Chocolate Red Currant Creme Cake

Dense dark chocolate cake layers filled with a decadent red currant creme all covered in chocolate ganache and garnished with frosted red currants make every slice of this Chocolate Red Currant Creme Cake a sinfully delicious guilty pleasure!

I’ve made several layer cakes over the past few years, but this cake is truly the culmination of everything I’ve learned about American and German baking, rolled into one glorious dessert.

And when I say American and German baking, I mean that I’ve taken my American style cake and paired it with a German style cake filling covered it in a simple ganache.  No frosting or buttercream anywhere on this cake… which is a huge departure for me.  Here in Germany, the cakes are typically filled with a cream and topped with whipped cream or ganache, but hardly ever do you find frosting or buttercream on their cakes.

This is not an overly sweet cake. Instead this cake is very rich cake and paired with the creaminess of the filling and the tartness of the berries the flavors match each other perfectly.

Red Currants are typically found in Western Europe, but this cake could easily be made with any fruit including fresh cherries or raspberries.  Even strawberries would be amazing with this cake!

The chocolate cake recipe that I used for this cake is my tried and true chocolate cake.  It is made with melted butter and coffee as well as dark chocolate cocoa powder.  The biggest difference this time with this cake is that it is served chilled, which in my opinion completely changes the texture and flavor of the chocolate.  In fact, I think the chocolate flavor intensifies and the texture becomes dense, thick and almost fudge-like.  Heavenly.

The recipe for the red currant creme filling was inspired by a similar cake I saw on a Croatian baking blog and I adapted it to fit what I wanted to create.  They actually made a very similar cake and was thrilled to see how successful they had been in their attempt to make the cake that I had been dreaming of in my head!

Since this cake is a very large cake and the pieces don’t need to be cut more than an inch big, I had a lot of cake to share!  One of my neighbors was kind enough to eat most of it for me!  I kept offering slices and she kept saying YES!

Each bite of this cake knocked my socks off and far exceeded any expectations I had for how it would be.  The sour cream filling I expected to be very sour, but after sitting in the refrigerator chilling for 24 hours, the flavors came together and it was perfect.

If you need a show stopping cake for your next party, I completely suggest this cake!  Your friends and family will be so impressed!

Happy Baking!

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Chocolate Red Currant Creme Cake

Yield: 1 10in cake - about 16-20 servings

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brewed strong coffee
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Red Currant Creme Filling

• 300g red currants, destemmed, clean and dry
• 50g granulated sugar
• 1/8tsp orange extract
• 6 large egg yolks
• 100g granulated sugar
• 700g sour cream
• 4Tbsp cold water
• 10g powdered gelatin

Ganache

• 200g semi-sweet chocolate (50-60% cocoa)
• 250g heavy cream
• 2Tbsp unsalted butter

Garnish

• 1-2 cups chocolate shavings
• 2 cups or a large bunch of red currants on the stem
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

1. Prepare a 10in springform pan by greasing the sides and bottom with butter or shortening and then coating in flour.
2. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
3. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the cocoa powder, brewed coffee, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Bring to a light simmer and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
4. While cooling, whisk together the egg and sour cream in a medium bowl.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
6. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sour cream until smooth.
7. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the wet mixture into it. Whisk together until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool in the pan completely before removing from the springform pan.
10. Once cool, trim the top of the cake so it is flat. Measure half way down the cake and cut it into two equal layers.

Red Currant Creme Filling

1. Gently stir together the red currants, 50g granulated sugar and orange extract in a medium pot and cook over medium high heat for 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to break up the berries. You want their skins to become slightly soft and for the juice of the berries to come out with the sugar, but not for the berries to break down. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium glass bowl over a water bath, whisk the egg yolks with 100g granulated sugar. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, measure out the sour cream. Scoop about 3Tbsp of the sour cream into the egg yolk mixture to help cool it down.
4. In a small pot over low heat, whisk cold water and the gelatin together. Slowly warm the mixture to dissolve the gelatin. Once dissolved, pour it into the eggs and whisk to combine.
5. Whisk remaining sour cream until smooth. Pour in the egg mixture and whisk to combine completely.
6. Gently fold in the red currants, including all the juice in the pot. Chill this mixture in the freezer for about 25 minutes or until it has began to set but it still pourable.
7. Place the bottom layer of the cake back in the springform pan, making sure the pan is latched closed. Pour the filling over the cake and smooth it out flat with an offset spatula. Place the second layer of cake on top of the filling and gently press down to ensure that the filling has reached the sides of the pan.
8. Cover with foil and chill the cake at least 24 hours. Once completely chilled and the filling has set, you can move on to covering th cake in ganache.

