Dark Chocolate Cake with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream

Happy GAL & VALentines Day! ❤

If you’ve been following Baking with Soul for a while, you know that this blog was born out of my love of baking for others; what better day to celebrate that then Valentine’s Day?! In recent Valentine’s Day passed, I’ve made treats to share with not just my husband, but friends, family and co-workers! This year, I’m just spoiling my husband with a delicious chocolate dessert for two which will pair wonderfully with his love of red wine. BUT, this recipe can easily be doubled to share with all of the ones you love.

Decorating these cute little Dark Chocolate Cakes with Fresh Raspberry Buttercream, edible glitter dust, and sprinkles was the best part! You can let yourself get carried away here with your creativity, or you can keep it simple by just coating the cake in the buttercream (this is also the easiest and most time friendly). You know what makes it even better??? Serving it warm, with hot fudge and a scoop of vanilla ice cream – YAS!

If you’re looking for another Valentines Day treat to bake, be sure to check out my Valentine’s-themed Shortbread Cookies!

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup Double Dutch Dark cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 tsp white vinegar

Raspberry Buttercream Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup powdered sugar (add more to taste if you prefer a sweeter buttercream)

Preheat oven to 350 and butter a smaller cake/baking pan of your choice. I used a mini ceramic bread baking dish which provided 2 mini cakes.
Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add egg, vanilla, sour cream, oil and vinegar with 1/2 cup of hot water and fold together using a spatula or wooden spoon until batter is smooth and well-combined.
Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes until a knife comes out smooth. Allow cakes to cool.
*Optional step* if you want to include chocolate designs such as the hearts I made, pick your choice of dark chocolate or bittersweet chips and melt them down. You can do this using the microwave in 20-second increments until the chocolate is melted. 2-4 ounces should be enough. Once melted, allow to cool for a few minutes before placing the chocolate in a piping bag with chosen decorating tip to create your designs. Simply place parchment paper on a baking sheet, pipe your designs, and stick the tray in the fridge.
Using a stand mixer, begin creaming the butter until it’s light and fluffy. Add the fresh raspberries and continue to mix together, scraping down the sides of the bowl until the butter and raspberries are well-combined. Then add the vanilla, salt and powdered sugar, continuing to mix until well-combined.
Once the cake(s) have cooled (20 minutes minimum), ice your cake(s) with the raspberry buttercream and have fun decorating! If you choose to add the chocolate heart designs (or you can do “x’s and o’s” – get creative!), once they have hardened, adorn your cake(s) with them when ready to serve.

Spread the love this V-Day by baking something homemade to share with your loved ones ❤ Enjoy!