I first shared this recipe in 2018. It’s been updated with improvements to the recipe instructions and a retested and improved recipe, new photos, including step-by-step photos, and more helpful information.

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• Flour: I’ve tested this cake with light spelt flour, whole grain spelt flour, and all-purpose flour. My personal preference is for a blend of light and whole grain spelt for the nuttier flavour, but recommend using all light spelt for the lightest texture. All-purpose white flour is a good substitution. I haven’t tested with gluten-free alternatives.
• Cocoa: this should be natural cocoa powder, not Dutch process. Check the ingredient list if it’s not labeled. If there are any other ingredients added other than cocoa, like an acidity regulator, then it’s Dutch process.
• Maple syrup: to keep the raspberry cake filling vegan, use maple syrup. If you need a cake that’s dairy-free and egg-free but eat honey, feel free to use honey instead.
• Sugar: I’ve tried this cake with beet sugar (plain granulated sugar), cane sugar, muscovado sugar, and coconut sugar, all with good results. Sugar that has a larger grain can cause visible small pockmarks in the cakes.
• Coffee: even if you don’t like coffee, try it in the cake – it adds a real depth of flavour without tasting like coffee (I don’t drink it and can’t stand the taste). Coffee in chocolate cake makes the chocolate flavour deeper. I keep instant coffee on hand for recipes like this.
• Raspberries: use fresh or frozen raspberries interchangeably for the filling. The weight does change slightly and this is noted in the recipe card.
• Oil: use olive oil for a more complex cake, or your preferred baking oil. Don’t use coconut oil or any other oil that’s solid at room temperature, which will make the cake layers dense.
• Orange juice: orange juice instead of water in the raspberry filling adds a hint of orange flavour that pairs well with the berries and chocolate. Substitute water if you don’t have oranges or juice.
• Milk: this can be any unsweetened non-dairy milk apart from canned coconut milk. I usually use soya or oat milk.

How to Make Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Plan ahead to make this cake. Every element can be made the day in advance and then assembled, but you will feel rushed if you try to make everything and have the cake ready the same day. It can be done if you start early in the morning but it’s best to give yourself the extra time.

Step 1: sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. If you don’t have a large mesh sieve, at least sift the cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder to remove any lumps.

Step 2: add the coffee, milk mixture, oil, and vanilla, and whisk again. The batter should be smooth and quite thin. It will probably be thinner than you expect but that’s typical for this type of chocolate cake.

Step 3: divide the batter equally between two cake tins. You’ll notice that I’ve lined one and not the other – one of the tins I used was scratched and I didn’t want the batter going into the scratched up pan so I lined the whole thing.

Step 4: bake for about 20 minutes. If over-baked, the cakes will be dry. Set a timer and do a toothpick or skewer test. When the cake is baked, it will spring back when lightly pressed and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake will come out with just a few fine crumbs. (If it comes out clean, the cake is slightly over-baked, but it’ll be fine.)

Step 5: to make the raspberry filling, mix the orange juice and starch in a separate bowl – if added separately to the pot with the berries, it will be lumpy – then add to a saucepan with the raspberries, maple syrup, and optional vanilla.

Step 6: stir well and bring to a low boil, then mash the berries lightly with a fork and simmer for five minutes with the lid on. Set a timer and don’t forget or the mixture will burn to the bottom of the pot.

Step 7: make the chocolate ganache and set aside to cool to room temperature. Don’t refrigerate the ganache before frosting the cake and make sure it’s between 20°C and 25°C (68°F to 77°F) in the room or it will be either too hard or too runny.

Step 8: once all the elements are cooled, assemble the cake. Spoon or pipe a dam of the ganache around the edge of the first layer, then fill with the raspberry cake filling.

Step 9: add the second cake layer, then top with the remaining ganache. Note that a 1.5x batch of chocolate ganache is used in order to ice the whole cake, and it is quite a lot – if you know you want to use ganache but don’t want it covering the whole cake, make a single batch (see the separate recipe, as it’s doubled here for the cake) and do something more like a naked cake.

Step 10: spread the ganache all over the cake and use the back a spoon to make ‘swoops’ in the frosting. Top with additional raspberries for decoration. I usually add a circle of raspberries around the edge of the cake as pictured, because I don’t use cake decorating rounds, and this will hide any small smears of frosting on the cake stand as well as looking quite nice.

Alternative Frosting Options

I’ve made this cake dozens of times and have tried several different frostings, depending on who I’m serving it to. North Americans and Australians usually like buttercream (Europeans in general do not) so I will sometimes make it with buttercream on the outside if I’m making it for Canadian tastes, and sometimes with cream for German and Swedish friends and family.

Full ganache is generally pretty safe for adults. It’s what we like most, but it is very rich, so you’ll want to cut the cake into small pieces. If you want to use a different frosting but keep the ganache in between the layers, make a single batch as outlined here.

• Vegan Buttercream: try this if you know you prefer a sweeter finish and like buttercream. Add Dutch process cocoa powder to the frosting until it reaches your desired level of chocolate flavour.
• Coconut Whipped Cream: the vegan whipped cream. I always make this cake with a thick layer of whipped cream to replace the ganache on the outside (the ganache dam between the layers stays) if I’m making it for other Germans. It’s best if you prefer a lighter cake that’s also much less sweet than buttercream.
• Sweet Potato Frosting: it really does taste great on this cake and you don’t taste sweet potato. This is a good in-between option if you do find ganache too rich but buttercream is too sweet.