This cake was Cris’s late birthday/early valentines day treat. “Chocolate!” he requested. “Raspberries! Cream cheese!” It took me three attempts to perfect this recipe. Three delicious, fattening attempts. Happily, when it comes to cakes, even when you fail you win.

This cake is based on the traditional egg-, butter-, dairy-free crazy cake recipe. I only added cinnamon and chocolate chips because I can’t not, you know. It’s my thing. It’s what I do. Raspberry filling is sandwiched between the layers and then it’s all topped with some amazing raspberry cream cheese frosting. The cake is super moist and chocolaty, the raspberry sauce is perfectly tart and jussst thin enough to soak into the cake a little bit, and the frosting? Well. The frosting is ridiculous. Normally this would be cooked in two 9” round pans, but I found these mini heart springform pans at Target and I had to buy them because that’s just what happens when I’m allowed to go to Target unsupervised on a payday. This recipe made 6 little heart cakes. Six!

You may think that’s a little excessive, but YOU ARE WRONG.

Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, cinnamon, and cocoa together in a large bowl.
3. Make three wells. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour cold water over everything and mix with a fork.
4. Add in chocolate chips and stir.
5. Bake in 2 round 9” pans for 30 minutes (Or 6 mini heart pans for 25 minutes) or until a toothpick comes out clean—you know the drill.

Raspberry Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons clementine or lemon juice

1. Combine all the ingredients into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat.
2. Allow to slowly boil for 5-15 minutes until sauce has thickened to desired consistency.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup raspberry sauce, strained through a fine mesh strainer OR 1/2 cup raspberry jam

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter.
2. Slowly add in powdered sugar.
3. Add raspberry sauce and mix until well combined.