One of the very first recipes I put on this blog was this Raspberry Buttercream recipe. It’s one of my favorite buttercream recipes ever – ultra flavorful, not too sweet, and the natural color is just so beautiful! I’ve paired it with so many cake flavors (it truly goes with anything), but this Raspberry Chocolate Cake recipe is one classic flavor pairing I had yet to officially turn into a recipe until now. So with Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought it would be the perfect time to share this recipe with you to bake up for your loved ones!
This cake is so simple to whip up and the flavor combination is just divine. I’d even go as far as to say it’s a pretty sensual cake (cue the sax solo). The raspberry buttercream makes it extra aromatic and paired with the chocolate cake, the flavor is decadent but not too heavy. The perfect cake for any raspberry chocolate lover and anyone who doesn’t yet realize they’re a fan of these flavors (aka just about everyone!).
It all starts with my favorite One-Bowl Chocolate Cake Recipe, which is just as easy as it sounds. Basically put everything into one bowl (in the right order, of course) and mix it up! Just in case you want to watch the process before you make this recipe, I do have a YouTube video that I whipped up to walk you through it. It’s basically everything you need and want in a chocolate cake: moist crumb, rich chocolate flavor, and simple ingredients.
The Raspberry Buttercream is the filling and the frosting on this one, because it’s just so good that way. The secret to the beautiful flavor and consistency of this buttercream is freeze-dried raspberries. The process of freeze-drying removes the liquid from the berry and keeps ALL the flavor intact, so adding them to buttercream gives you the most flavorful buttercream with just the right consistency. And just look at that naturally gorgeous color! No added food color gels on this one, folks. This is the brand I use in the recipe, but you can find freeze-dried raspberries at most grocery stores, Trader Joe’s, and even Target if you’d rather shop local.
If you can’t find freeze-dried raspberries, I do have this raspberry buttercream recipe that uses fresh berries. It works beautifully as a substitute!
To decorate this beauty, I added a chocolate ganache drip and used Wilton Tip 4B to pipe swirls all around the top before adding a fresh raspberry to each. This recipe yields a triple layer 6-inch cake, but if you’d rather make a little 4-inch version instead you can half the entire recipe (cake and buttercream) to make a better sharing size for 2-4 people. And if this is your first time making and assembling a layer cake, or you want to learn my techniques for doing so, be sure to check out my Cake Basics series that shows you how to build a layer cake from start to finish!
Raspberry Chocolate Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 Cups (265g) all purpose flour
- 1 2/3 Cups (340g) granulated white sugar
- 2/3 Cup (60g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder not Dutch Process
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) vegetable oil
- 2 whole eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Cup (240ml) full-fat buttermilk, room temperature* DIY recipe in notes
- 1 Cup (240ml) hot water
Raspberry Buttercream
- 1 1/2 Cups (339g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 Cup (34g) freeze dried raspberries**
- 4 1/2 Tbsp (68ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 Cups (720g) powdered sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Chocolate Ganache
- 1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
Additional Garnishes
- fresh raspberries, optional
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare three 6-inch or two 8-inch cake pans by spraying the sides with cooking spray and fitting the bottoms with a wax paper or parchment cake circle.
- Place all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir on low for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix on low until just combined. With the mixer still on low, add the hot water in a slow stream, then turn the mixer to medium and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. The batter will be very thin.
- Pour into prepared cake pans no more than 2/3 full and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely before filling and frosting.
Make the Raspberry Buttercream
- With a food processor, grind the raspberries into a fine powder. Sift out the seeds (if a few seeds end up in the powder that is totally ok) and set the powder aside.
- Whip the butter using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed until it’s creamy and light in color (5-10 minutes). Add vanilla, milk, and raspberry powder and continue to mix on medium for about two minutes.
- Add powdered sugar a few cups at a time, scraping down the bowl and paddle after each addition. Add the salt and mix on low for another 30 seconds.
Make the Chocolate Ganache
- Place chocolate chips into a heat resistant bowl (glass or metal). If you’re starting with a chocolate bar, chop it into small pieces until they’re about the size of chocolate chips.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm heavy whipping cream until it just starts to simmer. I always look for small bubbles forming around the edge and a soft simmer starting in the middle. When it's reached this point, pour the cream into your bowl of chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds.
- Whisk it together until it’s uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on your whisk. Cool ganache at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, or until the ganache itself is room temperature or slightly above.
Assembly
- Once the Chocolate Cakes are cooled completely, level and torte the layers to make them even before filling and frosting with the Raspberry Buttercream. After the final layer of frosting is applied, chill the cake for 20-30 minutes before dripping with the Chocolate Ganache. To recreate the look pictured, add swirls of Raspberry Buttercream around the top of the cake with Wilton Tip 4B and add a fresh raspberry to the top of each swirl.
Notes
- The Chocolate Cake can be made ahead and stored at room temperature, covered tightly in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Alternatively, you can cover with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to two months before thawing to room temperature.
- The Raspberry Buttercream can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it, bring it back to room temperature and mix it together on low for about 30 seconds to bring it back to frosting consistency.
