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Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
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Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake

This Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake is rich, moist, and bakery-worthy, with deep chocolate layers balanced by bright raspberries and silky chocolate ganache. Elegant yet achievable at home, it’s the perfect show-stopping dessert for birthdays, holidays, and special celebrations.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Cake
  • ¾ cup neutral oil (canola or grapeseed) plus extra for greasing pans
  • 2 ¼ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 1 ¼ cups Dutch-process cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup hot brewed coffee
Chocolate Ganache
  • 18 oz dark chocolate (65–72%) finely chopped
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Filling and Topping
  • 6 tablespoons raspberry jam seedless if preferred
  • 3 cups fresh raspberries washed and fully dried

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease three 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, mix sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
  3. Whisk together oil, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed.
  4. Gently fold in the hot coffee. The batter will be thin.
  5. Divide batter evenly between pans and bake for 30–40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely.
  6. To make the ganache, place chopped chocolate, vanilla, and salt in a heat-safe bowl. Heat cream until just simmering, then pour over chocolate. Rest 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Chill until spreadable.
  7. Level cake layers if needed. Place one layer on a serving plate and spread with ganache, then add raspberry jam and fresh raspberries.
  8. Repeat with the second layer. Add the final layer on top and apply a thin crumb coat of ganache. Chill briefly.
  9. Frost the cake with remaining ganache and decorate with fresh raspberries. Let sit at room temperature before slicing.

Notes

If ganache becomes too firm, let it sit at room temperature and whisk again. Fresh raspberries work best for clean layers, and the coffee enhances the chocolate flavor without tasting like coffee.