My personal quest for the perfect chocolate raspberry cake had fallen flat for years, so I took matters into my own hands and concocted this chocolate layer cake with raspberry mousse filling and triple chocolate frosting from a wide array of recipes. The ingredients list is lengthy, but sooo worth the investment!

DECADENT CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH RASPBERRY MOUSSE FILLING

INGREDIENTS

CAKE INGREDIENTS
1 box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake mix
½ package instant chocolate pudding
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules 
1 tsp vanilla extract

RASPBERRY MOUSSE FILLING INGREDIENTS
1 jar Polaner All-Fruit, seedless Raspberry Jam
1 small box raspberry Jello
1 tsp vanilla
½ pint heavy whipping cream, whipped

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE FUDGE FROSTING INGREDIENTS
10 oz semisweet chocolate
4 oz bittersweet chocolate
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 sticks butter
5 cups powdered sugar
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup half and half

LET’S MAKE IT!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease & flour two 9 inch cake pans (I prefer Wilton’s Cake Release– it works brilliantly.) Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl and beat for 3 minutes. Mixture will be thick.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 30-35 mins.
Cool for 20 minutes, then remove from pans to cool completely.

Level the top of each cake with a long, serrated knife then cut each cake in half along its equator.

MAKE THE RASPBERRY FILLING & ASSEMBLE CAKE

Place jar of jam in microwave for 30 seconds without lid.
Mix jam and vanilla into dry Jello packet and combine well.

Fold the jam/Jello mixture into the whipped cream. Combine thoroughly.

Place one of the 4 cake layers onto serving plate and spread 1/3 of the filling onto the cake. Don’t spread it all the way to the edges b/c when the other layers are added, it will spread out a little bit more.

Repeat procedure with two more cake layers. Top cake with the fourth cake layer.

Place cake in refrigerator until ready to frost. The filling will firm up and hold the cake together after it chills for a while.

MAKE THE FROSTING

Over a double-boiler, melt chocolates & butter, stirring until smooth. **Do not allow any water get into the mixture or it will seize up into a chocolate rock!**
Set aside to cool slightly. 
Sift powdered sugar & salt into a bowl.

Combine half & half & vanilla and then add to sugar. Mix with hand mixer on low until combined.

Add melted chocolate/butter mixture to sugar mixture and beat until smooth. Chill frosting for 20 minutes. Frost the cake & refrigerate. Remove from fridge to bring up to room temperature prior to serving.