Take chocolate dipped strawberries to the next level with this dreamy Chocolate Strawberry Cake!
Being a blogger is strange sometimes. When I started this blog, I intended it to be a journal of sorts, tied in with whatever I had baked for the week. Somewhere along the way it evolved into covering the recipe of the day and the issues that I ran into when making it. Which isn’t a bad thing – it works – it’s just not exactly what I intended. As such, I don’t often share too much of what’s going on in my personal life unless I’m weeks into being sick or ranting about something or other. Or maybe it’s just that my life isn’t as exciting as I thought it was?
This week, I’m feeling like I really just need to get some things off my chest, and in the spirit of my original vision for this blog, I’d like to use this post to do so. If you’d rather not read my ramblings, feel free to scroll down to the recipe!
The day before I was meant to finish and shoot this cake, I got a call from my mom telling me that my aunt had just months to live. She has been sick since last year and underwent extensive cancer treatment last winter for a very treatable, though late-stage, cancer. She was given the all-clear in early 2016, but seemed to have ongoing issues and doctor appointments. Very recently she had an MRI done for something unrelated. It revealed that the cancer had spread rapidly to her spine, and that there was no cure.
SO. MANY. QUESTIONS.
Why the hell was this not found earlier? What were the doctors even doing for the past year?? They knew there was a chance of it spreading, so why didn’t they find it sooner? Why wasn’t the MRI (or other tests) done months ago??
I am so pissed off.
I’m not going to go into how much the medical system in Canada sucks (it does, don’t believe the hype) and how shitty so many of the doctors are, or how long you have to wait for treatment (months, sometimes years), or how many times my aunt got sent home from emergency last year (before she was diagnosed) with a shrug and no proper tests or treatment.
Realistically, even if they found this new cancer early enough I still don’t think it could have been treated, but at least everyone would have known sooner. There’s a lot of things that could have/should have been done differently, but they weren’t and here we are.
Two days after getting that call, my mom and I were on a plane back to Edmonton to see my aunt (another thing that sucks in Canada? Airfare prices). I still had to finish this cake before we went, but it seemed so trivial with everything going on.
It would be an understatement to say that it was literally the last thing I wanted to do. Not caring about something and being a perfectionist leads to a bit of a conflict, so it’s no surprise that I am not 100% happy with this cake or these pictures, but it is what it is.
Forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do builds character, right? So I forced myself to finish this cake, knowing it would partly help take my mind off of everything. I packed up some of this cake and next week’s cake and took it to Edmonton for my aunt and cousin. They loved it, and I’m glad I had the chance to have them try some of my baking. I won’t go into the details of the visit, but it was good. As good as it could be under the circumstances. Sigh.
Anyhow, if you’ve gotten through this whole post, thanks for listening to me ramble!
Now, this Chocolate Strawberry Cake… it’s seriously delicious. I made it into a 6 layer cake because, well, I wanted to. You can leave it as a 3 layer cake, but you’ll have some frosting left over. The 6 layers is a great ratio in my opinion! The cake is my usual chocolate cake recipe and the strawberry buttercream is my favourite Swiss meringue with some fresh pureed strawberries thrown in. All topped off with a simple chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries!
Notes & tips for this Chocolate Strawberry Cake:
- Some people have had issues with the frosting curdling once the strawberries are added — this is due to excess water in the berries. You can either strain your chopped berries or press them in a paper towel to remove excess water. Alternatively you can use strawberry jam instead of fresh strawberries or, ideally, freeze-dried strawberry powder.
- You can use any kid of berry you prefer for the frosting.
- To enhance the chocolate flavour of the cake, you can use strong hot coffee instead of hot water.
- For the ganache, I let mine set overnight (with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface). It will be too thick at this point, so I microwave it for 10 secs and stir it until it’s the right consistency.
- The drip technique works best on a chilled cake so that the drips set quickly.
- Be sure to check my Swiss Meringue Buttercream post for tips and troubleshooting.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk room temperature
- 3/4 cup hot strong brewed coffee or hot water
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
Strawberry Buttercream:
- 6 large egg whites
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter cubed, room temperature
- 1/2 cup pureed strawberries (about 1 cup whole strawberries - stemmed, hulled, and pureed)
Ganache:
- 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
- 2 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350F, grease three 6" round baking pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment.
- Place all dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl whisk all wet ingredients (pour coffee/water in slowly as not to cook the eggs if very hot).
- Add wet ingredients to dry and mix on medium for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour evenly into prepared pans. I used a kitchen scale to ensure the batter is evenly distributed.
- Bake until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. A total of 30-35mins.
- Cool 10minutes in the pans then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, cut each layer in half horizontally to get 6 layers.
Strawberry Buttercream:
- Place egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until combined.*
- Place bowl over a hot water bath on the stove and whisk constantly until the mixture is no longer grainy to the touch (approx. 3mins).
- Place bowl on your stand mixer and whisk on med-high until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (approx. 5-10mins)).
- Switch to paddle attachment. Slowly add cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- Add strawberry puree and whip until smooth.**
Ganache:
- Place chopped chocolate and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Stir to combine. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir. Microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until ganache is smooth and silky. Set aside to cool completely and thicken slightly before using on cake.
