Paul Lowe, the kitchen craft and cooking maven, has penned a new book, "Sweet Paul Eat and Make" (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014). If you're not familiar with his online or quarterly print magazine, Sweet Paul, you'll be taken with this treasure trove of recipes like Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Raspberries, Pasta with Chunky Pesto, and Maple Roasted Granola. The book includes craft projects such as making jam jar vases and different kinds of votives. It's a fun book to read. It's organized by time of day, and its recipes are both creative and readily approachable.

This cake is a perfect example. It's an elegant dessert made to impress without a lot of fuss. It has a deep, rich flavor that is not too sweet. As Lowe explains, the raspberries "sink slightly into the cake while it bakes, creating pockets of intense flavor."

When I made this for a dinner party, I found the instructions easy to follow. Yes, it has lots of butter, but that's what makes it so amazing. Brown sugar also gives the cake a light caramel flavor. When I cut into the cake, everyone was delighted and surprised that its texture was cakelike on the outside but almost like a mousse in the middle. No one could get enough of this -- and with the vanilla gelato served alongside, we wanted the party to never end. It's best to make in the morning so it has time to come to room temperature before serving.

Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

Excerpted from "Sweet Paul, Eat and Make" by Paul Lowe. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Serves 8 to 10.

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan

1 1D3 packed cups light brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1D 3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1D2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

1 1D2 cups fresh raspberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F, with a rack in the middle position. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on high speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

3. Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt, and mix well.

4. Mix in the sour cream and melted chocolate until the batter is smooth.

5. Scrape the batter into the springform pan and sprinkle it with the raspberries. Push the raspberries down a little bit.

6. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until set. A cake tester should come out wet, but the center of the cake should stay still when you jiggle the pan. Don't overbake, or the cake will be dry.

7. Cool completely on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edge of cake, remove the sides of the pan, and serve.

(Diane Rossen Worthington is an authority on new American cooking. She is the author of 18 cookbooks, including "Seriously Simple Holidays," and also a James Beard award-winning radio show host. You can contact her at www.seriouslysimple.com.)