Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Filling

Prepare your favorite chocolate cake in two 8 inch round cake pans. I make mine from scratch using this gluten free all purpose flour mix. The recipe I follow is Silvana's; from her Cooking for Isaiah cookbook and I don't have permission to reprint it here, although I'd highly recommend it! Really though, any chocolate cake recipe will do, gluten free or other wise. I've learned that checking a cake too soon will contribute to the center collapsing in, so try not to peek until you suspect it is done.

Make the raspberry filling:
1 12 oz pkg of frozen strawberries, or 12oz fresh raspberries.
1/2 cup + 1 T water
3/4 cup sugar
1 T lemon juice
2 1/2 T corn starch, dissolved in 1/2 cup of water

Combine all but the cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes; until the raspberries have completely broken down. Strain reserving the liquid and discarding the seeds and pulp. Return the liquid to the saucepan and add the cornstarch. Bring back to a boil and simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and let cool.

Once the cakes and the raspberry filling have cooled, assemble them by layering the raspberry filling between the two cake rounds. Top with desired frosting. We like vanilla pudding whip cream, but now that I think about it, I bet chocolate pudding whip cream would be good too!