CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY CAKE...

So over the last few months, I have been gathering inspiration for food, food styling and food photography from cookbooks. Like, lots of cookbooks. I've been collecting them and perhaps I might be developing a slight problem. Maybe. But I find them to be so relaxing! One of my recent purchases was Paul Lowe's cookbook, "Eat & Make."  Paul is the editor of Sweet Paul Magazine, an online magazine that is always so beautifully done. In the magazine, Paul shares delicious recipes that are always perfectly styled. So when I saw he was coming out with his own cookbook, I knew I had to purchase it...

One of the first recipes I flipped to was this chocolate and raspberry cake. The recipe inspired me in three ways. One - I love chocolate. That's a given. Two - chocolate and raspberries together are heavenly, so I could only imagine how much better they would be if they were baked together. Three - the list of ingredients was short. I love a good dessert with a short list of ingredients! So I had to make this and I'm SO glad that I did! It was simple to make, turned out beautifully and was delicious. It's a fudgy cake with an intense chocolate flavor. But the intensity is cut once you bite into a sweet raspberry that has baked into the cake. Fabulous... This would be the perfect, simple dessert for a summer dinner party or a special celebration...

Here is what you need and what to do:

10 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and divided
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh raspberries, plus more for serving
Powdered sugar & mint, for garish

1. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan using the wrappers from the two sticks of butter. That trick works perfectly here! Set the pan aside.

2. Place the two sticks of butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Don't forget to save the wrappers from the butter to butter the pan! Beat the butter and the sugar until creamy - about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs to the mixture, one at a time.

3. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt together. Add the flour mixture in 3 or so batches to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well after each addition.

4. Add the sour cream and 1 cup of the melted chocolate to the batter and mix well.

5. Pour the batter into the springform pan. The batter will be pretty thick, so even out the top of the batter using a regular spatula or a small offset spatula. Sprinkle the raspberries on top of the batter.

6. Bake for about 1 hour or until the center of the cake is slightly set. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should be wet, but the sides should be fully set. The cake will be dry if it cooks too long, so start checking it after 55 minutes or so.

7. Completely cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack. Once it has cooled, run a knife around the edge of the pan and then release it. Garnish with a dusting of powdered sugar, and a sprig of mint. Serve with a side of the remaining melted chocolate, raspberries and maybe a scoop of a good quality vanilla ice cream...

Enjoy!

Images by me