Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Birthday Cake

It was my mom's birthday last week. Happy Birthday, Mom! So it came as no surprise to me that my dad suggested I bake her a chocolate birthday cake. This is because my mom is a Chocoholic. Seriously. You can't even imagine how many boxes upon boxes of chocolate she gets every year for various holidays and special occasions. It's enough to keep the entire family stocked up year-round.

The first and only recipe that came to mind was one I saw a while back on the blog 17 and Baking. She had this recipe for a Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake and the photos made my mouth water.

It was amazing! The cake is soft and moist. The ganache is so rich, but is nicely complemented by the preserves in the filling. A must try! Your tasters will be impressed.

Her recipe is for three 8" layers. I only have 9" cake pans so I did mine in 2 layers. It turned out perfect. This cake takes a while. There's a lot of time spent waiting for things to cool. I'd give yourself at least four hours. You should start on the ganache while the cake layers are cooling to save time. I didn't do that. I was an hour late to my mom's birthday party. Don't be me.

Before I present you with the recipe, I'd like to take a minute to give a shout out to my awesome mom. For as long as I can remember, she let me help her bake chocolate chip cookies. She'd measure out the ingredients and I would pour them in the bowl. These are my earliest memories of baking and probably my earliest memories of hanging out with my mom. Thanks mom, for letting me help out, inspiring me to try things from scratch, and helping me learn the skills I still use today.

Now, on to the recipe...

Chocolate Raspberry

Ganache Cake

from 17 and Baking

Including Sour Cream Chocolate Cake from Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes

Makes a two layer 9″ cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup canola oil

1 cup sour cream

1 1/2 cups water

2 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Raspberry Ganache (recipe follows)

1/3 cup raspberry preserves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9″ cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter again.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the oil and sour cream, then gradually beat in the water. Add the vinegar and vanilla and mix to combine, and finally beat in the eggs until the batter is well combined. Divide among the two cake pans.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack and peel off the parchment paper, letting the cakes cool completely. Start working on the Raspberry Granache. Once the layers are completely cooled, stick them in the freezer until you are ready to assemble and decorate the cake.

Raspberry Ganache

Makes just enough to fill and frost a two layer 9″ cake

15 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 2/3 cups frozen raspberries

8 oz (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Bring an inch or two of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler. As the water heats, microwave the raspberries in 1 minute intervals, stirring and mashing with a fork, until they become a smooth liquid. Pour through a strainer (should yield 1/3 cup raspberry juice) and set aside to cool.

Place the chopped chocolate and the butter in the top of your boiler and stir until the chocolate and butter melt. Gradually add in the slightly warm raspberry juice, whisking to combine.

Take the ganache off the heat and let cool until spreadable, stirring once in a while. Be patient. This will take 30 minutes to an hour.

Assemble the cake:

If the cakes are not flat, use a serrated knife to even the tops. Place one layer onto a parchment-lined cardboard cut out and spread 1/3 cup raspberry jam. Cover the jam with a thin, 1/4″ thick layer of raspberry ganache. Top with the second layer. To frost the cake, start with a crumb coat: barely cover the entire cake with a thin layer of ganache. This is to help create a smooth finish later. Chill the cake for 10 minutes.

Frost the cake with the remaining raspberry ganache and top with fresh raspberries. It is recommended that you leave the cake at room temperature to prevent the ganache from becoming too brittle.