Thick, layered dark chocolate cake with a hint of raspberry emulsion, filled with homemade seedless raspberry jam, frosted with raspberry buttercream and finished with a rich chocolate ganache — this cake delivers an unforgettable first bite. With Valentine’s Day approaching, it’s the perfect centerpiece to share with the people you love.
On Instagram I recently asked how people celebrate Valentine’s Day. Answers ranged from quiet nights in to elaborate evenings out. Before our two boys arrived, my husband and I often enjoyed a fancy dinner at home or a quiet restaurant. Once the kids came along, a calm, uninterrupted evening became rare. We adjusted our plans: now we try to go out alone for a date on or before the 14th, and spend the actual day together as a family. We set a special table for the boys and make a festive meal they enjoy. I leave chocolate hearts for them in the morning and love making Valentine boxes and cards with them. My husband Ryan always brings roses and a sweet note — it’s a lovely holiday.
For this cake I aimed for understated elegance rather than a pink-and-red heart extravaganza. I used my dark chocolate cake as the base and added raspberry emulsion to the batter so the raspberry flavor is present even in the cake itself. As it baked, the aroma confirmed it was a winner — classic chocolate-raspberry in every bite.
For the filling I considered fresh raspberries but settled on a seedless jam for texture and reliability. Store-bought jam works perfectly, but this small homemade batch is ideal for the filling and leaves a little for toast at breakfast. You can use fresh or frozen raspberries — both perform well. A little filling goes a long way, so use it sparingly when assembling. If you choose to make the jam, allow enough time for it to set and cool fully.
I frosted the cake with a creamy raspberry buttercream that tastes like those smooth raspberry candies, using more raspberry emulsion for a bright flavor. Freeze-dried raspberry powder or a fresh compote could also be used. After coating the cake in buttercream I still wanted more contrast and depth — so I added a full coat of chocolate ganache.
To spread ganache over buttercream, make sure it’s thick enough to spread and cooled enough not to melt the frosting. I used a roughly 3:1 chocolate-to-cream ratio and allowed it to cool until spreadable.
For the polished double-frosting look, I used two different acrylic cake discs to guide even layers: a slightly smaller disc for the buttercream layer and a slightly larger one for the ganache. This made the layers neat and tidy as I assembled the cake.
I finished the cake with chocolate shavings pressed around the base and a crown of fresh raspberries on top. For a clean slice, heat a sharp knife over a gas flame or in very hot water, slice through the cold cake, wipe and reheat the knife between cuts. I prefer slicing cakes while they are cold and then allowing individual slices to come to room temperature before serving if prepared in advance.
This recipe became a favorite in my house — my husband declared it his top pick and has already requested it for his birthday. It’s rich, balanced, and elegant enough for any special occasion.
As always, I love seeing your Baking with Blondie recreations. Tag @bakingwithblondie or use #bakingwithblondie on Instagram or Facebook so I can see your photos. Happy baking!
- Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons raspberry emulsion
- 1/2 cup sour cream (room temperature)
- 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
- 3 eggs + 1 egg white (room temperature)
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
- Dark chocolate cake mix (Duncan Hines), sifted
- Raspberry Jam Filling
- 12 oz frozen raspberries, thawed (or fresh)
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water for slurry
- Raspberry Buttercream
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons raspberry emulsion
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 6–7 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 drop “base red” Wilton coloring gel
- Thick Chocolate Ganache
- 3 cups dark chocolate melts
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Garnishes
- Fresh raspberries
- Chocolate shavings
- TO MAKE THE DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CAKE
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare three 6″ cake pans with shortening and flour. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vanilla, raspberry emulsion, sour cream, buttermilk, eggs, and egg white until combined.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa, and sifted cake mix; stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Bake 25–27 minutes, until the center is set. Avoid overbaking.
- Cool in the pans 3 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap and freeze before decorating for easier handling.
- FOR THE RASPBERRY JAM FILLING
- Pulse raspberries in a food processor to a puree. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds; you should have about 1 cup of puree.
- In a saucepan, combine puree, sugar, and lemon juice. Heat over medium until bubbling, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook until thickened.
- Transfer jam to a glass dish and chill in the fridge for an hour to set.
- TO MAKE THE RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM
- Soften butter at room temperature about 20 minutes. Beat in a stand mixer with the paddle until light and fluffy.
- Add salt, vanilla, raspberry emulsion, and heavy cream. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time, adding more cream if needed.
- Add a drop of coloring if desired and whip on high about 3 minutes until airy. Hand stir briefly to remove large air bubbles. Transfer to a piping bag without a tip and set aside.
- FOR THE THICK CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Combine chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl. Microwave 1 minute, stir until smooth, and let cool 10–15 minutes until spreadable.
- ASSEMBLY
- Secure an 8″ cardboard round to a 6″ round. On a cake turntable, add a dab of buttercream as glue and place the first cake layer.
- Spread a thin layer of buttercream, pipe a buttercream dam around the edge, and spoon in about 1/2 cup raspberry jam. Repeat with remaining layers.
- Crumb coat the cake and freeze 2 minutes. Apply a final buttercream coat and freeze 5 minutes.
- Spread cooled ganache over the buttercream, smoothing with a cake scraper. Acrylic discs can help create even layers.
- Press chocolate shavings around the bottom and top with fresh raspberries.
- For clean slices, use a hot sharp knife and cut the cake while cold, reheating and wiping the knife between cuts.