Chocolate and Fresh Raspberry Cake

, from Issue #39. September, 2015
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth.
Chocolate and Fresh Raspberry Cake

What's better than chocolate and fresh fruits? Rich and dense with a little bit of refreshment from the fruits, this cake is a perfect addition to your afternoon tea. 

 

Serves: 12–16

INGREDIENTS

200 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200 grams butter, diced
5 eggs
2 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11/3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup cocoa
½ cup raspberry jam

To serve
2 tablespoons raspberry jam, warmed
2-3 punnets of raspberries
softly whipped cream

METHOD

Grease a 24 cm x 24 cm tin and line fully with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 170˚C.

Put the chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until just melted then take off the heat and cool for 15 minutes.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Don’t whisk in too much air.

Stir in the chocolate mixture. Sieve the flour, baking powder and cocoa over the top and use a large metal spoon to gently but thoroughly fold together, ensuring there are no pockets of flour in the batter.

Pour into the tin and dollop the raspberry jam over the top. Using a skewer, gently marble the jam through the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the top has formed a crust and a skewer inserted in the centre come out with a few soft, slightly sticky crumbs. Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely.

To serve: Remove the cake from the tin and invert onto a serving plate so the smooth side is facing upwards. Peel away the baking paper. Brush the top of the cake with the warm jam and arrange the raspberries in rows. Dust with a little icing sugar and serve with cream. 

The undecorated cake will keep for 4-5 days in an airtight container. Top with the raspberries on the day of serving.