Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling and White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Rugosa roses between the barn and Miss Piggy's pen.




I recently made this chocolate lovers dream layer cake to celebrate a birthday. The frosting is out of this world and perfect with my favorite cake recipe which I have dubbed the little black dress of cakes. It is always appropriate, looks great, tastes fantastic -and is easy to make. The following is for one layer but you can easily double it, like I did here, to make a two layer cake.

The Little Black Dress Cake or Black Magic Cake
adapted from Hershey's Homemade
Cut wax or parchment paper to line one 9 inch cake pan. Grease bottom and sides of pan, fit in paper, grease paper and flour. This step is a pain but you must do it.
Mix:
1 c. sugar
scant 1 c. cake flour
1/3 c. dark cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. each baking powder and salt
Add:
1 egg
1/2 c. strong black coffee (use decaf if you are serving this in the evening)
1/2 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. canola oil
1/2 t. raspberry liquor, Kahlua or vanilla
Beat 2 minutes. Batter will be thin. Pour into prepared pan and bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until tests done. Cool 5 minutes, invert onto rack and cool completely. Meanwhile, make frosting.


White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
adapted from The Cake Book by Tish Boyle
Melt:
2 oz. Baker's White Chocolate, or other high quality white chocolate -NOT chips
Beat for 1 minute with electric mixer:
8 oz cream cheese
2 T. soft butter
Add melted white chocolate and mix until blended. Add and beat 1 minute until smooth:
1/2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. vanilla
3/4 c. powdered sugar
Use right away as it hardens quickly.


To assemble cake, carefully cut horizontally using a serrated knife. Gently spread a generous amount of homemade raspberry jam onto bottom half, then carefully replace top half. Cover top and sides of cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting. Decorate with dry, fresh, organic raspberries, if they are in season. Refrigerate until frosting sets.