To celebrate Valentine’s Day a little early I made this Chocolate Layer Cake with Raspberry Buttercream. It combines one of my favorite desserts with one of the best fruits. And it’s pink! Who can resist a pretty pink cake? I was really excited about this frosting because there isn’t any food dye used; you use fresh raspberry puree to make it pink. It’s a little time consuming to make the frosting, but it’s so worth it. The cake is easy though, so it kind of balances out. I love a festive dessert and I have a feeling I’ll be making it on other occasions, besides Valentine’s Day.
Chocolate Layer Cake with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
makes 1 9-inch layer cake/ 10-12 servings
INGREDIENTS
for the cake
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
Raspberry Buttercream {recipe below}
1/2 cup raspberries for topping
confectioners sugar for topping, optional
special equipment: 2 9-inch diameter cake pans with 2-inch high sides
DIRECTIONS
for the cake
Position racks in top and bottom third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch diameter cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; spray rounds. I always trace around the cake pans onto the parchment paper and then cut and fit inside.
Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine and then form a well in the center.
Whisk 1 cup of water with buttermilk, oil and eggs in a medium bowl until blended. Pour wet ingredients into well in dry ingredients and whisk until just blended. Divide the cake batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in pans on cooling racks. The cakes can be made a day ahead, covered and kept at room temperature.
When ready to assemble cake, carefully run knife around pan edges to loosen cakes. Invert 1 cake layer onto a cake plate. Peel off parchment paper. Spread raspberry jam over top. Then spread 1 cup of Raspberry Buttercream onto cake. Using a metal spatula, frost the top of the cake, spreading frosting to the edge of the cake. Filling will be about 1/4 inch thick. Stack the second cake top side up on top of the frosted cake and spread another 1 cup of buttercream on top. Apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake to create a “crumb coat.” Refrigerate cake for 10 minutes until the frosting is firm and then frost the cake with the remaining buttercream. Top cake with fresh raspberries and dust with confectioner’s sugar if you like. Cake will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Raspberry Buttercream
makes about 2 1/2 cups
INGREDIENTS
3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
dash of fine sea salt
2 cups raspberries, mashed and strained through a sieve to catch the seeds. Discard seeds and set puree aside.
DIRECTIONS
for the buttercream frosting
In the bowl of stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk egg whites, sugar and cram of tartar until combined. Place the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk gently until the mixture is very hot to the touch {130 degrees F on a candy thermometer). The mixture will go from being gloopy and thick to a more fluid consistency.
In the bowl of stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk egg whites, sugar and cram of tartar until combined. Place the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk gently until the mixture is very hot to the touch {130 degrees F on a candy thermometer). The mixture will go from being gloopy and thick to a more fluid consistency.
Move the bowl back to the stand mixer and using the whisk attachment again, whip the mixture until it has tripled in volume and becomes thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks like a meringue. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed for a minute until the bowl is cool to the touch. Then bring the speed back to medium-high and add the butter one piece at a time, adding the next piece just as the previous one has been incorporated. Stop the mixer if you need to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The buttercream will take on a curdled appearance but don’t worry because this is normal. Keep on mixing at medium speed until it comes together. Once all the butter is incorporated and the frosting is creamy and fluffy, blend in the vanilla, salt and raspberry mixture.
note: I’d recommend frosting the cake right away so you don’t have to deal with refrigerating, and re-whipping it. There’s more risk involved there!
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Do you make any festive desserts for Valentine’s Day? One year when Matthew and I were dating I made chocolate hazelnut truffles and they were a huge hit. I remember Matthew helping my get the skins of the hazelnut with a t-shirt! It was clean, promise! It was a lot of fun though and we will always remember that Valentine’s Day!
xox
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