Take any birthday celebrations up a notch with this decadent chocolate raspberry birthday cake. The cardamom glaze offers a unique frosting that sets it apart, while also enhancing the overall flavour.
Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line the bottoms of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Set aside. In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients—flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt—and whisk.
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Make the chocolate cake batter
Start adding wet ingredients to the dry mixture bowl. First, stir in the oil and melted butter until fully combined. Next, add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir again until the batter is smooth and free of lumps. Gradually add buttermilk, stirring until combined. Slowly pour in the water while whisking until smooth and runny. Scrape the sides with a spatula to ensure it’s well combined.
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Bake the cake
Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. While the cake bakes, prepare your filling and glaze. Once the cake is baked, take it out and let it cool completely before frosting/filling.
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Prepare the raspberry filling
Add raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until berries break down. In another small pan, add sugar and cornstarch, and whisk until combined. Now, add this cornstarch slurry to the berry mix and cook for another minute or two, till it thickens. Remove from heat and cool completely.
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Make the cardamom glaze
In a pan, add icing sugar, cardamom, melted butter, and milk (or cream). Whisk until pourable but thick. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk – ½ tsp at a time.
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Assemble the cake
Slice the chocolate cake horizontally into two layers. Spread raspberry filling on the base layer. Place the second layer on top. Now, pour the cardamom glaze over the entire cake, letting it drip down naturally. Decorate with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings.