Chocolate cake with raspberries

ngredients

For the cake:

• 250 g 70% cocoa solids chocolate, broken into pieces
• 175 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 350 g light soft brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 375 g plain flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 50 g cocoa powder
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 400 ml milk

For the chocolate buttercream:

• 175 g 70% cocoa solids chocolate, broken into pieces
• 225 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
• 1 tsp milk
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 280 g icing sugar

To serve:

• handful of raspberries
• edible glitter, to sprinkle

• Method

  1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease and line 2 x 20cm round cake tins.
  
  2. Melt the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
  
  3. Beat the butter for a minute or so, until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding 1 tablespoon of flour between each egg to keep the mixture smooth. Mix
  in the melted chocolate and vanilla extract.
  
  4. Sift together the remaining flour, the cocoa, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add a third of the flour mixture to the cake batter and beat in gently. Then add around a third of the milk, then more flour, stirring gently after each addition. Repeat with the remaining milk and flour, until all the ingredients are incorporated. Don’t overbeat as this will make the cake heavy; just stir gently and stop as soon as the flour and milk are incorporated.
  
  5. Scrape the bowl down, then give the mixture a last stir. Spoon into the tins and level the tops. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a small knife or skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes,
  then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Slice one cake in half horizontally so you have 3 layers.
  
  6. For the buttercream: Melt the chocolate as described in step 2. Beat the butter, then add the rest of the ingredients, including the chocolate, and beat until thick and creamy. Place one of the thin cake layers on a board and spread with a quarter of the buttercream. Put the thick cake on top and spread with more buttercream, then top with the other thin cake.
  
  7. Crumb-coat the cake and leave to set for 10 minutes. Using a palette knife, spread the remaining buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Top with raspberries and a sprinkling of glitter.
  
  
  
  Stacie Bakes by Stacie Stewart is published by Pavilion. Recipe photography by Dan Jones.
  
  If you like this, you'll love lots more of our easy cake recipes.