Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
Chocolate layer cake with raspberry buttercream
Equipment
- 3 parchment paper rounds to fit into the bottom of the pans
- mixer
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Ingredients
- 2 boxes Duncan Hines chocolate cake mix
- (2) 3.4-ounce boxes of instant chocolate pudding (small pudding boxes)
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 6 large eggs, lightly beaten and at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups lukewarm water
- vegetable shortening and all-purpose flour (for preparing pans)
Raspberry Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ⅓ cup raspberries, pureed (use fresh or frozen that are thawed)
- 1 tablespoon milk (optional)
Garnishes (optional)
- extra fresh raspberries or other fresh fruit
- edible fresh flowers, cut, and ends dipped in frosting to seal them
- decorative cookies such as macarons
Instructions
Directions for Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 8-ounce cake pans. Cut three circles from parchment paper and place one in the bottom of each prepared pan. Grease and flour each parchment paper.
- Add all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Then beat the batter for 2 minutes until well mixed.
- Place wet, bake-even strips around the outside of the cake pan and secure. (optional)
- Divide the batter evenly among the three prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30 minutes (if not using baking strips) or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it but with no wet batter. Let cool for a few minutes. Then, run a thin knife around the inside edge to release the cake. Turn the cake out on a cooling rack and discard the paper liner. Cool completely. (If baking strips are used, increase the cooking time to 40 minutes. Then, check for doneness with a toothpick. Add additional minutes if needed until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.)
Directions for Frosting
- Cream butter until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and mix.
- Place ⅓ cup fresh or frozen raspberries in a food chopper and blend until pureed. If there are a lot of seeds, press the puree through a sieve to remove them.
- Alternate powdered sugar and pureed raspberries and beat until smooth. If frosting is too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of milk and blend.
- Place a layer of cake on a cake plate. Frost the top of the layer with ⅓ of the frosting. Stack the next layer and repeat the process until all the frosting is divided between layers.
Garnishes
- Finish the cake with fresh raspberries and other fruit, candy, macaron cookies, or edible flowers.
Notes
Make a Smaller Cake
This recipe can be cut in half to make a two-layer cake in either 8-inch or 9-inch pans.Use Baking Strips
To bake a flat cake without a middle dome, use wet baking strips around the cake pan prior to baking. You can buy these at craft stores in the cake-baking section, or you can make your own. To make your own strips, follow these steps:- Cut a towel long enough to fit around your cake pan and tall enough to fold over to make it double-thick.
- Wet the strip until damp, but not dripping.
- Overlap the ends and pin the strip with safety pins until it fits securely around the pan.
- Then, fill the pan with batter and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrition
Calories: 564kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 6gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 735mgPotassium: 240mgFiber: 2gSugar: 65gVitamin A: 448IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 98mgIron: 3mg
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