Chocolate Raspberry Cake
My mom and I made this when she was over to visit this past week, and it was amazing! Even without the raspberries, it's a wonderful moist chocolate cake recipe. The key is to use really, really nice chocolate and cocoa. I personally love Green&Blacks, but use what works best for you.
From the domestic goddess herself - Nigella Lawson (as heard on NPR but originally from Feast).
For the cake:
2/3 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup superfine sugar (I just used normal sugar)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp best unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 cup raspberries
For the icing:
2/3 cup heavy cream
5 1/2 oz dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup raspberries
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and line two shallowish 9 inch heart-shaped pans (or similar sized circular ones) with cut-out hearts (or circles) of parchment paper. (This is absolutely necessary because the cakes are so light and moist)
Pour the milk into a small pan with the butter and heat until warm and the butter has melted (or you can just stick a glass measuring cup in the microwave). When hot, add the vanilla.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick, light and frothy, really frothy. Meanwhile, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda.
Still beating the eggs and sugar, pour in the hot buttery vanilla'd milk and when incorporated, slowly fold in the flour-baking soda-cocoa mixture (I actually whisked it because I found it wasn't heavy enough to fold - just be sure to keep the air in the mixture).
Divide this mixture between the two pans and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning the cakes out and then turning them over so that they are sitting on the wire rack, out of their pans, the right way up. (And yes, the cakes seem to be a bit thin, but that's ok).
To fill the heart (after the cakes have cooled completely), whip the cream until thick but not stiff. Add the raspberries and crush with a fork, though not too finely, until the cream turns a wonderful pink. Sandwich the two cakes with this cream.
To ice, put the cream, the chocolate (cut into small pieces) and the syrup in a pan over low to medium heat, and when the chocolate seems to have all but melted into the cream, take off the heat and start whisking by hand until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Pour and then spread over the top of the cake, not worrying too much about drips.
Take out the rest of the raspberries and stud the chocolate topping with them, hole side down.
Then enjoy with a lovely cup of coffee!
From the domestic goddess herself - Nigella Lawson (as heard on NPR but originally from Feast).
For the cake:
2/3 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup superfine sugar (I just used normal sugar)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp best unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
For the filling:
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 cup raspberries
For the icing:
2/3 cup heavy cream
5 1/2 oz dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup raspberries
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and line two shallowish 9 inch heart-shaped pans (or similar sized circular ones) with cut-out hearts (or circles) of parchment paper. (This is absolutely necessary because the cakes are so light and moist)
Pour the milk into a small pan with the butter and heat until warm and the butter has melted (or you can just stick a glass measuring cup in the microwave). When hot, add the vanilla.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick, light and frothy, really frothy. Meanwhile, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda.
Still beating the eggs and sugar, pour in the hot buttery vanilla'd milk and when incorporated, slowly fold in the flour-baking soda-cocoa mixture (I actually whisked it because I found it wasn't heavy enough to fold - just be sure to keep the air in the mixture).
Divide this mixture between the two pans and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before turning the cakes out and then turning them over so that they are sitting on the wire rack, out of their pans, the right way up. (And yes, the cakes seem to be a bit thin, but that's ok).
To fill the heart (after the cakes have cooled completely), whip the cream until thick but not stiff. Add the raspberries and crush with a fork, though not too finely, until the cream turns a wonderful pink. Sandwich the two cakes with this cream.
To ice, put the cream, the chocolate (cut into small pieces) and the syrup in a pan over low to medium heat, and when the chocolate seems to have all but melted into the cream, take off the heat and start whisking by hand until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Pour and then spread over the top of the cake, not worrying too much about drips.
Take out the rest of the raspberries and stud the chocolate topping with them, hole side down.
Then enjoy with a lovely cup of coffee!
Comments