strawberry chocolate cake
It's rich, moist, and bursting with flavors from the deep chocolate cake layers, homemade strawberry filling, creamy strawberry buttercream, and smooth chocolate ganache.
Equipment
- Mixing Bowls & Stand Mixer
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- 3 Cake Pans
- Piping Bags
- Offset Spatula
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 2 + 2 cups +tablespoons cake flour (measure carefully)
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder (I use Ghirardelli)
- 1/2 cup cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee (or hot water)
For the Strawberry Buttercream
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup reserved strawberry filling
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 oz 70% dark chocolate bar
Instructions
Mixing the Chocolate Cake Batter
- Start by preparing the cake batter. Grease the sides of three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix these dry ingredients well. Then, add the softened butter to the dry mixture and mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand. This should take about 3 minutes.In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Gradually add half of this wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute. The batter will start to form a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix in the rest of the wet ingredients until everything is just combined.Now, gradually mix in the hot coffee (or hot water) until the batter is smooth. Scrape down the bowl again to ensure everything is evenly incorporated.
Baking the Cake Layers
- Evenly distribute the cake batter among the three prepared pans. Each pan should contain about 490 grams of batter. Bake the cakes for 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Keep a close eye on them so they don't over-bake!Once done, remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Making the Strawberry Filling
- While your cake layers are cooling, let's prepare the strawberry filling. In a medium saucepan, combine the frozen strawberries (or fresh if you prefer), water, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, mashing the strawberries occasionally, until the mixture becomes thick and glossy—this should take around 15 minutes.Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar to the pot, stirring well. Continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the tablespoon of water with the cornstarch to create a slurry. Add this mixture to the saucepan and cook for 2 more minutes until the filling has thickened and is no longer cloudy. Once done, transfer the filling to a bowl and set it aside to cool. Remember to save about 1/4 cup of this filling for the buttercream!
Preparing the Strawberry Buttercream
- For the buttercream, beat the softened butter in a stand mixer until smooth and creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed until well combined. Increase the speed and beat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.Now, add the reserved strawberry filling to the buttercream, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Once all the filling is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and heavy cream. Beat the buttercream on medium speed for another 2-3 minutes, or until it's light and fluffy. This is your luscious strawberry buttercream!