Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

Alright, so I debated even posting this since the end result turned out to be a partial disaster. But then I decided to post because the cake itSELF was delicious, it was just my own mistakes that made this an ugly end product.

I think the major problem I had was that the cake was too heavy for itself. I did use a 9.5 inch bundt cake pan rather than a 10 inch one, so maybe the batter wasn't spread out enough; but essentially, I think it was just too much CAKE for a bundt pan. Between cooling it on the wire rack, glazing it with the powdered sugar, and moving it onto the cake plate, it broke in several places:

There was just no way to move it all at once so that one part of the cake wasn't lagging behind the rest. So if I make this again, I may try mini bundt pans, or reduce the amount of ingredients so that it results in a smaller cake.

All in all though, the cake got rave reviews (but how can you not with three sticks of butter?!). The moist chocolatey cake paired with the raspberry jam and the chocolate chips made an excellent, rich dessert that pairs well with a tall glass of cold milk!

**Note: I have had this recipe saved in my file for quite some time, pre-blog, so I have no clue where it came from. Please email me at cookingthisandthat@hotmail.com if this is yours!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake

from source unknown

Makes one 10-inch bundt cake

3 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 sticks butter, softened

3 cups sugar

4 extra large eggs (I used 4 large)

1 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Glaze:

Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons milk until it forms a pourable glaze. Add more sugar or milk to reach desired consistency.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, on medium speed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Add vanilla and mix.

Add flour mixture and milk in alternating batches (1/3 flour, 1/2 milk, 1/3 flour, 1/2 milk, 1/3 flour). Mix just until combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips with rubber spatula.

Spread 1/2 of the batter in the prepared pan. Heat raspberry preserves for 15 seconds in the microwave. Spoon over top of the batter in the pan. Spread the remaining batter over the preserves.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from over and let cool in pan for 15 -20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake and turn on to a cooling rack. Let cool completely, then drizzle glaze over top.