Chocolate Raspberry Cake

After picking lots of raspberries, we made this fabulous Raspberry Chocolate Cake as a reward to the pickers. When our oldest daughter, Kera & her family came for a visit she insisted on another cake. So we went off to scroung some raspberries after the prime of the season. We found just enough to make this cake with raspberries in between every layer. So rich & yummy!!!

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

This cake was inspired by one that Georgia Proctor made for her daughter.
It is decadently delicious!

Cake
1 cup cocoa
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/ teaspoon baking powder
2 ¾ cups white flour
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350’. Butter and flour 2 – 10” round cake pans. Combine cocoa and water, stirring till smooth. . Sift dry ingredients. In a large bowl; beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Alternately adding dry ingredients and cocoa mixture. Do not over mix. Stirring just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean. Cool pans for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes. Cool completely & split cake in half.

Place on serving plate and layer with filling & fresh raspberries between the 4 layers. Pour warm Gauche over top and place fresh raspberries onto top and sides as desired. Refrigerate. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve.

Filling
1/2 cup butter
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar

Melt butter with chocolate. Cool slightly. Whip cream stiffly with vanilla. Gently add chocolate butter mixture and powdered sugar.

Gauche
1 ½ cup chocolate chips
1 cup whipping cream

Place in pan over low heat. Stirring until melted.