Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

Hello friends! Today I made this Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake for my dad’s birthday (Feliz Aniversario, pai querido!), which is made up by a layer of Vanilla Raspberry cake, in between two chocolate cake layers, with marshmallow frosting, and raspberry jam in the middle. Covered with a rich chocolate frosting.

Yes, that’s right! So like I said, this cake was made to celebrate my dad’s birthday! He deserves a beautiful cake, because he has always been the greatest dad I could ask for.

This cake is super rich and indulgent! The frosting is absolutely delicious!

Last year, I made my dad a Salted Caramel Stout Cake, and it was also a winner! If I had to choose a cake my dad would love, it would be this Lemon Coconut Layer Cake.

Ok, now let’s get to how we assembled this wonderful Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake.

First, bake your cake layers. When you bake the vanilla raspberry layer, make pour half of the batter onto the prepared pan.

And then, top it with some raspberries.

Tip: Coat the raspberries in flour, so this way they won’t completely sink to the bottom when you bake the cake.

Now top with the remaining vanilla batter.

And bake the chocolate layers.

How to assemble the Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

Start by placing the chocolate cake layer on top of your cake plate. Pipe a ring of chocolate frosting around the edges of the cake.

Fill the middle with some marshmallow frosting. Just like that!

Place the Raspberry Vanilla cake right on top. And proceed to pipe a ring of frosting around the edges of that layer also.

Spread some of the raspberry jam in the middle. By all means, use store-bought raspberry jam. Otherwise, I have an easy raspberry jam recipe down below if you want to check it out and make a homemade raspberry jam instead.

Place the final chocolate cake layer on top.

And now you can crumb coat your cake. Crumb coat is a thin layer of frosting that is meant to seal the cake crumbs in the cake so they won’t show up on the final frosting layer. After crumb coating your cake, place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before proceeding with the final frosting layer.

And here is the piping tip I used on top of the cake to pipe the marshmallow frosting.

Tips on how to make this Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

• Make sure the cake layers are cold from the fridge before starting to assemble the cake. That will help manage the layers easily, since they are so soft and fluffy.
• Pipe some chocolate frosting on top of the cake to serve as a bed for the raspberries, so they aren’t hidden behind the marshmallow frosting.
• Use a torch to lightly toast the marshmallow frosting on top of the cake.
• Let the cake sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

Here are some more cake ideas for you:

• Mousse Cake
• Kinder Bueno Cake
• Chocolate Bundt Cake with raspberry cheesecake filling
• Baklava Cheesecake
• Chocolate Strawberry Cake
• Cashew Caramel Apple Cake (extra extra yummy)
• S’mores Cake
• Birthday Sprinkles Cake

Recently I divided my cake categories between Vegan Cakes, Layer Cakes, and Bundt Cakes to make it easier for my readers to navigate it! Hope you enjoy it!

And I also hope you enjoyed this recipe right here, since it was made with so much love! And also enjoyed thoroughly! This Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake is my dream coming true! Hope my dad will enjoy this tribute to him also.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope you have a lovely day!

Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

This cake features a Vanilla Raspberry layer, in between two chocolate layers, with marshmallow frosting, and raspberry jam in the middle. Covered in a rich chocolate frosting.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

0 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 people

Calories 560 kcal

Ingredients

  

Chocolate Cake

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3.3 oz, 93.5 grams
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 oz, 31 grams
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder optional
• 1 egg
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar 4.66 oz, 132 grams
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter 2 oz, 56 grams
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup hot brewed coffee or hot water

Vanilla Raspberry Layer

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (2 oz, 56 grams)
• 1/3 cup sugar 2.33 oz, 66 grams
• 1 egg room temperature
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 3 oz, 85 grams
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 10 raspberries

Chocolate Frosting

• 2/3  cup  chopped dark chocolate  113 grams, 4 oz
• 2/3  cup  unsweetened cocoa powder  78 grams, 2.7 oz
• 2 1/2  cups  powdered sugar 319 grams, 11.25 oz
• 1  cup  cream cheese softened  226 grams, 8 oz
• 1/2 cup  unsalted butter softened 113 grams, 4 oz
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1-2  tablespoons  heavy cream

Raspberry Jam

• 10  oz  raspberries frozen or fresh
• 2  tablespoons  maple syrup
• 2  teaspoons  cornstarch
• 1/3  cup  water

Marshmallow Frosting

• 2  egg whites
• 100  grams  granulated sugar  1/2 cup, 3.5 oz.
• 1/4  teaspoon  cream of tartar
• 1/8  teaspoon  fine sea salt
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

Instructions

 

