LAYER CAKE TIME!

CHOCOLATE + RASPBERRY = PURE BLISS ♥

For the chocolate cake, I used Ina's recipe!

Ingredients

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk, shaken
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch x 2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Frosting adapted from Sweetapolita

Raspberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Yield: ~5 cups

Ingredients

5 large, fresh egg whites

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 sticks butter, cut into cubes and cool, but not cold

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup raspberry jam

pinch of salt

few drops pink food coloring

Method

1. Add egg whites and sugar to mixer bowl, and simmer over a pot of water (not boiling), whisking constantly but gently, until temperature reaches 150°F, or if you don’t have a candy thermometer, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2. With whisk attachment of mixer, begin to whip until the meringue is thick, glossy, and the bottom of the bowl feels neutral to the touch, about 10 minutes or so.

3. With paddle attachment on low add butter cubes, one at a time, until silky smooth.

4. Add vanilla and salt, continuing to beat on low speed.

5. Add raspberry jam.

6. Add small amount of pink food color.

Dark Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients

4 oz high quality bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped

1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into cubes

Method

Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir the mixture using a rubber spatula until melted and smooth.