Raspberry Champagne Cake

A slice of cake on a white plate. The rest of the cake is in the background on a cake table.

This raspberry champagne cake is a symphony of flavours, perfect for celebrating life’s sweetest moments. Nestled between champagne cake layers lies tangy sweet raspberry filling. The cake is frosted in a dreamy champagne buttercream this is lightly dyed pink.

Course Dessert

Cuisine North American

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 25

Servings slices

Calories 760kcal

Author Nina

Ingredients

Champagne Cake

1 cup champagne
3 cups all purpose flour
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1¾ cups granulated sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Champagne Simple Syrup

¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup champagne

Raspberry Cake Filling

2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
14 ounces rasperries frozen and thawed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
⅓ cup granulated sugar

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

⅓ cup champagne
½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
½ cup vegetable shortening
6 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2-3 drops pink gel food colouring optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Champagne Cake

Place champagne in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until champagne has reduced and thickened. You should have about ½ champagne when ready. Pour champagne into a small bowl to cool.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line the bottom of three 8" round cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pans.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt together.
In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together for at least 2 minutes. Add oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and reduced champagne. Mix until well combined, scraping the sides and bottom when needed.
Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Divide batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.
Let cakes cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen from pan. Then remove cakes from their pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Champagne Simple Syrup

Add sugar and champagne to a small saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl to cool.

Raspberry Cake Filling

Add water and cornstarch to a medium bowl and cook over medium heat until cornstarch has been dissolved.
Add raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar. Continue to cook over medium heat until the raspberry filling has thickened, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Transfer filling to a bowl and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Add champagne to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until champagne has thickened and reduced to about 2½ tablespoons. Pour champagne into a small bowl to cool.
Add butter, shortening, and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Mix until well combined, at least 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. Mix to combine. Add food colouring if desired.

To Assemble

Brush champagne simple syrup on each cake layer. Add a thin coating of buttercream frosting to the tops of 2 cake layers. This is so the raspberry cake filling doesn't seep into the cakes.
Place one buttercream frosted cake layer onto a cake table. Pipe a border of buttercream frosting around the top edge of the cake so the raspberry cake filling doesn't seep out the sides of the cake.
Spoon half of raspberry cake filling into the center of the cake, within the buttercream border. Add second buttercream frosted cake layer on top of first layer.
Pip another buttercream border on that layer, and spoon raspberry cake filling into the center of the cake. Top with the last cake layer. Frost the sides and top of the cake. Use a piping bag and tip to decorate the top. Add some fresh raspberries.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Notes

Don't over beat the cake batter. I like to use my mixer until just before it's all mixed together. Then I use a spatula to do the final mix to make sure it doesn't get over mixed.

Don't overbake the cake layers.

Use store bought raspberry jam if you like. Just make sure you get the thickest jam you can find.

Don't forget to do a thin layer of buttercream on top of the bottom and middle cake layers. The jam needs that layer of buttercream to sit on. If the buttercream wasn't there, the jam would seep into the cake layers.

Nutrition