- The Chocolate Ganache can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. When you’re ready to use it as a drip, microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after every interval until your ganache is room temperature and uniform in consistency.
Did you make this recipe? I want to know what you think! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram. I love to see what you’re caking!
WOW!!!! The raspberry buttercream is the absolute best frosting I have ever made or even eaten in my entire life! I bought powdered freeze dried raspberries with the seeds already removed, so it was extra simple too! Everyone that tried it loved it too. We had a little extra and it is fabulous on a variety of things (or even straight off a spoon), but especially on fruit. Awesome!
Yay, Sabrina! I’m so happy this recipe was such a hit 🙂
I made this cake and it was delicious – and easy for a non experienced cake maker like myself.
i am planning o make another for friend – how long will it keep after decorating?
Hi. Quick question. Is the buttercream filling different than the outside? The outside looks darker than the inside. Looks good!
Hi Lena! The filling is the same. I think it’s just the lighting in the photo, the shadow is on the outside of the cake and the sun is hitting the inside, making it look a little lighter.
Hello! How long do I bake if I’m using 3 6-inch pans? Making this for my son’s birthday!
Hi Caroline! The layers should bake for 30-35 minutes. I hope your son loves it!
Hi Whitney,
May I know why you did not use cake flour in this recipe. I am seeing you mentioned all purpose flour. Any specific reason?
Hi Gnapi! Cake flour is too fine for chocolate cake recipes, the results are much better with all purpose flour in this case.
Hi! So excited to try this out! If I do a 4-inch one should I also cut the cooking time to half?
Hi Anna! I would use this recipe for a 4-inch layer cake and then make 1/3 of the buttercream amount to fill, frost, and decorate: https://sugarandsparrow.com/small-batch-chocolate-cake/ It’s based on the same chocolate cake recipe but yields the perfect amount for 3 4-inch layers!
Hi Whitney,
I can’t wait to try this recipe for my best friend’s birthday. Would I have to make any adjustments to the cake recipe if I use Dutch cocoa powder instead of regular cocoa powder? Also, instead of the cup of hot water can I use a cup of coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor?
Hi Karina! You can use dutch processed cocoa powder for this recipe, and can absolutely sub hot coffee in for the hot water. That really helps amplify the chocolate flavor. Enjoy!
Thank you Whitney, I made this cake and my whole family loved it!
So happy to hear that, Lilly!
Hi Whitney, I love your cakes and I’m about to make this one, but I was wondering if you have to make a different amount of buttercream for 2 8in pans instead of 3 6in pans, and thanks for sharing these awesome recipes.
Hi Lilly! Yes, the same amount of buttercream works well for 2 8-inch layers.
I cook, but I’m not much of a baker. My niece wanted a chocolate cake with raspberry frosting for her birthday (she herself is a master baker, so I was challenged). Made this recipe and it was the bomb! It looked almost like the picture and exploded with flavor (I used dark cocoa powder). I sprinkled some fairy dust on top to add a little luster and make it sparkle. Just wish I could upload a photo to show you how beautiful it was! Will definitely be making this again!
Yay, Lori! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was such a success! If you want to DM me a pic on Instagram I’d love to see, or you can email me one at sugarandsparrow@gmail.com. So thrilled that you loved this one!
Hi Whitney! I am not the biggest fan of chocolate, so I was wondering if you think this recipe would go well with the cake swapped out for your lemon cake or vanilla cake? If so, do you recommend a white chocolate ganache on top?
Hi Lydia! Raspberry buttercream would work amazingly well with lemon cake or vanilla cake, and yes on the white chocolate ganache!
Hi, would the frosting recipe be enough to fill, coat and do the top part of a 3 layer 8 inch cake? Thanks!
Hi Jessica! I would make 1.5x the buttercream portion of the recipe to have enough for three 8 inch layers. You can use this recipe scale calculator to make the math easier: https://www.inchcalculator.com/recipe-scale-conversion-calculator/
How could this be converted into a 9 by 13 inch sheet cake?
Hi Lauren! You can absolutely bake this recipe as a 9 x 13 sheet cake. Fill the pan no more than halfway full and bake at 350F for 5-10 minutes longer than the baking time listed. Here’s a blog post I wrote with more info on converting my recipes into sheet cakes: https://sugarandsparrow.com/sheet-cake-recipes/ Hope that helps!
your recipe sounds amazing. I would like to use it for my son’s bday party, and I am curious how you would tweak the measurements and baking time to convert it into cupcakes?
I’m so excited for you to make this! To bake this recipe as cupcakes, fill the cupcake tins no more than 2/3 full and bake at 350F for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Would you happen to know approximately how many cupcakes the recipe makes?
Hi Rachel! This recipe makes 30-35 cupcakes 🙂
Thank you! I’m making these today for my daughter to take to our homeschool group. She’s turning 10 tomorrow.
I’m excited to make this cake for my dad’s birthday, however, I’m curious about the consistency of the raspberry buttercream – do I need to thin it for the crumb coat or should it be ok as is? Thanks in advance!
Hi Heather! You shouldn’t need to thin this buttercream for the crumb coat, but if you do feel like it needs thinning you can easily add 1-2 tsp of additional milk to thin it out. Hope that helps!