See's Candies-Inspired Raspberry Cream Cake
Dark chocolate cake with raspberry ganache filling and chocolate fudge frosting.
Ingredients
For the Dark Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cups (88.5 g) dark cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon (3 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (109 g) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) raspberry emulsion
- 1 cup (236.6 g) hot water
For the Raspberry Filling
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries (thawed if using frozen to help reduce the water)
- 8 ounces white chocolate chips
- 1 ounce about a cup, freeze dried raspberries
For the Fudge Buttercream
- 1 1/4 cups (282.5 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar, measured then sifted
- 3/4 cup (88.5 g) dark cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup (276 g) light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons (8.4 g) vanilla extract
- 10 ounces (283 g) dark or semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
- 1/2 teaspoons (3 g) salt
Instructions
For the Dark Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Spray three 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray, line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on low speed until combined.
- In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, water, and raspberry emulsion.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pans (about 16 ounces in each pan) and bake for 23 to 27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
- Remove the cake pans from the oven and let the layers cool in pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting onto cooling racks to cool completely.Wrap the cake layers with plastic wrap and freeze for at least an hour before assembling the cake.
For the Raspberry Filling
- In a medium sauce pan, cook the frozen raspberries over medium heat. As they soften, use a potato masher or a fork to break up the raspberries to release the juices. Allow the berries to simmer on low for about 15 minutes to thicken and allow the water to evaporate. The berry mixture should coat a spoon when it's thickened a little. If you need to, you can add a tablespoon of sifted cornstarch (while the mixture is cooking), to help thicken it.
- Once the berries have cooked through and juice has thickened a little, pour the berries into a fine-mesh sieve that is set over a bowl. Push the juices through to remove the seeds. You'll use about 3/4 cup of the seedless juice but don't throw the rest away. Save it in an airtight container in case you need to thin your mixture later.
- In a microwave safe bowl, pour the hot raspberry puree over the white chocolate chips. Stir until the white chocolate chips melt. If needed, microwave for 30 seconds to melt the chips completely. Stir until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, crush the freeze-dried raspberries into a fine crumb. Push through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds and add the raspberry powder to the ganache. Stir until blended. This should start to thicken the mixture.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before adding to the cake. The ganache will thicken as it cools. The texture of the raspberry ganache should be thick, but easily spreadable. If it's too thin, refrigerate it for about 20 minutes or so to set more. To thicken even more, add additional freeze dried raspberry powder.
For the Fudge Frosting
- NOTE: This frosting is quite a bit different than my chocolate buttercream. This texture is denser, more decadent and fudge-like. If you don't want that texture, you can search "chocolate buttercream" or "black buttercream" for alternatives. In a microwave safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips in the microwave for about a minute. Stir until smooth and silky.
- In food processor, combine the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa, and salt. Mix until smooth, about 30 to 60 seconds, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl about half way through.
- Add corn syrup and vanilla and mix until just combined, about 20 to 30 seconds.
- Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and then add the melted chocolate. Pulse until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
- This frosting will get darker as it sets.
Assembly
- Place the first cake layer, top side up, on a cake board or cake stand. Spread half of the raspberry filling over the top of the cake.
- Place a second chocolate cake layer on top and repeat with the filling.
- Cover the entire cake with a thin coat of the fudge frosting. Freeze the cake for 15 to 20 minutes and then continue to frost the cake with the remaining frosting.