There are so many uncertainties these days that I’ve started to actually enjoy the… certainties… no matter how unexciting. Regardless of what goes on in the world, there will be little clumps of Fox’s fur that form in the hall approximately every 3 days, and then I’ll sweep, and then it’ll happen again. The couch back cushions will get lumpy and sad looking after another 4-hour-long TV session or Zoom happy hour, and they’ll stay that way for a day or two until one of us fixes them. The laundry still won’t do itself, and the bed will need to be made every morning even if it’s the last thing we feel like doing. Because if it doesn’t get done it just stares at us all day mocking our inability to be proper adults.

You know the world is dark when you’re turning to household chores for consistency and promise, but yet here we are.

There are some more positive consistencies, though. Like planting a new herb or vegetable friend will bring joy long before the plant itself yields anything edible. Re-styling the bar cart or media console or coffee table will always bring a small sense of accomplishment. And chocolate cake, especially when it’s fluffy and fudgy at the same time and dare I even say moist—and paired with something fruity like raspberry glaze? Will always be incredibly fucking good. So today we’re making cake.

This chocolate cake comes from Jerrelle Guy’s cookbook, Black Girl Baking. We’ve followed Jerelle’s blog Chocolate for Basil for years, and have always looked to her recipes for refreshing and unfussy food inspo, and we recently added her cookbook to our collection. The book is full of insansely delicious looking recipes for all kinds of baked goods, that are all familiar enough to be approachable, but with a little twist that makes each one exciting. This recipe is great because it’s easy, the cake has an extremely satisfying texture, and the brightness of the raspberry glaze makes it impossible to stop eating.

It yields one 9” cake, so while you could totally double that and do a layer cake, it’s kind of intended to be something easy to snack on or bring to a casual dinner. Unfussy, very good, and totally delicious. Recipe + food porn for you below, sweets.

(Not An) Easy Bake Cake with Raspberry Glaze from Jerrelle Guy’s Black Girl Baking.

Takes about an hour including bake time & makes one 9” layer

Cake

1 ¾ cups (210 g) white whole wheat flour
½ cup (60 g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (225 g) packed light brown sugar
⅔ cup (160 g) yogurt, dairy-free if desired
¼ cup (60 g) unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup (60 ml) neutral oil or melted butter
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
1 cup (235 ml) hot brewed coffee

Raspberry Glaze

1 cup (120 g) raspberries, rinsed
¼ cup (50 g) pure cane sugar or (60 ml) agave
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ cup (120 ml) melted coconut butter (Probably This note: we used softened grass-fed butter)

Preheat the oven to 350 ° F (180 ° C or gas mark 4) and have a 9-inch (23-cm) oiled cake pan lined with parchment nearby. To make the cake, stir the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the brown sugar, yogurt, applesauce, oil and vanilla extract together until smooth. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and fold them together gently to combine, being careful not to overmix.

Then, pour in the hot coffee, and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to finish cooling while you make the glaze.

To make the glaze, in a saucepan, combine the raspberries, cane sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest and cook, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries break down into a sauce, about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and strain it through a sieve to remove the seeds. To the seedless sauce, stir in the coconut butter.

Spread over the cooled, upside-down chocolate cake, and top with the sprinkles, if using. Slice and serve.

Thanks for stopping by the blog! Let us know if you give this recipe a try :)

xoxo Beau & Matt