Don’t waste your time asking yourself what you’re going to get your sweetie for this Hallmark holiday. Just embark on a mission to make something out of this world delicious that comes from the heart.
I’m talking about this cake people.
This delicious, moist, beautiful dark chocolate raspberry upside-down cake.
This cake will most likely blow your mind. If it isn’t the perfect Valentine’s Day dessert, I don’t know what is. And frankly, if you’re going to go parading around your love for someone, you might as well do it right.
Fancy restaurants are not on the itinerary. Don’t worry champagne still is!
Let’s save the best for last. Start with a home-cooked meal. Men are fans of large dinners. Men love food. Men will eat until they can’t eat anymore. Then they will eat two pieces of cake…how do they do it? It’s manpower that I can’t understand.
Just know that if you can cook good food they will adore you. Simple!
Add a little rosemary, extra garlic, & lemony love to some chicken. Lots of fingerling potatoes plus a dash of salt & pepper too! Pop in the oven to roast, and look cute while doing it.
Serve cake next. Sprinkle with pretty powdered sugar. Pour a glass of champagne. Or two.
Congratulations, you’re now a keeper. (I knew you already were though)
But seriously, don’t go throwing these dishes around unless you’re sure you want someone to fall for you. These are matters of the heart after all.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Love, Monique
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Dark chocolate raspberry upside-down cake
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- 1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup hot water or hot coffee
- 2 cups fresh raspberries
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of butter for greasing pans
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Generously butter two 9-inch cake pans and sprinkle 2 tbsp brown sugar in each. Next, add a generous 1 cup of raspberries to each cake pan.
- Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixer bowl. Add eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer for 2 minutes. Mix in water or coffee. Pour batter over the raspberries into prepared pans evenly.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack, then place a plate on top of the pan and use both hands to flip it over. You may need to use a knife to run along the edges first. Place it upside-down on a sturdy surface and knock the bottom a few times until you feel the cake release onto the plate. Replace any raspberries that were dislodged. Do the same with the next pan, except place the cake directly on top of the other so they are stacked.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with whip cream. Whatever your heart desires.
Hi, do you recommend sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder? Also, is plain Greek yogurt okay to use? Thank you!
Hi! I recommend unsweetened cocoa powder, and plain Greek yogurt should work!
Absolutely delicious! And incredibly easy to come together. I recently saw you repost this and my mouth was watering so I had to give it a go! My grocery store was out of raspberries, so I used blackberries instead. So rich and moist, a keeper! Thank you for sharing!
The recipe looks interesting but it just says “cake pans” without specifying the type of pan or size.
Thanks for the catch! Updated 🙂
Hi Monique,
What size of baking pan do I need for the cake, please?
Regards,
Alex
Hi! 9 inch!
Can I half the recipe and just bake one 9″ cake?
Sure!
This cake looks amazing! I am confused, I just stack the cake on top of each other? No frosting between??
Please help. Thank you!!
Donna
I didn’t include a frosting for this cake, but feel free to sprinkle some powdered sugar on top!
I just bought dark cocoa powder- organic. The brand is Frontier Spices. It’s available on their website but I got it cheaper at another website.
Do you think this would work as cupcakes and not upside down?
Yes, I think so. Make sure you spray the cupcake liners with non-stick cooking spray. Let me know how they turn out. Remember to adjust baking time
The cupcakes taste great, but they sunk in the middle so they look a little funny…maybe I didn’t cook them long enough? I’ve covered them with whipped cream though, so nobody will know, right?
I'm having my first slice and it's so yummy! Instead of water I used fresh coffee, also instead of butter I used condensed milk. I did this bc I didn't have any butter on hand. Also I figured it wouldn't be too sweet since I cut the amount of sugar in half.
Made this today with fresh picked raspberries off our neighbour’s bushes. Absolutely fabulous! Only had vanilla flavoured Greek yogurt so cut the sugar to half a cup and omitted the vanilla extract. Really, really moist and chocolatey. Served with vanilla ice cream and everyone wanted seconds!
I made this cake for my dog Maddie Jr.’s birthday party, and she loved it!!:) Us humans thought it was pretty great too!!
I am going to try it with normal cocoa powder since that's what I have on hand. We shall see…
I just finished making this today for my mom’s 40th birthday. 🙂 It turned out amazing, so fluffy and moist!
I used cherries instead of raspberries and it worked great. Love you’re recipes, and now my mom does too! 😀
That makes me happy; I’m glad you and your mom enjoyed it.
do you think this would work in a bundt pan?
Good question. I haven’t tried, but I’m sure it would. The baking time would definitely be longer though. Let me know how it turns out.
I asked my wife to make me this cake for my birthday. I seriously can’t think of a cake I’ve had that I like better. This cake is amazing.
That makes me so happy! And happy birthday!
I asked my wife to make me this cake for my birthday. I seriously can't think of a cake I've had that I like better. This cake is amazing.
Thank you Monique – I found the dark cocoa powder. I will want to serve this cake at a luncheon, and I hope to bake it the night before. Do you have any storage advice? I am a bit concerned about the raspberries – will they stay fresh? I am thinking that I should wait to sprinkle the powdered sugar until shortly before serving. Any advice would be appreciated. I enjoy baking, but this is a little different for me, and I want it to go well. Thanks again!
Lynn,
That’s so exciting to hear that you are baking it for a luncheon; I would store it in a cake carrier with a snap lid — they will most likely have these at a Target or Walmart store. The raspberries will stay fresh, but definetly wait until the next day to top powdered sugar. Or if you want it even more decadent, I suggest a chocolate glaze.
What kind of dark cocoa powder do you use? Can it be found at a “bricks & mortar” store in southern CA?
Lynn, I’m not sure! You should be able to find it at your local grocer’s or you could order it online. 🙂 Let me know if you need help finding it.
Sounds delicious! Any thoughts on trying with cherries?
Stacey,
That sounds like a terrific idea. Make sure to use fresh cherries! Let me know how it turns out.
This is soooooo gooooood. Easier to make than I thought it would be. I had to use frozen raspberries, because my store was out of fresh. The co-workers loved it. Will definitely make again.
Thanks for the great recipe!
That makes me so happy Tammy! I’m glad you and your coworkers enjoyed.
This looks delicious! I’m now drooling at work.
Happy Valentines Day, love