the seeds out and still get a good consistency?
That should be fine. You could puree the raspberries beforehand and strain the seeds. But when you do that, you often lose some volume, so you may want to use an extra 1/4 cup or so of raspberries.
Hi there. Made this cake today. Everything was going great. I thought I let ganache and rasp filling cool enough. Assembly went great until I went to frost the cake. As I spread icing, layers started moving , filling came out. Basically I had a mess. I threw it in the freezer to hopefully let it set up to try to frost again. I’m sure it will taste great but it won’t be a looker. Lol. Any idea where I went wrong. I’ll try this recipe again, next time throwing in fridge before I complete the frosting part
It sounds like your chocolate frosting may have actually been too thin. It own’t hold everything together and stay in place if it’s too thin. Did you by any chance reduce the amount of powdered sugar in the frosting? I know it’s a lot of powdered sugar and often people like to do that, but the powdered sugar affects the consistency of the frosting a lot and reducing it by much will make it hard for it to hold a filled cake together well.
Hi there. Yes, I used the 6c. I was able to ice it once it firmed up in freezer. It still turned out yummy despite losing some of the filling. Everyone loved it and ignored my earlier swearing. Lol. Hopefully it won’t slide on me the next time I make.
This was amazing! my family and i loved every part of it and after the kids are there was even enough to bring to my bible study group! you’ve outdone yourself Lindsay!
Hi, If I am to make 2 layered cake, can you tell me which size pans I should use? also should I change the quantities?
Thank you x
Divide the batter between two cake pans and bake them a little longer.
Great cake. I did make the mistake of using springform tins, but luckily only a very small amount of batter leaked out.. Phew. Springform tins are also a little wider than the regular tins so the cake was just slightly flatter than the picture, but still made three good sized layers.
Raspberry layer was delicious.
Chocolate ganache was also good. I used dark chocolate bits and even with them it was a fraction sweet.
I couldn’t bring myself to make the full frosting recipe (350gms of butter and 6 cups of icing sugar sounded like a huge amount). So, I made 2/3rds of the recipe. Even with the reduced amount of frosting, it was still WAY more than enough to coat the cake.
Next time I reckon I could get away with 1/2 of the frosting recipe.
Having said all that, the cake tasted great, it was perfectly moist and after I poured the last ganache over the top, it looked perfect.
Thanks for a great recipe.
Absolutely divine. I look forward to making more cakes in the future. I used buttermilk instead of milk, hot coffee instead of hot water, and cake flour instead of all purpose. An absolutely gorgeous cake.
Hello again! Sorry, when I asked about substituting the water in the raspberry sauce for the Grand Marnier, I actually meant Chambord. Do you think the Chambord would heighten the flavor?
It might. It’d be worth a try. It shouldn’t hurt anything.
Hands down the best cake I’ve ever eaten. And I’ve made a lot of cakes. There is nothing anyone could do to improve this cake. It’s my new favorite.
I made this today as a Birthday cake for my roommate. Mine wasn’t quite as neat but it still looked impressive and tasted amazing! I did add a jam and hot water glaze to the decorative raspberries to take things up a notch. My roommate loves chocolate and raspberries, so she was truly delighted by this cake! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and method!!!
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! 😀
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I haven’t ever tried a sweet potato filling like that, so I’m honestly not sure.
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.
This was one of the best cakes I’ve ever had! Perfect! I did make a few tweaks to my liking, used special dark cocoa and added in almond extract to the raspberries filling. So good, thank you!
Excellent cake from beginning of bake to eating the last slice. Just started seriously baking since retiring, and this was for my son’s birthday. Lindsay’s how-to frost a cake video and the short baking video for this cake were enormously helpful. Thank you!
Definite crowd pleaser! Everyone was impressed! Great recipe and steps!
PS I baked and made everything the night before and then constructed the Cale the following morning and it worked out great!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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
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, 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?
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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, 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.
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!
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.
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! 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.
I had this cake for my 18th birthday and it was genuinely the best cake I’ve ever eaten in my life! 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.
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!
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!
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!
Thank you I love this recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Turned out great!!
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.
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!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and to hear that all the tutorials were helpful!
Can I make the cakes a day before and then frost them the next day?
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.
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!
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.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it and found the Tips helpful!
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?
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!
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!
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.
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! 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!
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?
Yes, I would adjust everything else proportionally. It seems like it would be about half.
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 .
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 🙂
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
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.
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.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Kim!
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)
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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.
I enjoy your recipes. its very delicious. Sooooo easy to read! Thank You so much for sharing your blog with us. Keep sharing!
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.
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.
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!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
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.
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!
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!
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
What an amazing cake! I make this cake last weekend for my son’s bday. Everyone loved it.
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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! 🙂
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.
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.
WOW this cake is amazing! I love chocolate and raspberry together!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
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.
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’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.
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 ????????
Delicious! Super duper rich…I should have cut smaller slices. But so good!
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.
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.
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!!
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.
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!
Can the flour be replaced with gluten free flour?
I’ve heard of people having success so I think it would be fine.
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 I substitute vanilla cake in place of chocolate cake
I don’t see why not.
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!
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!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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,
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.
I can’t wait to make this! I think that Chambord would be delicious to add!
Oh yes! Sounds delicious!
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.
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 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.
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.
Thank you, I will try with my tins because it’s a beautiful cake.
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.
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.
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.
This cake turned out really great! I made two 9″ rounds and two 6″ rounds for a nice stack effect – didnt have a third 9″ round. The batter was so soupy I was worried, but trust the process! The cake turned out so moist. Lovely chocolate and not too sweet. Loved the raspberry jam!!! I skipped ganache and used the buttercream in between layers with the jam. It was a hit!
So glad it was a hit!
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.
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.
My two favorite things!! I will try making this gluten free!! ????????
Can buttermilk be used instead of milk?
I haven’t tried it with this cake to say for sure.
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.
Hi, how big pans did you use? Thx
I used 8×2 inch pans.
This cake looks perfect for spring and anything with a raspberry filling is perfect for me 🙂
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!
Hi! I want to bake this cake for my moms birthday but I have limited time because of school – would i be able to make the batter the night before and just refrigerate it or how would be the best way to do that? Or would that even work at all? Thanks!!
You could bake the cake layers ahead, but I wouldn’t suggest making the batter and refrigerating it.
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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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
Hi Lindsay,
Whenever I make frosting, it always becomes separated, so it looks almost curdled. I whip the butter for a while, let the butter sit out, put in the powdered sugar little by little. Do you have any suggestions for making frosting?
Thank you so much!
It sounds like you might be over mixing it. You can find my buttercream recipe and information here along with a video where I show you how to make it. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/vanilla-buttercream-icing/
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…
I agree with you, Jes – doesn’t seem like enough batter. I also think it has to do with the consistency of the batter- I ended up with a lot of batter underneath my parchment paper. I also ended up with lopisded and super thin cakes, which I’ve never had happen before even using the exact same pans and oven.
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.