Rich Chocolate Raspberry Cake with Raspberry-Infused Frosting

Decadent, yet refreshing, this chocolate raspberry cake is a must-try! Moist dark chocolate cake layers, fresh raspberry filling, and a raspberry-infused chocolate buttercream come together in this stunning cake recipe.
Recipe: sugarspunrun.com/chocolate-ra...
Ingredients
Cake
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (220g)
1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (200g)
¾ cup dark cocoa powder (75g)
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon table salt
⅔ cup neutral cooking oil (155ml)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted (113g)
2 large eggs, room temperature preferred
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature preferred (236ml)
½ cup very hot/boiling water or hot coffee (118ml)
Raspberry Filling
½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (340g)
3 Tablespoons water
1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice
Raspberry Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (226g)
3 cups powdered sugar (375g)
⅔ cup natural cocoa powder (65g)
⅛ heaping teaspoon salt
⅓ cup raspberry filling, from above (94g)
1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream, as needed
Ganache drip for decorating, optional: • How to Do a Chocolate ...
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Instructions
00:00 Introduction
Cake
00:21 Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line the bottoms of three 8” round cake pans with parchment paper and grease and flour the sides. Set aside.
00:26 In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
01:15 Add oil and melted butter to flour mixture, stir until fully combined.
02:27 Add eggs and vanilla extract and stir until fully combined and batter is uniform.
03:03 Gradually add buttermilk, stirring until combined.
03:51 Slowly and carefully, add hot water or coffee, stirring until completely combined. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients get incorporated.
04:36 Divide batter evenly into prepared cake pans and bake in preheated 350F (175C) oven for 24-25 minutes. When cakes are finished baking, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out completely clean or with a few moist crumbs.
05:25 Allow cakes to cool in their pans for 10-15 minutes, then run a knife along the edges to loosen from pans and carefully invert onto cooling racks. Allow to cool completely before decorating.
05:35 While cakes are cooling, prepare the raspberry filling.
Raspberry Filling
05:45 In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, whisk until combined.
05:52 Add raspberries, water, and lemon juice and stir together.
06:17 Heat saucepan on your stovetop over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until berries release their juices and mixture starts to bubble. This can take 5-10 minutes, do not increase your heat from medium, you want everything to heat slowly.
07:00 Continue stirring constantly and cook until thickened (this usually takes me about 2 minutes after the mixture begins bubbling). This mixture will appear to only slightly thicken, you’ll notice that when you pull your spatula through the mixture you leave a trail.
07:33 Transfer mixture to a heatproof container and allow to cool to room temperature before proceeding.
Raspberry Frosting
07:50 In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment) use an electric mixer to beat butter on low speed until smooth and creamy.
08:21 Add about half of the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and salt and beat on low speed until well combined.
08:37 Gradually add remaining powdered sugar, mixing on low speed, until all sugar is added.
09:35 While mixing on low speed, add ⅓ cup of the raspberry filling, a heaping spoonful (about a tablespoon) at a time, until all filling is evenly incorporated.
10:06 Gradually add heavy cream as needed and stir until icing is a smooth, pipe-able consistency. Place frosting into a piping bag with a large open tip.
Assembly
10:28 Once cakes are completely cooled, level cakes if needed.
10:48 Place one cake layer on serving platter. Spread a very thin layer of frosting over the top of the cake layer. Pipe a dam of frosting around the edge of the cake.
11:07 Spread half of your remaining raspberry filling inside the piped dam. Top with the next layer of cake and repeat the process.
11:35 Top with the last layer of cake. Use the rest of the frosting to spread an even layer around the sides and top of the cake. (I like to do a crumb coating on the cake and refrigerate for 15 minutes before doing the final layer of frosting). If desired, follow my instructions (linked in the ingredients above) for adding a ganache drip.
Ganache drip for decorating
12:44 For best results, chill cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.