This dark chocolate berry cake is every chocolate lovers dream! Three layers of dark chocolate cake with a berry cream cheese filling. Finished with a dark chocolate ganache frosting, chocolate drips and fresh berries.
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Why you will love this dark chocolate berry cake
This dark chocolate berry cake is the perfect cake for any special occasion. It has three layers of rich, fudgy and moist chocolate cake filled with mixed berry jam and frosted with silky smooth dark chocolate ganache. It’s finished with a dark chocolate ganache drips and decorated with fresh berries. The cake is rich, fruity and oh so decadent.
For more cake recipes try my strawberry and cream layer cake , lemon poppy seed blueberry cake or dark chocolate raspberry cake
Ingredient Notes
- Dark cocoa powder- I used Hershey’s Dark dutch process cocoa powder.If you don’t have it you can use regular cocoa powder
- Oil- You can use any neutral tasting oil such as canola or vegetable oil. You can also use olive oil although the flavor would be different
- Buttermilk- You can also substitute 1 ¼ cup whole milk with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes before using.
- Eggs- I used large room temperature eggs
- Hot Coffee- Make sure its boiling. You can also use hot water as well.
- Chopped Dark Chocolate- I recommend using high quality dark chocolate bars like Lindt or Ghiradelli (at least 60% cocoa),used to make the chocolate ganache drip and chocolate buttercream
- Mixed berries- I used fresh mixed berries to make the jam and to decorate on top.
Step by Step Instructions to make dark chocolate berry cake
Before you start: Preheat the oven to 350F/177C. Prepare three 6″ cake pans with a round of parchment on the bottom.
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together. In a large bowl whisk together flour, both sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Step 2: Whisk the wet ingredients.In a medium bowl whisk the eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined.
Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients with dry. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just mixed.Add the hot coffee and stir until just mixed making sure not the over-mix the batter. Don’t be alarmed if the batter is too thin.
Step 4: Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from pans and place on wire racks to cool completely.
How to prepare the berry jam:
Step 1: Add the berries, sugar and lemon juice into a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat stirring every so often allowing it to come to a simmer. Cook the mixture for about 20 minutes, until thick and glossy and the berries have broken down.
Step 2: Once the jam is at room temperature, using a food processor pulse the jam and strain it using a fine mesh strainer to get rid of any large seeds.
Place in the fridge to cool completely before using.
How to Prepare the cream cheese frosting
Step 1: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and heavy whipping cream together on high speed until smooth and creamy.
Step 2: Add the confectioners’ sugar ,vanilla extract and mixed berry jam . Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 4-5 minutes.
Place the frosting in the refrigerator if not using immediately.
How to prepare the chocolate ganache
Step 1: Place chopped dark chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer.
Step 2: Pour the cream over the chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.Let it cool at room temperature until thick enough to spread on cake.
How to assemble the dark chocolate berry cake
Step 1: Place a small amount of frosting on the board you are decorating the cake on. This will keep the cake in place.
Step 2: Place the first layer of cake bottom side down. Then, spread 1 cup of cream cheese frosting and 1 tablespoon of berry jam on the cake layer and smooth with an offset spatula.
Step 3: Repeat with the second layer.
Step 4: Top with the third cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the ganache using an offset spatula. Top with fresh berries and chocolate drip.
Expert Baking Tips
- Always spoon measure your flour when baking: This means using a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup. This will give the most accurate results when baking without a kitchen scale.
- Brew the coffee right before using: Super hot coffee will result in a super moist crumb.
- Don’t over mix the batter: Over mixing will result in a dense and tough crumb.
- Use a kitchen scale to evenly distribute the cake batter between the pans. This will give you perfectly even cake layers!
- Wait until they cool to frost: You must wait for the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting them, otherwise the frosting will literally melt right off the cake!
- Do not grease the sides of the cake pan: Only grease the bottom of your cake pans, doing this will allow the cake batter to stick to the side of the pan and give you more even and straight cake layers.
FAQ’s
Yes it can! Freeze the cake after it has cooled completely by wrapping in plastic wrap. Freeze up to 30 days. Thaw for 3-4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator before filling and decorating.
Yes! This recipe can be made into 12 cupcakes.
Yes! Pour the batter into two 9-inch pans. The layers will take longer than 18-20 minutes so be sure to check them occasionally so they don’t over bake.
Absolutely! You could easily make this with strawberry, blackberry, or any other jam you love in place of the raspberries!
Yes, but I found that store-bought jams are much sweeter than homemade and can make it too sweet.
A little bit of sinking when cooling is natural, but if the cake completely sinks to the point where the edges of the cake are higher than the middle, then something went wrong.
It’s possible that you underbaked the cake and removed it from the oven before the middle got a chance to finish baking.Adding too much leavener could also cause the cake to rapid rise while baking and then collapse while cooling.
How to store and freeze dark chocolate berry cake
To store the unfrosted cooled cake layers, wrap each layer in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator. They’ll keep fresh for up to 2 days. Then frost and decorate as usual.
Store the frosted dark chocolate berry cake in the fridge. Store in an airtight container or a cake carrier. It will last up to 5 days.
FREEZING
To freeze the unfrosted cooled cake layers, wrap each layer in plastic wrap for up to a month in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge or a few hours on the kitchen counter.Then frost and decorate as usual.
You can freeze the finished cake in an air tight container up to 30 days. Let it thaw for 1-2 hours on the counter before enjoying.
You can also freeze individual cake slices for up to a month. Making sure to wrap each piece in plastic wrap or wax paper and placing it in an airtight container or zip lock bag. Let them thaw for 1 hour before consuming.
More cake recipes to try !
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Recipe 📖
Dark Chocolate Berry Cake
Materials
For the Cake:
- 2 cups granulated white sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tbsp berry jam
Berry Jam:
- 1 ½ cup fresh or frozen mixed berries
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 16 oz dark chocolate chopped
To Finish:
- Fresh mixed berries
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips melted
Instructions
For the berry jam:
- Add the berries, sugar and lemon juice into a medium saucepan. Heat over low heat stirring every so often allowing it to come to a simmer. Cook the mixture for about 20 minutes, until thick and glossy and the berries have broken down.
- Once the jam is at room temperature, using a food processor pulse the jam and strain it using a fine mesh strainer to get rid of any large seeds.
- Place in the fridge to cool completely before using.
For the cream cheese frosting:
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and berry jam. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 3-4 minutes.
For the chocolate ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to gently simmer.
- Pour the cream over the chocolate, then let it sit for 2-3 minutes to gently soften the chocolate. With a metal spoon or small rubber spatula, very slowly stir until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.
- Let it cool minutes at room temperature until thick enough to spread on cake.
For the Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180C. Grease and line with parchment three 6-inch round baking pans.
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in the hot coffee (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans about ⅔ full with batter.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans and place on wire racks to cool completely.
Assembly:
- Place 1 cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Using an offset spatula, evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting and a layer of berry jam. Repeat with the second layer of cake.
- Top with the third cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the ganache using an offset spatula. Top with fresh berries and chocolate drip.
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