While my sister insists that one blogger per family is enough, she was actually the one that found this recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Cake and coordinated making it for Father’s Day. We had a party yesterday for three Dads, and made things they all loved like antipasto, steak, and chocolate cake.

The original post suggests using a devil’s food cake recipe from the Joy of Cooking, and normally we would make the cake from scratch. But there was a lot of other meal preparation required and a toddler underfoot, so on Saturday night we made the cake using a box mix. After the cakes had cooled, we sliced each one in half, creating 4 layers total. Using a tip from Smitten Kitchen we stuck the layers in the freezer which made them easier to work with on Sunday morning.

The cake may have been from a box, but the raspberry sauce was homemade, using frozen raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, and raspberry preserves. We also made the chocolate frosting using chocolate, butter, sugar, and whipping cream. The frosting seemed a little runny so I added some confectioner’s sugar, but it ended up almost too thick, so resist doing this yourself. Once the raspberry sauce and chocolate frosting were cooled, we were ready for the final assembly. The raspberry and chocolate layers are alternated, creating quite the tower of dessert, topped with fresh raspberries and a few dollops of sauce.

All three Dads seemed pleased with our efforts and enjoyed the cake. I hope everyone had a great Father’s Day weekend!

• Desserts