Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Day 3 of Project 365 – A Year of Family Cooking brings us another delicious dessert!
Ingredients:
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
7 eggs, separated
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (4 ounce) package of fresh raspberries (you can use frozen if you have to, but make sure they are thawed)
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line the bottoms of two 9 inch cake pans with waxed paper.
To Make Cake:
Melt 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips on low on the stove top. Cool, and beat in egg yolks. In a large bowl, beat butter or margarine, 1 1/2 cups sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add chocolate mixture, and continue beating until smooth. Stir in flour until just combined. In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup sugar, and continue beating until the whites hold soft peaks. Fold whites into chocolate batter, in three additions. Pour batter into prepared pans, and smooth tops. Bake until a toothpick stuck into the centers of the cakes comes out with moist crumbs, about 45 minutes. Cool in pans.
To Make Frosting:
In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Add 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips and stir into the cream. Remove saucepan from heat, and continue stirring until smooth. Pour frosting into bowl, and press sheet of plastic wrap directly against surface of chocolate to prevent formation of a skin. Refrigerate until thick enough to spread.
To Make Filling:
Rinse and drain fresh raspberries, if necessary, and combine with the jam.
After the cakes have cooled, layer them with raspberry filling. Spread your frosting on the top and sides with chocolate frosting.
**TIP – If your frosting doesn't thicken up enough, you can always add extra store-bought frosting!
