I think it’s important for everyone to have a great, reliable and easy chocolate cake recipe in their kitty that they can pull out when the situation calls for it. There are always birthdays and special days when you just want to skip the bakery and bake your loved ones a homemade cake. Or maybe a chocolate craving or just something nice for the weekend. This one is my go to chocolate cake. I visit it time and again, adjust the weights according to the number of servings required and tweak the recipe a little bit depending on the flavors I am looking for.
This is a cake that is moist, firm and very choclatey despite being made with a few pantry ingredients. The chocolate fudge buttercream is totally decadent and glossy just the way I like it. If I am after a chocolate orange cake, I add orange zest to the cake batter and the frosting. For a mocha cake, I would add a teaspoon of coffee and so on. Basically, it’s a versatile and easy to make cake. I’ve made it in 3, 6 inch pans for this recipe but I’ve also made a single layer cake earlier using the same recipe. If you are not confident about your piping skills, spreading the frosting into rustic swirls looks equally amazing on this easy chocolate cake.
It’s officially Autumn but there are no signs of it. We are a bit fed up with the consistent warm temperatures but I am equally glad that the summer produce hasn’t left us yet. Hence the excuse to use up some beautiful raspberries for the cake.
Easy Chocolate Cake With Raspberries
Makes a 6 inch, 3-layered round cake or an 8 inch single cake
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water (125 ml)
125 g unsalted butter, softened
11/4 cup castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease 3, 6 inch baking pans and line the bases with non-stick baking paper.
Mix the cocoa powder and boiling water form a smooth, thick paste. Leave aside.
Use an electric mixer or by hand,beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence together for 1-2 minutes or until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition until combined,
Sift together the flours. Use a large metal spoon to fold the flours into the butter mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture, in 2 batches each, until well combined. Divide the mixture equally between the 3 prepared pans. Smoothen the surface with the back of the spoon.
Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Stand for 3 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.
Once cooled completely, frost with chocolate fudge frosting, either by spreading the frosting with a spoon or piping it onto the cake layers. Decorate with fresh raspberries.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
120 gms unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup (150 gms) unsalted butter, room temperature
11/3 cups (160 gms) icing sugar sifted
11/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy(about 1 min). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy(about 2 min). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2-3 min).
This simple yet elegant cake looks dreamy! I could so go for a piece!
Thanks so much Tori!
How much sugar did you use for the dough? Please in grams…..
I am going to make this this weekend! I have ALL of the ingredients! When I was inspired to make Mary Berry’s English scones, I had to look for caster sugar, which is not sold in our markets. However, one specialty market sold it, so I have a HUGE container of it! This looks wonderful, and you are so right; just add some orange zest or another ingredient to give it a special flavor. Sonali, as always, your photos bring TO LIFE these wonderful recipes! MERCI!
Anita Rivera
I hope you try it Anita. It’s one of my favourite cakes and a simple recipe. Thanks so much my friend:-)
Hi dear
Can I use it for a birthday cake recipe and cover it with ganash ?
What a beautiful cake! It’s amazing how the layers are seemingly floating between the fluffy frosting and raspberries. I have been on a raspberry kick lately…goes so well with chocolate. It’s a beauty! : )
I think it’s the combination of chocolate with raspberry that makes it amazing every time. Thanks Monica!
I am so with you! Having a good chocolate cake recipe in your back pocket is soooo important! This cake is gorgeous. Really loving those fat gobs of frosting on top 🙂
Thanks Katrina! I am not sure which one I like more, the cake or the frosting:-)
Moist, rich, gorgeous… a true paradisiacal image! Pity that you live so far away from me — otherwise I’d be knocking at your door. 🙂
You wouldn’t have to knock on mine dear Denise. You’ll find me outside yours admiring your lovely creations!
Go to cake recipes are a must. I don,t make them enough to have one so will refer to this recipe 🙂
Love the raspberries and big dollops of buttercream…YUM
Thanks Evelyne! You are such a creative cook. You wouldn’t need a go-to recipe!
This easy chocolate cake is so gorgeous, I would call it eye soothing chocolate cake 🙂 I kept scrolling up and down staring and drooling over your amazing clicks!
Aww…thanks so much for your sweet comment:-)
Oh that piping!! It turns a good chocolate cake into a work of art, the sort that people gush over – so glossy, thick and chocolatey – I just want to scoop some out of the screen! Love the pairing with summer raspberries too. Such a perfect go-to cake <3
Thanks dear Claudia. You are too sweet!
Beautiful cake! Can’t beat chocolate and raspberries 🙂
Absolutely! Thanks dear Sabrina.
Beautiful cake! Looks absolutely divine and I am sure it tastes like one too 🙂
Thanks so much:-)
I am sorry it will probably sound very silly but how much grams is 11/4 casted sugar
The castor sugar is in cups. The butter is grams and that is 1/2 cup or 1 stick
The castor sugar is in cups. The butter is in grams and that is 1/2 cup or 1 stick
Exactly! 125 g butter would be equivalent to 1/2 a cup or 1 stick (approx).
look so delicious, i love this flavor
Hi, this cake looks yummy!! I have a question please: why a self rising flour? And a normal one. I just have normal flour. Can i still make it with baking powder? Thank you
Hi, so glad you like the cake. You could substitute self raising flour with plain flour+baking powder. Just add 2 tsp baking powder to every 1 cup of plain flour for an equal amount of self raising flour. Hope this helps!
Thank You
Looks delicious. Thanks.
Hi
Jus wondering how many raspberries you recommend?
Hi there! About 10 in each layer. So 30 should do fine. Hope this helps:-)
I made a version of this yesterday for my daughter. It was superb!
Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Jonna:-) Thanks for sharing it with me!
Does the pipped frosting hold its shape between the layers? Also can I make it the night before ?
Hello, I want to make this for my son’s birthday and was wondering if the frosting could be made the day before and kept in the fridge. Would it become to hard to work with??? Have you tried it before???
I know it’s probably too late but you can make buttercream style frostings well in advance, you can’t even freeze them for about 3 months!! You just have to bring them back to cool room temperature and beat then again : )
Oh and I’ll be making this today for my Granny’s 100th birthday!!!
Do you have any advice for piling up the layers?
Do you let the cake rest after piling up the first layer or don’t you let it rest at all
I am afraid that the chocolate might be squeezed.
Regards, Lars
Hi! For how many people is it?
Regards, Loryin
Wow just made this cake and It was amazing!!!!
Thank you soooo much for this recipe 😋😋😋
Hi lovely cake !! Do I have to divide the mixture into three tins can I not just cook it as a who cake and slice into layer once cool x
Can. I use cake flour instead of self rising flour since. I didnt found it in the store?
Thank you for the recipe – the cake looked amazing and was really easy to make but way too sweet for me and my family and friends (although I already used less sugar)
This is beautiful!! Going to make it for a baby shower. What technique/ piping tip did you use to get the dollop look?
Hi…beautiful cake…will try the recipe soon. I was wondering if it would work in two 8″ or 9″ pans?
Hi there! Thank you. Yes, it should work in two 8 inch pans though the layers will be shorter. The baking time will also need adjusting.
Can you give measurents in ounces or grammes instead of cups x