Jello Recipes
French Vanilla Chocolate Cake with Raspberries
If you fancy making a dark chocolate raspberry cake recipe, the following recipe is really nice. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as raspberry instant pudding so in this chocolate cake recipe, we are going to combine raspberries with vanilla instant pudding to make the filling for the cake. The cake itself is flavored with cocoa powder and vanilla and it is light, fluffy, and full of mouthwatering chocolate flavor.
The topping for this chocolate pudding cake is a chocolate ganache. This topping looks good on the cake, tastes good, and helps to keep the mousse fixed on the cake. This is a fairly simple recipe and there is nothing too tricky about it. If you are new to making jello recipes with instant pudding, this is a good recipe to start off with and your family or guests are sure to be very impressed with your efforts!
If you have regular vanilla instant pudding instead of the French vanilla variety, just use that because it is really similar. Another option is to try the coconut instant pudding in this chocolate cake recipe because it goes brilliantly with the chocolate.
Chocolate Cake Recipe with Raspberries and Vanilla
Ingredients -
For the Cake:
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
⅔ cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons milk
1 egg
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup boiling water
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon white sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
For the Mousse:
1 package French vanilla flavor instant pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 container fresh raspberries
For the Ganache Topping:
6 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅔ cup heavy cream
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and put a rack in the center.
Grease the base and sides of a 10 inch square baking pan and sprinkle flour over it.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a bowl, then whisk in the sugar.
Beat the oil with a mixer at a low speed for a few seconds until the mixture is crumbly.
Whisk the eggs in another bowl, and then add the vanilla extract and milk.
Whisk the egg mixture and flour mixture together, and then add the hot water gradually.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan once it is smooth.
Bake the cake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan, then empty it on to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes.
Slice the cake across the center horizontally, so you get 2 halves. Add the pudding mix, milk and a handful of the fresh raspberries to a blender (save a few for the garnish) and puree the mixture until it is creamy and well blended.
Spread half of this mousse mixture over half of the cake and put the other cake half on top.
Spread the remaining mousse on top of the cake and up the sides.
Chill it for 2 hours.
Make the ganache when the cake is well chilled.
Bring the cream in the simmer in a pan, then take it off the heat and stir in the chocolate until the mixture is smooth.
Stir in the vanilla and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
Pour the chocolate ganache topping over the cake, then decorate it with raspberries.
Chill for 2 hours.
(Serves 8)
Photo Description:
This chocolate pudding cake combines the flavors of chocolate and raspberries for a gourmet dessert, which tastes amazing but is quite straightforward to make. This cake is elegant enough to be served at a dinner party or formal event and also nice enough to be used as a birthday cake or Valentine’s Day cake. If you cannot get raspberries, try using strawberries instead because chocolate goes nicely with pretty much any fruit but the colors will look good and the flavor will be great too.
Fun Facts About Raspberries
Raspberries are a wonderful ingredient to use in dessert recipes and whether you want to make a chocolate cake recipe with raspberries, a summer fruit pudding, or an English trifle, these berries are perfect. Did you know that you can get black, golden, and purple raspberries as well as the better known red ones? They are a type of bramble, like blackberries, and another name for raspberries is cane berries.
Many people would claim that raspberries are their favorite fruit of all and this berry certainly has an unusual and unique flavor, reminiscent of spring and summer desserts. Raspberry is a popular yogurt flavor and you can get smoothies, milkshakes, and cookies made with this delicious and versatile berry. Raspberry puree can also be used in savory recipes. Try combining cubes of mozzarella, fresh raspberries, and arugula for a gourmet salad recipe.
Raspberries and Health
These berries are very nutritious. They are cholesterol, sodium, and fat free and they contain plenty of vitamin C, calcium, potassium, folate, and iron. One serving of raspberries contains fifty percent of your daily requirement of vitamin C. They also contain a cancer-preventing compound known as ellagic acid. They can slow the release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream, which is good for diabetics, and they can lower high blood cholesterol levels.
They are high in fiber; half a pound of raspberries will give you twenty grams of fiber. There are about sixty-four calories in one cup of raspberries. One pint of raspberries equals two cups, and this is enough for two to four servings. You can obviously get more servings if the raspberries are only being used to garnish a dark chocolate raspberry cake recipe or something similar.
Choosing the Best Raspberries
Firm, red, plump berries are the best ones to go for. Bear in mind that raspberries do not ripen after you pick them. When they are ripe, they are darker and will separate easily from the core. If you have to pull a raspberry hard to get it off the core, that means it is not ripe yet. Blackberries do not have this hollow core which stays on the plant, although they do resemble raspberries in some other ways.
Raspberries tend to be expensive in the grocery store and this is because they do not ship well. They are soft and easily bruised. Picking your own berries is a better option or, if you are using raspberries to make a mousse or smoothie, you can use canned or frozen ones because you will not be able to tell so easily. If you are using them as a pie or mousse decoration or as garnish for a chocolate cake, use fresh ones.
How Many Raspberries Do You Need?
To make a nine-inch pie, you will need about two pints (or four cups) of raspberries. You can get pick-your-own raspberries by the pound or by the pint. A pint of berries is three quarters of a pound. Do not get more than you need because raspberries only last a couple of days in the refrigerator. They mold fast if you leave them at room temperature.
If you have leftover berries you can freeze them. Wash them and cut the hulls out. Transfer them to a Ziploc bag and remove as much air as you can, then freeze them until they are required for your next chocolate cake recipe with raspberries or whichever recipe you want to use them in.
