Weâve taken this chocolate cake to the next level by topping it with a crunchy peanut praline crumble and fresh, juicy raspberries. This showstopper is actually fairly easy to assemble, and even easier to eat. Adding just-boiled water to your cake batter may seem a little odd, but it gives the sponge a lovely moist, yet tender, crumb.Â
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Yields:
16 serving(s)
Prep Time:
1 hr
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 45 mins
Cal/Serv:
708
Ingredients
250 g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to greaseÂ
100 g cocoa powder, sifted
2 tsp. vanilla extract
200 g dark brown soft sugar
250 g caster sugar
4 large eggs
400 g plain flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
FOR THE PRALINE CRUMBLE TOPPING
50 g caster sugar
25 g salted peanuts
2 Oreo biscuits
25 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
300 g cream cheese, at room temperatureÂ
200 g smooth peanut butter
700 g icing sugar, sifted
FOR THE FILLING AND DECORATION
125 g raspberry jam
Fresh raspberries
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4. Grease and line 2 deep 20.5cm round cake tins with baking parchment.
Step 2In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, vanilla, dark brown soft sugar and 300ml just-boiled water from the kettle. Set aside.Â
Step 3Using a freestanding mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) or a handheld electric whisk, beat butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Sift over flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and briefly mix to combine. Fold through the slightly cooled chocolate mixture.Â
Step 4Divide mixture between prepared tins and bake for 45min or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tins.
Step 5Make the praline crumble. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. In a heavy-based pan, gently heat the sugar and 50ml  water, stirring to dissolve sugar. Turn up heat to high and bubble until caramel turns golden â do not stir, swirl the pan instead. Take pan off heat and stir in peanuts. Scrape on to the prepared baking tray and leave to cool completely.Â
Step 6Once the praline is cool, pulse in a food processor with the Oreo biscuits to break into smaller pieces. Tip into bowl, stir through chocolate and set aside.
Step 7To make peanut butter frosting, using a freestanding mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) or a handheld electric whisk, beat cream cheese and peanut butter until very pale and fluffy. Add icing sugar and (starting slowly to avoid an icing-sugar cloud), beat until well combined. Cover and chill until needed.Â
Step 8Slice the cooled cakes in half. Sandwich the layers back together with a thin layer of raspberry jam topped with a more generous layer of the frosting. Spread top with remaining frosting. Sprinkle a ring of praline crumble around the top of the cake, and fill the centre of the crumble ring with raspberries. Serve in slices.Â
To store Keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days.Â
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeepingâs resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor â Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce â Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, theyâre dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust theyâll work every single timeÂ
Alice Shields is the Former Senior Cookery Writer for Good Housekeeping. A trained pastry chef, youâll find her food styling on photo shoots, developing delicious recipes and writing about all things food. She loves to bake and her favourite pudding will always be a chocolate fondant. Originally hailing from Lancashire, she finally achieved her goal of getting a butter pie recipe into the magazine.