Ganache

1. Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a medium glass bowl.
2. In a small pot on medium high heat, heat the heavy cream just until it begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes, untouched.
3. Stir the cream and chocolate together until smooth slowly, being careful not to create any air bubbles in the chocolate.
4. Add the butter and stir until combined.
5. Allow the chocolate to cool and thicken until when poured it won't immediately run off the top of the cake.
6. Remove the cake from the springform pan and place it on the serving platter or plate.
7. SLOWLY pour the ganache in the center of the top of the cake until it reaches the edges of the cake and begins to fall down the sides. You want the chocolate thick enough that it will leave a nice layer of chocolate on the top of the cake, almost like a frosting, but not as thick and very smooth.
8. Using an offset spatula, scoop up the chocolate that fell down the sides and spread it along the edges, being careful not to damage the perfectly smooth top of the cake.

Garnish

1. Before the ganache has time to set, press chocolate shavings onto the side of the cake.
2. Clean and dry the red currants.
3. Whisk an egg white in a small bowl. Dip the red currants, on the stem, into the egg whites then completely cover in granulated sugar.
4. Set on a tray covered in wax paper to set and completely dry.
5. Place the frosted red currants in a pile on top of the cake in the center.
6. Keep cake chilled until ready to serve.

Notes

This cake takes several hours, if not days, to make! Please plan accordingly.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

Continue to Content

Chocolate Red Currant Creme Cake

Yield: 1 10in cake - about 16-20 servings

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brewed strong coffee
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt

Red Currant Creme Filling

• 300g red currants, destemmed, clean and dry
• 50g granulated sugar
• 1/8tsp orange extract
• 6 large egg yolks
• 100g granulated sugar
• 700g sour cream
• 4Tbsp cold water
• 10g powdered gelatin

Ganache

• 200g semi-sweet chocolate (50-60% cocoa)
• 250g heavy cream
• 2Tbsp unsalted butter

Garnish

• 1-2 cups chocolate shavings
• 2 cups or a large bunch of red currants on the stem
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

1. Prepare a 10in springform pan by greasing the sides and bottom with butter or shortening and then coating in flour.
2. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
3. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the cocoa powder, brewed coffee, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined. Bring to a light simmer and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
4. While cooling, whisk together the egg and sour cream in a medium bowl.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
6. Slowly whisk the chocolate mixture into the bowl with the eggs and sour cream until smooth.
7. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the wet mixture into it. Whisk together until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool in the pan completely before removing from the springform pan.
10. Once cool, trim the top of the cake so it is flat. Measure half way down the cake and cut it into two equal layers.

Red Currant Creme Filling

1. Gently stir together the red currants, 50g granulated sugar and orange extract in a medium pot and cook over medium high heat for 5-10 minutes. Be careful not to break up the berries. You want their skins to become slightly soft and for the juice of the berries to come out with the sugar, but not for the berries to break down. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium glass bowl over a water bath, whisk the egg yolks with 100g granulated sugar. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, measure out the sour cream. Scoop about 3Tbsp of the sour cream into the egg yolk mixture to help cool it down.
4. In a small pot over low heat, whisk cold water and the gelatin together. Slowly warm the mixture to dissolve the gelatin. Once dissolved, pour it into the eggs and whisk to combine.
5. Whisk remaining sour cream until smooth. Pour in the egg mixture and whisk to combine completely.
6. Gently fold in the red currants, including all the juice in the pot. Chill this mixture in the freezer for about 25 minutes or until it has began to set but it still pourable.
7. Place the bottom layer of the cake back in the springform pan, making sure the pan is latched closed. Pour the filling over the cake and smooth it out flat with an offset spatula. Place the second layer of cake on top of the filling and gently press down to ensure that the filling has reached the sides of the pan.
8. Cover with foil and chill the cake at least 24 hours. Once completely chilled and the filling has set, you can move on to covering th cake in ganache.

Ganache

1. Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a medium glass bowl.
2. In a small pot on medium high heat, heat the heavy cream just until it begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let stand for 3 minutes, untouched.
3. Stir the cream and chocolate together until smooth slowly, being careful not to create any air bubbles in the chocolate.
4. Add the butter and stir until combined.
5. Allow the chocolate to cool and thicken until when poured it won't immediately run off the top of the cake.
6. Remove the cake from the springform pan and place it on the serving platter or plate.
7. SLOWLY pour the ganache in the center of the top of the cake until it reaches the edges of the cake and begins to fall down the sides. You want the chocolate thick enough that it will leave a nice layer of chocolate on the top of the cake, almost like a frosting, but not as thick and very smooth.
8. Using an offset spatula, scoop up the chocolate that fell down the sides and spread it along the edges, being careful not to damage the perfectly smooth top of the cake.

Garnish

1. Before the ganache has time to set, press chocolate shavings onto the side of the cake.
2. Clean and dry the red currants.
3. Whisk an egg white in a small bowl. Dip the red currants, on the stem, into the egg whites then completely cover in granulated sugar.
4. Set on a tray covered in wax paper to set and completely dry.
5. Place the frosted red currants in a pile on top of the cake in the center.
6. Keep cake chilled until ready to serve.

Notes

This cake takes several hours, if not days, to make! Please plan accordingly.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram