Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Cake
by Nigella. Featured in HOW TO EATIntroduction
I call this a pudding cake because its texture is simply a mixture between pudding and cake, though lighter by far than that could ever imply. Think, rather, of a mousse without fluffiness: this is dense but delicate with it. And it’s heavenly at blood heat, when the gooey chocolate sits warmly around the sour-sweet juicy raspberries embedded in the cake, like glinting, mud-covered garnets. This should be eaten an hour or so after it comes out of the oven. It gets more solid when cold, and loses some of that spectacular texture.
If you have any left, wrap it in foil and heat it up in the oven, or warm it up a slice at a time in the microwave before eating it.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
I call this a pudding cake because its texture is simply a mixture between pudding and cake, though lighter by far than that could ever imply. Think, rather, of a mousse without fluffiness: this is dense but delicate with it. And it’s heavenly at blood heat, when the gooey chocolate sits warmly around the sour-sweet juicy raspberries embedded in the cake, like glinting, mud-covered garnets. This should be eaten an hour or so after it comes out of the oven. It gets more solid when cold, and loses some of that spectacular texture.
If you have any left, wrap it in foil and heat it up in the oven, or warm it up a slice at a time in the microwave before eating it.
And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Yields: 8 servings
- 185 grams self-raising flour
- 30 grams cocoa powder
- 250 grams unsalted butter (plus more to grease cake tin - I use the butter wrapper)
- 1 tablespoon chambord (raspberry liqueur) optional
- 95 grams caster sugar
- 95 grams light brown muscovado sugar
- 250 grams good dark chocolate - 70% cocoa solids (broken into squares)
- 185 millilitres black coffee and 185ml / ¾ cup water or 2 teaspoons instant coffee made up with 370ml / 1½ cups water
- 2 large eggs at room temperature (beaten slightly)
- 250 grams raspberries (plus lots more to serve)
- approx. ½ teaspoon icing sugar (to serve)
- 1½ cups self-rising flour
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more to grease cake tin - I use the butter wrapper)
- 1 tablespoon chambord (raspberry liqueur) optional
- ½ cup superfine sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 9 ounces good bittersweet chocolate - 70% cocoa solids (broken into squares)
- ¾ cup black coffee and 185ml / ¾ cup water or 2 teaspoons instant coffee made up with 370ml / 1½ cups water
- 2 large eggs at room temperature (beaten slightly)
- 9 ounces raspberries (plus lots more to serve)
- approx. ½ teaspoon confectioners' sugar (to serve)
Method
You will need: a 22–23cm / 9-inch springform cake tin.
- Arrange the oven shelves so that one is in the middle for the cake, and another just below it. Slide a baking sheet onto the lower rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F.
- Butter a 22–23cm / 9-inch springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Mix the flour and cocoa powder together in a bowl, and set aside.
- Put the butter, liqueur if you are using it, sugars, chocolate, coffee and water in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir over low heat until everything melts and is thickly, glossily smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, and let stand for a couple of minutes.
- Stir the flour and cocoa mixture into the pan, and beat well — just with a spatula or wooden spoon — until all is smooth and glossy again, then gradually beat in the eggs. The mixture will be runny: don’t panic, and don’t add more flour; the chocolate itself sets as it cooks and then cools.
- Pour into the prepared tin until you have covered the base with about 2cm of the mixture (which will be about half of it) and then cover with the raspberries and pour the rest of the mixture on top. You may have to push some of the raspberries back under the cake batter by hand.
- Put into the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes. Don’t try and test by poking in a skewer as you don’t want it to come out clean: the gunge is what the cake is about. But when it’s cooked, the top will be firm, and slightly cracked. Don’t worry about that: a little icing sugar will deflect attention. When it’s ready, take the cake out of the oven and put on a rack. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the sides of the tin; the cake must stay on its base.
- When you’re just about to eat — and this should be around an hour after the cake’s come out of the oven — dust with a little icing sugar pushed through a tea strainer. Serve with lots more fresh raspberries, and Greek yoghurt, whipped double cream or crème fraîche as wished.
You will need: a 22–23cm / 9-inch springform cake tin.
- Arrange the oven shelves so that one is in the middle for the cake, and another just below it. Slide a baking sheet onto the lower rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F.
- Butter a 22–23cm / 9-inch springform cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Mix the flour and unsweetened cocoa together in a bowl, and set aside.
- Put the butter, liqueur if you are using it, sugars, chocolate, coffee and water in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir over low heat until everything melts and is thickly, glossily smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, and let stand for a couple of minutes.
- Stir the flour and cocoa mixture into the pan, and beat well — just with a spatula or wooden spoon — until all is smooth and glossy again, then gradually beat in the eggs. The mixture will be runny: don’t panic, and don’t add more flour; the chocolate itself sets as it cooks and then cools.
- Pour into the prepared tin until you have covered the base with about 2cm of the mixture (which will be about half of it) and then cover with the raspberries and pour the rest of the mixture on top. You may have to push some of the raspberries back under the cake batter by hand.
- Put into the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes. Don’t try and test by poking in a skewer as you don’t want it to come out clean: the gunge is what the cake is about. But when it’s cooked, the top will be firm, and slightly cracked. Don’t worry about that: a little confectioners' sugar will deflect attention. When it’s ready, take the cake out of the oven and put on a rack. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the sides of the tin; the cake must stay on its base.
- When you’re just about to eat — and this should be around an hour after the cake’s come out of the oven — dust with a little confectioners' sugar pushed through a tea strainer. Serve with lots more fresh raspberries, and Greek yoghurt, whipped double cream or crème fraîche as wished.
Additional Information
If you're using plain flour rather than self-raising flour, then simply add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to your flour.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
This is at its best eaten on the day it is made. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you're using plain flour rather than self-raising flour, then simply add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to your flour.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
This is at its best eaten on the day it is made. Leftovers can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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Show more commentsThank you so much for this! I made a vegan version with plant butter and two flax “eggs”and it worked perfectly.
Delicious cake. So easy to make. And I liked how it wasn't to sweet, you can really taste the chocolate and coffee and both go so well with the tanginess of the raspberries. I served it with creme fraiche to which I added a little bit of Chambord. Really great cake!
Gorgeous and decadent, the perfect finale for our Christmas dinner. Of course, everyone at the table wanted the recipe. Thank you, Nigella!
Fudgy but surprisingly light and I found it easy to make. Smells divine when cooking too - my husband impatiently waited the hour for it to be ready to eat.
Made gluten-free with addition of ground almonds and gf flour. Delicious!
Made the cake! It could be a little sweeter. Especially the central berries are quite tart. Beautiful cake and easy to make. Too bad I can’t share a photo of my cake here!
Beyond heavenly! I made this just after Christmas and so gave much of it away to neighbours and friends. Everyone wants me to make them one for their birthday!
Simple and light textured, yum
Heaven on a plate... delicious.