This drool-worthy chocolate raspberry cake combines layers of moist chocolate cake, fresh raspberries, and a smothering of homemade whipped cream frosting for the perfect chocolate raspberry layer cake! The classic flavors of chocolate and raspberry together make this a cake that’s perfect for any occasion! We’ve made it a ton of times and it always gets raving reviews and people asking for the recipe!
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The best raspberry chocolate cake recipe
A while back I visited a friend and went with her to one of her family parties. When I got there, I instantly noticed this delicious four-layered cake being assembled. After the candles were blown out, this chocolate raspberry cake was cut and served.
It had the perfect balance of chocolate and raspberry flavor, a balance that when done right makes for the most amazing flavor combination. Plus, it uses just simple ingredients to achieve that flavor!
Needless to say, I went back for seconds and shamelessly asked for the recipe. Since then, I have made this for my own family countless times and it has instantly become my go-to cake recipe. It’s the most delicious chocolate raspberry cake, and I hope you love it as much as my family does!
What I love most about this cake is how versatile it is, it works great for a birthday, Valentine’s Day, holiday party, or baby shower. Any time you need a cake, this cake is the perfect fit.
Why you’ll love this
- Easy to assemble – layered cakes can sound intimidating but this the chocolate cake layers come together easily and always tastes great, even without any special equipment!
- Feeds a crowd – I only ever need to make one cake to feed my family of twenty and there are usually leftovers.
- Simple to make – this cake is impressive without being overly technical, it focuses on fresh ingredients that are easy to work with.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Heavy whipping cream – there is no good substitute for this, even whole milk won’t whip the same.
- Vegetable oil – this can be replaced by avocado oil or coconut oil. Be aware that coconut oil can give it a hint of coconut flavoring and avocado is definitely more expensive.
- Chocolate cake – I love the moist crumbs of this chocolate cake recipe, but it can be switched out for a chocolate cake mix if you really want, or your favorite chocolate cake recipe. (This is my favorite!)
- Cocoa powder – I recommend using unsweetened but for an even more intense flavor, you can use dark chocolate cocoa powder.
- Cream cheese – don’t use the whipped or spreadable kind, the blocks are best for this. You also need to make sure your cream cheese is softened – the frosting won’t work the same if it’s not.
- Sugar – you will want to use granulated sugar, not powered sugar or confectioners’ sugar, for both the cake batter and the frosting.
- Raspberries – frozen raspberries or raspberry preserves won’t work for this, you need to get fresh raspberries for the best results. I have also used strawberries and it worked but the raspberry version is my favorite.
- Flour – this is great with just all purpose flour, the kind most people have in their pantries already!
Note!
I really like this with the cream cheese frosting outlined in this recipe but if you want to add more flavor (I tend to think it’s too much), you could also use a raspberry frosting or a creamy chocolate frosting too. I just prefer the combo of the chocolate cake, fresh raspberries, and cream cheese frosting personally!
How to make Chocolate Raspberry Cake
You’ll be surprised how easily this layered dessert comes together. Simply follow the directions and you’ll be enjoying the deliciousness in no time.
I’ve included step by step instructions but full details and even more notes are included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Note!
This chocolate raspberry cake recipe uses a sheet pan instead of cake pans, so no need for a special cake pan or really any special equipment.
1- make the Chocolate Cake Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray and set the pan aside to use later.
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low until the dry ingredients are just combined.
- Add in the wet ingredients of large eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Mix all the ingredients on medium speed until the batter is smooth.
- Next, add in the boiling water. The batter will seem very runny at this point which is normal. Mix for about a minute until the water has been completely mixed into the batter and there are no lumps.
2 – Bake the Chocolate Cake
- Pour the smooth chocolate cake batter into the prepared pan. Use a spatula if you need to, to make sure the batter has been evenly distributed into the pan.
- Place the cake into the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes.
- Once the cake is done baking stick a toothpick into the cake to make sure it’s done. Remove the cooked cake from the oven and let the cake cool in the pan until it is completely cooled.
3 – Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the room-temperature cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-high speed until the cream cheese is light colored and there are no lumps. Set aside the bowl of cream cheese to add in later.
- Pour the whipping cream into a large bowl (ideally a cold one) and using a hand mixer or electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip the cream cheese until it has created medium peaks, or the peak has a slight flop to it when flipped over. You can also use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for this step as well.
- After the whipped cream is finished, add the cream cheese mixture by using a rubber spatula to gently fold it into the whipped cream. Make sure the cream cheese mixture is fully combined with the whipped cream, it should be smooth.
Temperature Matters!
The key to making this scrumptious frosting is having your ingredients at the right temperature. The cream cheese needs to be softened to room temperature so it can get creamy and not leave lumps in your frosting.
