Chocolate Strawberry Cake is a delicious Valentine’s dessert with four stunning layers! Save paying bakery prices and make this cake at home!
Chocolate and strawberries are a classic pairing for romantic desserts. Not only does this Cake taste amazing, it also looks so impressive just like my Red Velvet Cake and Chocolate Mousse Cake.
Why You’ll Love This Cake?
- Chocolate Dipped Strawberries turned into a beautiful cake form!
- Easy to follow instructions make it easy for even a new baker to make this layer cake!
Sabrina’s Chocolate Strawberry Cake Recipe
This show-stopping cake is perfect for Valentine’s Day! This cake is like a chocolate-dipped strawberry in cake form! It looks like it would be difficult to make but with my easy to follow instructions, it won’t take long at all and anyone who sees it will be so impressed that you made it. It is perfect for a romantic night, to serve at your Valentine’s party, or any time you want beautiful and delicious cake!
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cups unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large egg
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup hot coffee
Strawberry Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberry powder
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter and dust with dark cocoa powder two 9 inch cake pans.
- In a stand mixer on low speed mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla then add it to the flour mixture in the stand mixer on low until just combined.
- Add in the hot coffee carefully and stir it in by hand until just combined (do not turn on the mixer, it may splash on you).
- Pour half of the batter into each of the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes then remove, let cool completely (at least 1-2 hours).
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:
- To your stand mixer on low speed cream the butter then start adding in the powdered sugar in ½ cup increments until fully combined, then raise the speed to medium-high for 2 additional minutes.
- Add in the vanilla, heavy cream and freeze dried strawberry powder and beat until light and fluffy for an additional minute.
To Frost:
- Trim off any top peak of the cake if you have a high peak.
- Cut each cake in half horizontally to make 4 layers.
- Add one bottom layer of the cake to a cake stand or serving plate.
- Spread a 1 cup of frosting over the cake.
- Repeat with remaining layers ending with the last layer of cake.
- Add 1 cup of frosting around and top the cake in a thin crumb coat layer.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set the frosting.
- Remove from refrigerator and spread remaining frosting over the cake evenly and pipe swirly mounds around the top of the cake.
- Top with chocolate sprinkles.
Nutrition
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Sabrina’s Tips
Add the first layer of frosting in a thin coating all around the top and sides. This layer may have some crumbs mixed in with the frosting, but don’t worry. Once coated, cover it and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the first layer allows it to set. So, when you add the next layer, you don’t have to worry about crumbs getting mixed in. Use a frosting scraper to smooth out the top and sides for a perfectly finished look, then pipe decorative frosting around the top and bottom to finish.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
My dark Chocolate Strawberry Cake is made with four layers of rich chocolate cake, pink strawberry frosting, and a decorative border of buttercream; it looks as wonderful as it tastes. It’s going to wow your eyes and your taste buds! The combination of rich chocolate and sweet, fresh strawberry flavor perfectly complement each other and taste absolutely dreamy. This stunning dessert recipe is an excellent option for a special occasion. For more dreamy recipes to make this February, check out my entire Valentine’s Day Catalog.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Flour: You can use all-purpose flour or cake flour for this recipe. Cake flour is ground more finely, which creates a soft, tender crumb that you may prefer, but all-purpose flour works well too.
- 2 cups Sugar: Sweeten the rich dark chocolate mixture with white sugar.
- ¾ cups Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder: Dark cocoa powder creates a darker color and rich, smooth, non-bitter chocolate flavor for the cake recipe.
- Leavening Agent: To make the cake rise during the baking time, add 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda and 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder to the dry ingredients. Note that leavening agents can expire, so check that your ingredients are in date before adding them to the mix.
- 2 large Eggs: Eggs are an essential ingredient to create structure within the cake recipe.
- ¾ cup Whole Milk: Using whole milk creates delicious, moist crumbs.
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter: Melted butter enriches the flavor and adds moisture to the chocolate cake. Alternatively, swap out the butter for vegetable oil in the chocolate cake recipe.
- 1 cup Hot Coffee: Adding freshly brewed coffee to chocolate cake helps to intensify the chocolate flavor. It also adds depth and helps to keep the cake recipe moist.
