The Most Indulgent Strawberry Chocolate Cake

Get ready to dig into a slice of pure strawberry goodness! This soft, moist cake is layered with creamy strawberry buttercream that’s bursting with real strawberry flavor, and it’s filled with rich chocolate ganache for that perfect combo of fruity and chocolatey. On top, I’ve added fresh, juicy strawberries to make it even better. Every bite is like a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth moment! Whether you're celebrating a birthday, a graduation, or just a regular dinner party, this cake is sure to impress. So grab your whisk, and let’s bake up something delicious together!

Inspiration for this Recipe:

So, I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and saw this super cute post about a strawberry cream cake. It looked delicious, but I wanted to make it a little more fall-ish. Instead of a regular sponge, I decided to go with a super moist chocolate cake. Then I layered it with creamy strawberry buttercream and filled it with rich chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries. It was the perfect mix of chocolate and strawberry! To make it even more fun, I decorated it like a vintage cake (I’ve been seeing these all over my feed lately). But if you’re looking for something a bit simpler, you could go for a more rustic look with a chocolate drizzle, like I did on my Chocolate Coffee Cake. Either way, the result is a cozy, fall-inspired treat that’s super cute and tastes amazing!

What are Freeze Dried Strawberries?

I know freeze-dried strawberries might sound a little intimidating, but they’re really just strawberries that have had all their water removed, so they become crunchy while still keeping all their yummy flavor. In this recipe, we grind them into a powder and mix it into the frosting. This gives the frosting a strong strawberry flavor without making it too runny, plus it adds a nice pink color! You can find freeze-dried strawberries at most grocery stores, usually in the snack aisle, or online. They’re super easy to use and make the frosting taste amazing! If you want to skip a step, you can also buy freeze-dried strawberry powder, which is already ground up. Just make sure you’re not buying regular dried strawberries, though, because those still have moisture in them and they won’t work the same way.

How to Store?

This strawberry chocolate cake can be prepared in advance for a party and will stay fresh at room temperature overnight. Since the cake has fresh strawberries in it, you shouldn't keep leftovers in the fridge for more than three days. If you really want to make it in advance you can make both the cake and the frosting ahead of time. Wrap each separately and freeze for up to 3 months. When you're ready to serve, just thaw them overnight, then decorate and let the cake come to room temperature before enjoying. Or you can skip adding the strawberries and replace it with strawberry jam (This will give it a longer shelf life and still taste amazing!)

Yields: (enough for 12 people)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
⅔ cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
⅔ cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
½ cup malted chocolate powder
2 tsp instant coffee
½ cup water
1/2 cup sour cream

Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:

1 1/2 cups freeze-dried strawberries or 3/4 cup freeze-dried powder.
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar
6 tbsp whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Assembly:

1 2/3 cup Roughly chopped strawberries or strawberry jam.
shaved chocolate to garnish

Steps:

Preheat the Oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Dry Ingredients: Add all the dry ingredients except chocolate malt, in a large mixing bowl. Whisk and set aside.
Wet Ingredients: In a separate cup add the milk, chocolate malt, coffee, eggs, and oil. Mix and pour into the dry ingredients.
Add Water: Mix until well combined and then add the water. This should make the batter a bit more liquid and smooth. Finally, add the sour cream.
Bake: Divide the batter into 2 pans equally and bake for 25-30 min. Cool cakes on a wire rack.
Ganache: Add the chopped milk chocolate to a glass bowl. Heat the heavy whipping cream until just simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate. Gently stir the cream until it is fully combined with the milk chocolate. Set aside.
Frosting: In a blender blend the dried strawberries into powder. You should get about 3/4 cup of powder. Set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the butter for 5 full minutes, until light and fluffy. Sift in the powdered strawberries, and mix. Then sift in half the powdered sugar, mix and then the other half. It might seem like a lot but keep mixing and it will even out.
Frosting II: Add in the milk and vanilla extract. Mix and add another tbsp of milk until you have a nice consistency. Add another if you feel like the consistency is too thick.
Assembly: Once the cakes are cooled, trim off the tops and divide them into 2 halves each using a sharp serrated knife. This will give you 4 layers total. Set the first layer of the cake down. Cover with a thin layer of ganache. Then pipe the frosting only around the edges to make a ring of frosting or a border. This will make a "well" to keep the strawberries/jam from falling out. Add in the chopped strawberries/jam. Repeat for the second and third layers. For the last layer set it upside down so the flat edge is facing up.
Crumb coat: Smooth a thin layer of frosting over the entire cake as a crumb coat and scrape away the excess with a cake scraper. Let the cake chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes until the crumb coat is firm to the touch.
Final buttercream layer: Spread about ¾ of the remaining buttercream around the entire cake and scrape off the excess with a scraper.
Decorate: Add the rest of the frosting to a piping bag. Decorate however you like. Garnish with some shaved chocolate.
ENJOYY!!!

I can't wait to see you guys try this recipe. When you do, make sure to tag me @himnas_kitchen! Check below for more amazing recipes.

Himna's Kitchen