The heavy cream needs to be cold. This allows it to firm up while it is whipping without over-mixing. Having a cold mixing bowl and even cold beaters is also helpful for this process.
4 – Assemble the cake
- Cut the cake into four sections once it’s cooled. The easiest way to make sure you get them as even as possible is to cut down the center vertically of the cake and then cut down the center again horizontally.
- Place the first section of the cake onto the center of your favorite rectangle serving tray or platter.
- Apply a 1/2 inch layer of the whipped topping mixture on top of the cake.
- Add raspberry filling on top of the whipped cream by evenly distributing one pint of fresh raspberries all over the cream topping.
- Repeat the previous step two more times until you then finish it with the final layer of cake.
- Frost the entire cake with the rest of the whipped cream cheese frosting. You want to cover the whole outside of the cake with frosting.
- Add the final pint of raspberries to the top of the cake.
5 – Chill and Serve
Place the final cake in the refrigerator and chill for about an hour before serving as this cake is best served chilled!
When you’re ready to serve, slice long rectangle pieces that include plenty of chocolate cake, frosting, and fresh raspberries! You definitely want each slice to include all three so people can enjoy all the delicious flavors together!
If you love chocolate and raspberry together, make sure to try out these raspberry brownies too!
Slicing Tip
When cutting this cake into slices, remember that it has four layers of rich chocolate cake, so less is more. People can always come back for seconds if they want!
How to Store chocolate raspberry cake
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The sooner it is eaten the less time the raspberries will have to leak into the chocolate cake and ruin the texture.
This cake needs to be stored in the fridge the whipped cream will begin to melt if it is too warm and can cause your cake to lean.
Tips & Tricks
Make sure to add a thick layer of frosting between layers (not a thin layer of frosting), you will want the whipping cream to balance out the richness of the chocolate flavor.
Use a serrated knife to cut the cake or if you don’t have a serrated knife, a plastic knife can also result in a clean cut, it’s just a little trickier to use because they tend to be small!
Do not transfer the cake to a wire rack for cooling, it will result in the racks leaving an imprint on the cake that you don’t want.
For chocolate lovers, you can add a thin layer of chocolate ganache to the layers before topping it with whipped cream and raspberries.
Recipe FAQs
Can this cake be made into cupcakes?
This chocolate raspberry cake can be made into cupcakes, though the baking time would be slightly less, and I personally have not tested it. I also recommend that the cupcakes be filled with a homemade raspberry jam or raspberry filling and some whipping cream before being topped.
Can I freeze chocolate raspberry cake?
I do not recommend freezing the final cake with the frosting and fresh raspberries as they just don’t freeze well. You can however freeze the chocolate cake layers themself if you want to say half the recipe and use half for later. Wrap the chocolate cake layer tightly in plastic wrap then place in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to three months.
More Easy Cake Recipes
- Dr. Pepper Cake – another decadent chocolate cake that’s flavored with one of my favorites, Dr. Pepper!
- Raspberry poke cake – this fun old fashioned cake is not only delicious, it’s beautiful too!
- Chocolate chip bundt cake – a super simple recipe full of chocolate flavor!
- Snickers cake – a rich chocolate cake covered with caramel and nuts, just like a candy bar!
- Dirt cake – layers of Oreos and vanilla filling combined with of course gummy worms!
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Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Frosting
- 2 8oz pkgs cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream 1 quart
Topping
- 4 pints fresh raspberries
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray and set the pan aside to use later.
- In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer add in the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat on low until the dry ingredients are just combined.2 cups sugar, 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt
- Add in the wet ingredients of eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.2 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Add in the boiling water. Mix again Until water is combined with the batter.1 cup boiling water
- Pour the smooth chocolate cake batter into the prepared pan. Use a spatula if you need to, to make sure the batter has been evenly distributed into the pan.
- Place the cake into the oven and bake for 20-23 minutes.
- Stick a toothpick into the cake to make sure it’s done then let the cake cool in the pan until it is completely cooled.
- Cut the cake once it has cooled into four even sections.
- Place the first section of the cake onto the center of serving tray. Then apply a 1/2 inch layer of the whipped topping mixture on top of the cake. On top of the whipped cream add the fresh raspberries.4 pints fresh raspberries
- Repeat the previous step two more times until the cake is the last layer. Then frost the whole cake in the rest of the whipped cream mixture. Add the raspberries to the top of the cake. This cake is best served cool so refrigerate it for about an hour before serving.
Frosting
- In a medium mixing bowl add the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer and mix on medium high speed until smooth. Set aside to add in later.2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp vanilla
- Pour the whipping cream into a large bowl and using a hand mixer on medium high speed, whip the cream cheese until it has created medium peaks.4 cups heavy whipping cream
- Add in the cream cheese mixture by using a rubber spatula to gently fold it into the whipped cream. Fold in until smooth.
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