Jul 14 2026
RestaurantsDurant'sLayer Chocolate Cake Recipe

Layer Chocolate Cake Recipe

Inspired by Durant's
Time2h
Serves12

dark chocolate - chocolate mascarpone mousse cold marinated chambord blackberries homemade raspberry purée

Was this page helpful?

Help improve this recipe for others.

Send this recipe to your inbox.

We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.

Ingredients

Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Cake

Raspberry Purée & Blackberries

Method

Cake

  1. 1

    Preheat the Oven

    Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

  2. 2

    Combine Dry Ingredients

    In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

  3. 3

    Mix Wet Ingredients

    In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until well combined.

  4. 4

    Combine Mixtures

    Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined. Gradually stir in the boiling water. The batter will be thin.

  5. 5

    Bake the Cakes

    Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  6. 6

    Cool the Cakes

    Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

  1. 7

    Melt Chocolate

    In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the dark chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Let it cool slightly.

  2. 8

    Whip Cream

    In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to whip until stiff peaks form.

  3. 9

    Combine Mixtures

    Gently fold the mascarpone cheese into the melted chocolate until well combined. Then fold in the whipped cream until no white streaks remain.

Raspberry Purée & Blackberries

  1. 10

    Prepare Raspberry Purée

    In a blender or food processor, combine fresh raspberries and granulated sugar. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove seeds.

  2. 11

    Marinate Blackberries

    Toss the fresh blackberries with Chambord liqueur and let them sit for at least 30 minutes to absorb the flavors.

Assembly

  1. 12

    Layer the Cake

    Once the cakes are completely cool, place one layer on a serving platter. Spread a layer of chocolate mascarpone mousse on top, followed by a layer of raspberry purée and marinated blackberries. Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the process.

  2. 13

    Finish with Mousse

    Top the final layer with the remaining chocolate mascarpone mousse and garnish with additional blackberries and raspberry purée as desired.

More from Durant's