Raspberry Red Velvet Cake

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

For the red raspberry syrup:
Add the raspberries and water to a pan and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain the mixture into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer and return the liquid to the pot. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes or so until the liquid is reduced by about half. Remove from heat. Allow to cool while you make the cake batter.

For the cake:
Using either a stand mixer or hand mixer, add the sugar and eggs to a large bowl and cream together for a couple of minutes until the eggs are a light golden color. Beat in the oil until smooth. Add the vanilla, vinegar and buttermilk and mix thoroughly. Stir in the listed amount of raspberry syrup (you probably won’t use it all). Set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and cocoa powder.

In a small bowl, toss the raspberries with 1 tablespoon of the flour/cocoa mixture. This will help prevent the raspberries from sinking to the bottom of the cake. Add the flour mixture into the wet batter and mix. Fold in the raspberries.

You can bake this cake in a variety of different ways: a 10-12 cup bundt pan, a tube pan, a 9″ spring form or four 4 1/2″ mini spring-forms, which is what I did. By dividing the batter, you can store some of the cakes in the fridge or freezer for unexpected holiday season company. Whichever you choose, butter and flour your pans and pour in the batter. If you’re using the smaller spring form pans, fill them with about 2″ of spare room at the top.

Bake for 50-55 minutes for a large cake or 30-40 minutes for the smaller ones or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pan(s) from oven and set on a rack. Allow to cool thoroughly before removing from the pan.

To make the glaze, add the berries and water to a pan along with the sugar. Simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.

Add the chocolate chips to a bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds. Stir and continue to microwave (30 seconds at a time) until melted. Add the raspberry syrup and salt. Slowly stir in the milk, one tablespoon at a time until you have a good pour-able consistency. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake and top with some fresh raspberries if desired.