Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Jam and Whipped Cream Frosting

When Food and Wine published this recipe by Ina Garten, she declared that “this is the most fabulous chocolate cake that I’ve ever made.” Now, that is quite a bold statement coming from one of America’s most delightful cooks whom I use to wake up at 5am for to watch Barefoot Contessa. So, knowing that she said that about this cake, it didn’t take a lot of convincing for me to decide that this would be my mum’s mother’s day cake.

Now, I’ve made a lot of chocolate cakes but I have to say Ina Garten is right – this is truly the most fabulous homemade chocolate cake. The evidence (1) it didn’t even last 24 hours in my home, (2) my dad took his own self-initiative to cut himself I kid you not a quarter of the cake (3) my mum wants me to make it again this weekend (4) one of my closest friend’s said I made her day and sent her to heaven …. So you could say it went down pretty well.

I decided to pair this cake with a raspberry jam that I am obsessed with from the Melbourne Uni Farmer’s Market. I have been buying one 500g jar of this jam every week for the last couple of months now and my family and I are still yet to get sick of it. Once you try fresh, homemade jam like this made with fresh raspberries, paying $9 for a jar is totally worthwhile plus the intangible benefit of supporting a local producer is a very special feeling as well.

So make sure you pair this cake with an incredible jam – your favourite jam. And the whipped cream icing is so fluffy and smooth, complementing the richness of the cake and fruitiness of the raspberries.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

¾ cup unsweetened, dutch processed cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed coffee (add it whilst it is still hot)

300ml heavy cream, well chilled

½ cup sifted icing sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

Your favourite raspberry jam

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter one large round cake tin and dust with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour with the sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt at low speed. In a bowl, whisk the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients until just incorporated, then slowly beat in the hot coffee until fully incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45mins to 1 hour, placing a bit of parchment paper over it if it begins to brown too soon. Don’t take it out until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for one hour. Invert the cake onto a cake stand.

For the whipped cream frosting, place the bowl of your mixer and the whisk attachment in the freezer for 20 mins in advance. Beat the cream in the chilled bowl until frothy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla gradually while beating. Whip until light and a thick enough consistency to pipe onto the cake. Use immediately.

Once the cake is cool, spread a generous amount of the jam on top of the cake. Using the star nozzle attachment pipe the frosting on top of the jam and on the sides of the cake. Dress with little sugar flowers and it will be a cake to remember!