Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Grease sides of 13- x 9-inch (3.5 L) metal cake pan; line bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter with sugar until light. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time; beat in vanilla. In separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt ; sift again to completely blend. Stir into butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of buttermilk. Scrape into prepared pan.

Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; let cool completely on rack. (Make-ahead: Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)

Chocolate Glaze: In heatproof bowl set over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt together chocolate, butter and corn syrup, stirring. Let cool until firm enough to spread, about 5 minutes.

Filling: Place cake on cake plate; cut in half horizontally. Spread cut side of bottom with raspberry jam; top with top half. Spread thin layer of chocolate glaze over top and side to mask; let stand until firm, about 5 minutes.

Spread remaining glaze smoothly over cake; let stand until set, about 2 hours, or refrigerate for 1 hour. (Make-ahead: Cover with cake dome or plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.)

Additional information :

Raspberry Sauce

In food processor or blender, pur?3 pkg (each 300 g) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed; press through sieve into bowl to remove seeds. Whisk in 3/4 cup (175 mL) instant dissolving (fruit/berry) sugar, and 1 tbsp (15 mL) raspberry liqueur, if desired.

Makes 2-1/2 cups (625 mL).

Source : Canadian Living Magazine: May 2004