Chocolate Cake

• This recipe makes for 2-6” round cakes.
• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
• Butter 2-6″ cake pans and place a parchment paper circle in the bottom of pans. Butter parchment. Set aside.
• Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder, if using. Set aside.
• Cream butter at medium-high speed for 1 minute.
• Add sugar slowly, cream for another 2 minutes.
• Add egg to the mixture.
• Add vanilla extract and mix.
• Slowly add milk, mix to combine.
• Pour dry ingredients over wet mixture.
• Fold with a spatula slowly, until ingredients are just combined.
• If you see big clumps of cocoa powder, you can use the whisk to try to gently smooth the batter out.
• Once batter is incorporated, pour hot coffee (or hot water) in the bowl. Whisk until combined.
• Pour batter evenly onto baking pans.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 10-20 min. After the 10 minute mark, keep checking regularly, because you don’t want to burn your cakes or overbake them. Remove them from the oven once a toothpick comes our clean once inserted in the cake.
• Once you remove it from the oven, wait 10 minutes, flip cakes onto a cookie cooling rack and let cakes cool.
• Once cool, wrap each layer individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. I like to leave my layers in the fridge for quite a bit so they can firm up and make it easier to assemble and decorate the cake. Specially an oil based cake such as this one, which is a super moist and fluffy cake.

Vanilla Raspberry Cake

• Grease and flour 1 6” cake pan
• Pre-heat oven to 350F.
• Cream butter in the bowl of a stand mixer for 2 minutes, on medium speed. Gradually add sugar and cream for 3 minutes until mixture is fluffy and lighter in color.
• Add egg to the mixture, one at a time, mixing on medium speed. Scrape bowl and add vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed until incorporated.
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add half of the buttermilk to butter/egg/sugar mixture. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Add half of sifted flour mixture. Mix on low for 30-45 seconds until almost entirely incorporated.
• Add remaining buttermilk and mix on low for 30 seconds. Add remaining flour and mix on low until incorporated.
• Pour half of the batter onto the bottom of prepared pan.
• Coat raspberries with 1 teaspoon of flour.
• Place raspberries on top of cake batter.
• Top with the remaining batter.
• Bake on pre-heated oven for about 20-25 minutes. Smaller cake pans will take less time to bake.
• Remove cake from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean once inserted in the cake.
• Let cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes and flip it over in a wire rack to let it cool completely before proceeding with frosting and filling. It will be easier to work with the cake layer to assemble the cake if you place it in the fridge first.

Chocolate Frosting

• Start by melting the chopped chocolate in the microwave, or over a double boiler. I usually just microwave the chocolate for 15-30 seconds at a time, always stirring in between to help the chocolate melt evenly and faster, without having to overheat it. You never want to overheat chocolate. Set chocolate aside to cool down.
• Now, sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar together. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a mixer, combine cream cheese and butter. Cream for 2 minutes, until creamy and fluffy.
• Pour melted and cooled chocolate in the bowl of the mixer. Mix on slow until combined. Scrape the bowl to ensure everything is getting incorporated.
• With the mixer off, add sifted powdered sugar and cocoa powder.
• Mix on low until combined. Raise speed to high and cream for one minute.
• Add vanilla.
• If frosting seems too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream, or as necessary. If frosting is too runny, it might need some more powdered sugar, so sift some and throw in there.

Raspberry Jam

• Mix maple syrup and raspberries in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn heat down once it starts boiling. Stir often while mixture boils, for about 2 minutes.
• Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Once cornstarch has been dissolved in the water, add mixture to raspberries. With the heat still on low, or medium-low, keep stirring mixture until it thickens, about 5 more minutes.
• Strain through a sieve, pressing down and stirring jam.
• Place jam in the fridge to cool down.

Marshmallow Frosting

• Mix all ingredients, except for the vanilla extract together in the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water over medium heat.
• Whisk mixture while it sits in the double boiler.
• Keep whisking over simmering water until it reaches 140F.
• That way the egg whites will be in a safe temperature to be consumed.
• Move bowl to the mixer.
• Whip with the whisk attachment for about 5 minutes on high speed.
• Add vanilla and mix to combine.

To assemble

• Place one layer of chocolate cake on a cake plate.
• Pipe a ring of chocolate frosting on the edges of the cake.
• Fill the middle with marshmallow frosting.
• Place the Vanilla Raspberry cake on top.
• Pipe another ring of chocolate frosting on the edges of the cake.
• Fill the middle with raspberry jam.
• Top with a chocolate cake layer.
• Cover the cake with a thin layer of chocolate frosting. This thin layer is called crumb coat, and it helps seal the crumbs of cake in the frosting, so the final frosting layer won’t have any crumbs in it.
• Place cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for the crumb coat to set.
• Frost cake with a thick layer of chocolate frosting.
• Pipe marshmallow frosting on top of the cake, and also put raspberries on top.
• Use a torch to toast the marshmallow frosting if you want to.

Storage

• Cake will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Keyword cake, chocolate, marshmallow, raspberry