Summer brings the usual abundance of raspberries in our garden. This year we have been treated to a bumper crop and we are fast running out of freezer and fridge space to store them. In the past I have made raspberry ripple blondies and chocolate raspberry brownies to use up some of our crop but this year I decided to try this BBC Good Food recipe. I first spotted this recipe a couple of years ago and mentally earmarked it as a recipe I would like to try. It has proved timely to try it now as it was originally promoted as a ‘budget bake’. With the cost of living crisis hitting the UK and talk of rising food prices every day this recipe doesn’t use butter (please tell me I’m not the only person who takes a sharp inhale of breath every time they look at the price of butter in a supermarket – I remember when it used to be 70p!) or chocolate but instead uses sunflower oil and cocoa powder helping to keep the costs slightly lower. It also uses fresh cream instead of buttercream which also helps to reduce the cost. If you don’t have access to your own freezer full of raspberries, bought frozen raspberries also help to keep costs down.
This is a quick and easy cake to make. It reminded me of a Black Forest gateaux (but obviously with raspberries instead of cherries) and in cake form. It got the seal of approval from my harshest critics who not only thought it tasted good but also said it looked good. It would work well as a birthday cake (what the original recipe intended it to be), as a dessert or as a part of an afternoon tea. It will keep for two days in the fridge.
Ingredients
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For the chocolate cake
- For the raspberry layer
Instructions
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Heat your oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Oil (or grease) and line two round 20cm springform cake tins with baking parchment. Whisk the oil, sugar, eggs and milk in a bowl until smooth.
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Sieve the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda into another large bowl, then gradually mix in the wet ingredients.
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Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 35-40 minutes until the cakes are risen and spring back when pressed.
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Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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For the raspberry layer, stir the jam and the defrosted raspberries together.
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Once the cakes are cool, whip the cream with the sugar to soft peaks, then gently fold half the raspberry mixture through the cream to create a ripple effect.
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Spoon most of the reserved raspberry mixture over one of the cakes, then dollop on half of the cream. Smooth over with a palette knife, then place the other sponge on top. Swirl over the remaining cream and swirl the last of the raspberry mixture through it.
