This week was my daughter's birthday, and she had her heart set on a cake with chocolate layers and raspberries — the chocolate layers were no problem, but finding fresh raspberries in early May is a whole other story! So I went with frozen raspberries, and it turned out wonderful. Feel free to use other berries you like — strawberries would be fantastic too, and their season is just around the corner! To make the cake extra festive and impressive, I made it as a three-tier cake. I'm sharing my ingredient breakdown for three layers sized 25 cm, 20 cm, and 15 cm. The batter is the same for each layer — the proportions are simply adjusted for each size. I baked them in a pastry ring. If you'd like to bake all three at once, you can add up all the ingredients and make one big batch of batter. For the frosting I used cream cheese, which gives it a subtly tangy, salty-creamy note that pairs perfectly with the chocolate layers! Needless to say, the cake turned out absolutely delicious and beautiful — the birthday girl and all the guests were thrilled!
Ingredients:
- Bottom layer:
- 190 g flour
- 190 g sugar
- 110 g kefir
- 75 g vegetable oil
- 35 g cocoa
- 1.5 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda (level)
- 100 ml strong coffee
- pinch of salt
- Middle layer:
- 125 g flour
- 125 g sugar
- 75 g kefir
- 50 g vegetable oil
- 25 g cocoa
- 1 egg
- 0.7 tsp vanilla sugar
- 0.7 tsp baking soda (level)
- 70 ml strong coffee
- pinch of salt
- Top layer:
- 85 g flour
- 85 g sugar
- 50 g kefir
- 35 g vegetable oil
- 15 g cocoa
- 0.5 egg
- 0.5 tsp vanilla sugar
- 0.5 tsp baking soda (level)
- 40 ml strong coffee
- pinch of salt
- Frosting:
- 500 g heavy cream 33%
- 250 g cream cheese
- 150 g powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- Berry layer:
- 150 g raspberries (frozen or fresh)
- 2-3 tsp sugar
- 0.5 tsp starch
- berries for decoration
How to cook chocolate cake with raspberries
Make the bottom layer. The cocoa must be very high quality — Dutch-process (alkalized), deep dark in color. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in the bowl you'll be mixing the batter in. Stir together.
In a separate bowl, mix together the kefir, eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, and vegetable oil. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until a thick batter forms.
Brew a strong cup of coffee. I used regular instant coffee dissolved in boiling water. The coffee gives the layers a rich, complex flavor. If you'd prefer not to use coffee for any reason, plain boiling water works just as well. Immediately pour the hot coffee into the batter and mix well.
Prepare your pan — I used a ring mold with parchment paper on the bottom secured with foil. The batter is fairly thin, so it's important to press the foil snugly around the edges. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C) for 15–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Mix and bake the remaining two layers the same way. The layers can be baked ahead of time and stored wrapped in plastic wrap. As a reminder, my three layers are 25 cm, 20 cm, and 15 cm. Pictured here is the littlest one!
Prepare the berry layer. Place the raspberries (straight from frozen) and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat (no need to add water — raspberries release plenty of liquid on their own). Dissolve the starch in one tablespoon of cold water, then pour into the berry mixture while stirring. Cook for one minute. Let cool completely.
Make the frosting. Whip the heavy cream until it holds stiff peaks. Add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla sugar, then whip again until combined.
Assemble the cake. Level the tops of the layers by trimming off any dome. Place the bottom layer on a plate. Spread 2/3 of the berry mixture over the top.
Place the top layer on, then add frosting. Refrigerate the cake to allow the layers to soak and set.
Smooth the frosting on the sides so it's flush with the edges of the layers. Then pipe frosting all around each of the three tiers. Decorate with berries — I used frozen berries, placing them on the cake straight from the freezer and letting them thaw right on top. If you're using frozen berries too, it's best to decorate no more than 1–2 hours before serving and keep the cake refrigerated until then.
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