Fudgy Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Frosting
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This chocolate cake with raspberry frosting is perfect for Valentine’s Day. The chocolate cake is fudgy and super moist with a rich chocolate flavor, then the raspberry frosting is bursting with real raspberry flavor and has the perfect pink color!
**This post was updated January 28, 2026 with new photos, make ahead recipe tips and storage instructions**
This chocolate cake with raspberry frosting is the perfect flavor combination for Valentine’s Day. Because nothing says I love you like chocolate, and nothing says Valentine’s Day more than pinks and reds.
The chocolate cake is fudgy, super chocolate-y, perfectly moist, and has a super soft crumb. It’s everything you want in a chocolate cake. Then the raspberry frosting is bursting with fresh raspberry flavor and has the prettiest pink color. No food coloring here.
For the Chocolate Cake
The chocolate cake recipe is based off the Hershey’s chocolate cake recipe. It’s made with oil so that the cake stays moist for longer, and cocoa powder for the chocolate flavor. You’ll first whisk together the dry ingredients, then whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. The wet ingredients are added to the dry, and then it’s mixed together until smooth.
The main difference between the Hershey’s recipe and this one is that we’re using buttermilk instead of milk, and hot coffee instead of boiling water. I find that buttermilk creates the softest, moistest cake crumb and hot coffee really brings out the chocolate flavor. You won’t taste the coffee in the cake at all after it’s baked, but if you don’t want the caffeine, boiling water works too.
Seriously, the rich chocolate flavor and soft texture of the chocolate cake is perfection. It’s somehow fudgy without being dense, and because we’re baking our chocolate cake in a 9×13 inch pan – it’s super easy too.
For the Raspberry Frosting
The frosting is made from real raspberries. It does take a few extra steps, but is so worth it for the flavor. First we’ll process them in a blender and put them through a strainer to remove the seeds. The raspberry puree is then boiled down until it’s thick in consistency like jam and we’ve removed the excess liquid.
Then we make the buttercream frosting by beating together the butter and powdered sugar, and the boiled down raspberry puree along with a little whipping cream is mixed in. There’s no artificial flavors or colors, and the bright pink color looks so beautiful for Valentine’s.
Recipe Tip
Do not simply add pureed raspberries into the buttercream. It will add too much liquid and cause the frosting to separate. The puree must be fully cooled before adding to the frosting – if it’s still warm whatsoever it will cause the frosting to separate.
Make Ahead Tips
To save time I typically make the cake the day before I plan to serve. Let it cool, then cover the top of the pan and store at room temperature or in the fridge.
Puree the berries, strain to remove the seeds, and boil down the puree the day before as well. Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge overnight. Then make the frosting and decorate the cake the day you plan to serve.
It’s fudgy, it’s super chocolate-y and it’s the absolute best chocolate cake I’ve ever had. Then the raspberry frosting really sets it over the top. So if you’re looking for a perfect Valentine’s Day cake, this chocolate cake with raspberry frosting is for you!
Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Frosting
Equipment
- 9×13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan*
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- ¾ cup cocoa powder (60 grams), Dutch process preferred
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil (120 ml)
- 2 cup granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup buttermilk (180 ml), room temperature
- 1 cup very hot coffee (240 ml), or boiling water
For the Raspberry Buttercream
- 2 cups raspberries
- 1 cup unsalted butter (226 grams), softened to room temperature
- 3½ to 4½ cups powdered sugar (385 – 495 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream (15-30 ml), if needed
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃) degrees. Grease and lightly dust with cocoa powder a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) baking pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Be sure to sift the cocoa first if its lumpy.
- In a separate large bowl using a stand or hand-held electric mixer, beat together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla on medium speed until combined. Turn the mixer down to low speed and beat in the buttermilk, followed boiling coffee. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Then with the mixer on low speed carefully beat in the hot coffee (or boiling water).
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix together until combined and there are no lumps. Be sure to scape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to remove all lumps. The batter will be thin.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool fully before frosting.
Raspberry Frosting
- Put the raspberries in a blender or food processor and process. Put the mixture through a strainer, using a spoon to push through the juice and discard the seeds. Doing this about 1/4 of the raspberries at a time will make the process easier.
- Pour the raspberry puree (without the seeds) into a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat stirring frequently. Allow the mixture to boil and reduce in volume. You want to boil off as much of the water as possible so that you're left with a thick mixture. When you're done, you should have about when you have about 1/4 cup in thick raspberry puree. Allow the raspberry puree to cool fully. It must be cold before moving on with the raspberry frosting. You can speed this up by popping it in the fridge.
- To make the raspberry frosting, in a large bowl using a stand or hand-held electric mixer beat the butter on medium speed until softened and fluffy. Then turn the mixer down to low speed and carefully beat in 3 cups of powdered sugar. Once fully combined add in 1/4 cup of the cold raspberry puree and salt. It must be cold before adding it to the frosting, otherwise your frosting will separate. Then beat in the raspberry puree. If the frosting seems too thick, beat in the cream 1 tablespoon at a time. If you'd like a sweeter, thicker frosting, beat in the rest of the powdered sugar about 1/2 cup at a time.
- Frost the cooled cake with a flat edge knife or the back of a spoon, making swirls as you go.
Notes
- Buttermilk: If you do not have buttermilk, add 2 teaspoons of vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Pour in 2% or whole milk to the 1 cup line. Give it a whisk and let sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Cocoa: I highly recommend Dutch process for a better flavor.
- Raspberries: Frozen will work, but it will definitely take longer to boil them down as frozen berries have much more liquid. You can also use 1/3 cup raspberry preserves instead of berries. Skip steps 1 & 2 of the frosting and add in the raspberry preserves in Step 3.
- Make Ahead Tips: Make the cake the day before you plan to serve. Let it cool, cover and store at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. For the frosting, make the puree and boil it down (Steps 1 & 2). Cool, and store in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Finish making the frosting (Step 3) and frost the cake the day you plan to serve.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 8 hours or in the fridge for up to 4 days.
If you’re wondering if you can use frozen raspberries for this recipe, the answer is yes! It was impossible to find fresh raspberries this time of year, so I just used a frozen bag that had 2.5 cups. Be sure and thaw it completely before following the rest of the directions like normal. It turned out perfect for me!
Cake and frosting look scrumptious! Definitely a must-keep.
Wonderful cake! Definitely going in my keeper file. Have yet to try the raspberry frosting, but I will. I had a butter/cream cheese/lemon frosting left from another cake and it was great with that.
Do you think you could use ‘hot chocolate’ in place of the buttermilk or water ‘ in making the chocolate/raspberry cake?
I haven’t tried it – so I’m not sure of the results. I think it might make the cake too chocolate-y or too sweet though, since the hot chocolate has sugar and cocoa in it.