The Best Chocolate Raspberry Cake you'll ever need

Elise Ruby just turned two and she had a small lunch party with her friends and cousin, and then a dinner party with grandparents and such.

This little girl loves chocolate and raspberries (yup, definitely my kid) so this cake only made sense. In the past I had many brides request this cake because it's a wedding hit. Once when I made this for a wedding a restaurant manager, from a popular local chain, approached me and wanted me to give him this recipe. Although I was very flattered I promptly tossed his business card. He had no intention of paying me for it. Little did he (or I) know that 9 years later I'd be posting it on a blog for anyone and everyone to see and make at home!

party decor

What really makes this cake special is the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. If you've never experienced this type of frosting, then you've never really lived. No, this is not your typical lard and powdered sugar fake-y, overly sweet, dense buttercream. Instead, the texture is pillowy, like a cloud (as if you could put your head on a cloud) it's so airy. This is the frosting that will change the mind of any "buttercream haters". 

sifted dry ingredients

completely cooled, double wrapped and ready for the freezer

Once cooled, the raspberry filling takes on a jam consistency

double boiler with egg whites and sugar

egg whites and sugar whipped up as the meringue

butter is added to the meringue and now it's buttercream

lining up all the ingredients

the schmeer of frosting

slicing the frozen cake means less crumbs to clean up

here's the "fence" of buttercream to keep in the raspberry filling

I think someone likes it

(recipe after the jump)