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter: To make the frosting, it’s essential to let the butter soften so that you can easily cream it into a fluffy consistency. Butter is crucial for the flavor and texture of the frosting.
- 6 ½ cups Powdered Sugar: Finely ground confectioner sugar blends smoothly with the butter to create a light, fluffy, sweet frosting base.
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract: Add a little bit of vanilla extract to give the frosting a classic, rich buttercream flavor.
- ⅓ cup Heavy Cream: Adding heavy cream smooths out the frosting to make it creamy and thin enough to spread.
- ½ cup Freeze-Dried Strawberry Powder: The freeze-dried mixture is made from real strawberries, giving it a sweet and tart strawberry flavor.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- 9-inch Cake Pans: For this recipe, you’ll need two 9-inch cake pans. I used round cake pans.
- Stand Mixer: Combine the cake batter ingredients into a smooth mixture in your stand mixer using the paddle attachment. You could also use a large mixing bowl and a handheld electric mixer.
- Small Bowl: Use a separate small bowl to whisk the wet ingredients together before adding them to the stand mixer.
- Wire Rack: After letting the cakes cool for about 10 minutes, transfer them from the baking pan to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Serrated Knife: Slice the cakes into four even layers using a serrated knife.
- Cake Stand: Place the cooled cake on a cake stand or serving plate to layer, frost, and present the cake on.
- Spatula: Use a rubber spatula to spread strawberry frosting over the cake.
Can this be made ahead of time?
This is an excellent dessert recipe to make in advance of a special event. Prepare the recipe as usual, then cover it to store in the fridge for a day or two until you’re ready to serve.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- Prep Time: Grease your cake pans with butter. Dust the buttered pans with dark cocoa powder so the cake doesn’t stick when you remove it.
- Add Coffee: Turn off the mixer and add the hot coffee. Stir by hand until just combined to avoid the coffee splashing out of the mixer.
- Cooling Time: Remove the cakes from the oven and let them completely cool before frosting.
- Cut Cakes: Trim any high peaks off of the cake so that they have an even surface. Then, cut each cake in half to make four chocolate cake layers.
- Frosting Cakes: For a homemade cake that looks good enough to sit in a bakery window, I recommend frosting in two layers.
Pairing Suggestions
Cake and ice cream make the perfect dessert combo. You can serve a slice of Chocolate Strawberry Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream or Strawberry Ice Cream. Finish the cake recipe with delicious toppings like Strawberry Sauce, fresh strawberries and other fresh berries, or Chocolate Covered Strawberries.
How to Store
- Serve: To serve the leftover cake, you can enjoy it directly from the fridge or let it return to room temperature on the countertop before eating.
- Store: If you have any leftover Chocolate Strawberry Cake, it can stay in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cover the cake in plastic wrap or store pieces in an airtight container to keep the recipe fresh.
- Freeze: You could also freeze the recipe for up to 3 months. Carefully wrap the leftover cake in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag to keep it fresh. Let the cake thaw in the fridge before serving.
Variations
- Raspberry Chocolate Cake: You can make this same recipe with delicious raspberry frosting by swapping out the freeze-dried strawberries for freeze-dried raspberry powder.
- Strawberry Jam Filling: To add more delicious strawberry flavor to the layer cake, you can layer Strawberry Jam in the cake filling along with the strawberry buttercream frosting.
- Double Chocolate Cake: Add extra chocolate flavor by mixing mini chocolate chips into the cake batter. Use semi-sweet, milk, or dark chocolate chips, depending on your flavor preference.
- Coffee: If you don’t have coffee, you can use plain hot water or swap out freshly brewed coffee for water and a teaspoon of espresso powder.
Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes
- To make chocolate strawberry cupcakes, divide the cake batter into paper-lined muffin cups.
- Using a regular-sized muffin tin, you’ll have a little over a dozen cupcakes.
- Bake for about 13-15 minutes and check for doneness.
- Then, let the cupcakes cool before adding the strawberry buttercream frosting.
Related Recipes
More Stunning Layer Cakes
The chocolate cake is incredibly moist and dark, and layering it with fresh, sweet strawberries and fluffy frosting balances the rich chocolate beautifully.
Sounds like you love the chocolate-strawberry combo as much as we do! Thank you for sharing and for the 5 stars!