Birthday season is upon us in our family. This one was a request, and despite some snafus along the way (what was supposed to be 4 layers of cake ended up with 3 as one slid off on its way to the freezer!) The taste did not disappoint. I mean chocolate and raspberries are always a win in my book.

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (I used 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder & 1/4 cup black cocoa powder)

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup boiling water

For the homemade raspberry jam:

Note: you can omit this step & buy seedless raspberry jam in lieu of making it yourself

12 oz. frozen raspberries thawed

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup granulated sugar

For the chocolate ganache:

12 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate (not to exceed 61% cacao)

1 2/3 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon corn syrup

For the chocolate mascarpone filling:

6 oz mascarpone (I used the entire 8 oz container)

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 heaping cup ganache 

For the garnish:

2 6oz containers fresh raspberries

Dusting of powdered sugar

Preparation

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Choose between either 2 8” or 9” cake pans. Line each pan with parchment paper and grease or spray paper & sides, then flour; set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk in the sugar and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Incorporate dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just until combined, being careful not to overmix.

Evenly divide the batter between the cake pans and drop a few times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles. For 8” pans, bake at 350° F for 32-38 minutes, for 9” pans bake for 22-28 minutes OR until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean and/ or with just a few moist crumbs.

Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. Once cool, level cakes if needed.

For the raspberry jam:

Add raspberries (and any juices from thawing) to food processor and puree. Add puree to a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to discard seeds. Press down on the puree with the back of a spoon or spatula, until only seeds remain. Wipe the back of your sieve to get all of the puree. You should end up with about 1 ¼ cups of puree.

Add raspberry puree, cornstarch, sugar and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly then reduce heat to medium (medium-low if your stove runs hot) and continue to cook and stir continuously until puree is thickened. Refrigerate until completely chilled.

For the chocolate ganache:

***Only start the ganache when the cakes are cooled.

Add heavy cream to a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from microwave, add chocolate, & cover with plastic wrap. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk vigorously until melted and smooth. Whisk in 1 tablespoon corn syrup.

Remove a heaping ½ cup ganache to use in chocolate mascarpone. Let remaining ganache stand at room temperature to cool until barely lukewarm, about 20 minutes or until thickened but spreadable.

For the chocolate mascarpone:

Immediately after making the ganache, make chocolate mascarpone (so you can start assembling your cake before the Ganache cools completely).

Using a mixer, beat the mascarpone, cream, sugar and vanilla on low until no lumps remain. Add reserved cooled heaping of ½ cup ganache and increase speed to medium high and beat until thick, and stiff peaks form m, like thick whipped cream; being careful not to over beat.

To assemble:

Cut cooled cakes in half horizontally using a long serrated knife to create 4 even layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on a serving plate or cake pedestal then evenly top with one third of the raspberry jam (about ⅓ cup). Top jam with one third of chocolate mascarpone about 1 cup. Top with 2nd cake layer, cut side down, and repeat jam and mascarpone layers. Top with 3rd cake layer and repeat jam and mascarpone layers. Add final cake layer, cut side down.

Separate out 1 cup lukewarm Ganache and frost top and sides of cake in a thin crumb layer. Freeze cake for 30 minutes to set ganache. After 30 minutes, frost cake with desired amount of remaining ganache. If ganache is beginning to harden then add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and microwave for 10 seconds then whisk. If it is too runny, then whip it with a hand held mixer to stiffen.

Arrange raspberries in concentric circles on top of cake and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

Serve immediately or cover & store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Source: https://carlsbadcravings.com/chocolate-raspberry-cake/