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
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Yields:
16 serving(s)
Prep Time:
1 hr
Cook Time:
45 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 45 mins
Cal/Serv:
708
Ingredients
250g
unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to greaseÂ
100g
cocoa powder, sifted
2tsp.
vanilla extract
200g
dark brown soft sugar
250g
caster sugar
4
large eggs
400g
plain flour
1tsp.
baking powder
1tsp.
bicarbonate of soda
FOR THE PRALINE CRUMBLE TOPPING
50g
caster sugar
25g
salted peanuts
2
Oreo biscuits
25g
dark chocolate, roughly chopped
FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
300g
cream cheese, at room temperatureÂ
200g
smooth peanut butter
700g
icing sugar, sifted
FOR THE FILLING AND DECORATION
125g
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
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust theyâll work (and if they donât â weâll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: âbuy an separate oven thermometerâ!).Â
Alice Shields is 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.