Assembly:
- Place one layer of cake on a cake stand or serving dish. Top with about 2/3 cup buttercream. Repeat with remaining layers. Frost and smooth the outside with a thin crumb coat. Chill for 20mins.
- Frost the cake. Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula.***
- Top with decorative dollops of frosting (I used Ateco tip 847), whole strawberries, and a pearl border (using Wilton tip 12).
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Notes
** The buttercream may look like it's curdled at some point. Keep mixing until it is completely smooth. Some people have had issues with the frosting curdling once the strawberries are added -- this is due to excess water in the berries. You can either strain your chopped berries or press them in a paper towel to remove excess water. Alternatively you can use strawberry jam instead of fresh strawberries.
*** You may have some ganache left over.
Christine says
Oh man did I love this cake. I had never made the buttercream frosting this way before but I will never go back now. WOW! So light and creamy!!!! Why did I never know this! And the flavor of the cake and frosting together!!! YUMMMM! Thanks so much.
Olivia says
Hi Christine! So happy you loved this recipe, and the frosting!! It’s a favourite 🙂 <3
Rachael Mccrory says
How exactly did you purée your strawberries?
Olivia says
Hi Rachael! I used a food processor to do this.
Bindu says
Hiya,
How much strawberry jam needs to be used instead of fresh strawberries?
Olivia says
Hi Bindu! I would add 1 Tbsp at a time up to about 4-6Tbsp. Just add it to taste 🙂
Bindu says
Thank you Olivia.
I have a few more questions. I only have a hand mixer, so can that be used for this recipe and for how long? Can i bake the cake a day and the butter cream, ganache a day before and assemble it the next day? Please let me know whether these need to be refrigerated or can be left at room temperature till they are being assembled.
Many thanks for your help.
Olivia says
Hi Bindu! A hand mixer will be fine for the cake but more of a challenge for the frosting. You can read more about that here: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
For baking in advance if just one day you can leave all at room temperature overnight unless your place gets very hot. The buttercream will need to be rewhipped. I would add the jam just before frosting the cake.
Bindu says
Thanks Olivia.
My daughter’s birthday is on 18 April and i plan to make the cake and do the frosting on the 16th and pop it in the fridge. Then do the ganache on 18th morning. Do you think that will be okay and for how long it needs to left out before doing the ganache. The only reason I’m planning to do the cake two days earlier is because in case it does not come out of well, i can buy a cake.
Olivia says
Hi Bindu! I think that sounds great! I would do the ganache right onto the cold cake straight from the fridge. It will help it set quicker. Make sure your ganache has cooled completely and thickened though before doing the drip. Let me know how it turns out!
LaLa says
I want to make this for my daughter’s birthday and she wants a unicorn cake. If I use the powder in the frosting, will it be the right consistency for decorating?
Olivia says
Hi Lala! Yes, I think the powder will give the best concistency.
Lashonda says
Thank you! I ended up seeing your reply too late, but it still worked out! I used fresh strawberries and added some strawberry extract to boost the strawberriness!
Olivia says
Yay! Glad it worked out 🙂
LaLa says
Hi!
What are the amounts of using strawberry preserves or the freeze dried powder?
Olivia says
Hi LaLa! I will differ slightly as they each have a different consistency and flavour. I would add up to 1/4 cup or so, be sure to add it 1 Tbsp at a time and mix well. You can add a bit more or less to taste.
Giselle says
Hey, I am trying to make 3 layer 8 inch cake with this recipe. Can I just double the recipe?
Olivia says
Hi Giselle! Yes, I would double the recipe for three 8″ layers with this one.
Erica Slason says
I just wanted to that, as someone with celiac disease, I substituted Gluten Free All purpose Baking Flour and this was the best chocolate cake that I have eaten since my diagnosis. This will be our go-to chocolate cake recipe moving forward.
Olivia says
Hi Erica! I am so happy you loved it. Thanks so much for your tips!!
Anna Cole says
I’m planning on making this as a surprise for my parents 25th anniversary, and am so excited about it! I’m curious, what are your recommendations on storing the cakes and the frosting? Can I make them the day before and then assemble them the day of (If so, how long should each sit out before using?), or do you recommend making and assembling the same day? Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Anna! Here are my tips for baking in advance. I recommend adding the strawberries to the buttercream just before frosting the cake.
If it’s just a day in advance you can leave both at room temp (wrapped/covered in plastic wrap). The buttercream will need to be rewhipped before use to fluff it up again.
Otherwise, if making further in advance:
For the Cake: Cool the layers, double wrap in plastic wrap, freeze for up to 3 months. Take out 2-3 hours before assembly.
For the Buttercream: Place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 1 week for freeze for 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
Anna Cole says
thank you so much! I really appreciate your advice, can’t wait to see how it turns out 🙂
uzma says
for the strawberry puree in the frosting, i read there are two methods to pureeing. the first one cooks them on the lowest heat setting for fifteen minutes and then blends them and the second method is directly blending them after washing the strawberries. i read the stove method allows a better flavor of strawberries to come out. what do you recommend i do? here’s the post if you don’t mind double checking, i’d truly appreciate it 🙂
https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/strawberry-puree/
Olivia says
Hi Uzma! I would recommend cooking them down a bit to get rid of some of the moisture. Be sure to cool it completely before adding to the frosting.
uzma @tracesofsugar says
thank you so much, liv! i can’t wait to try this out! 🤍
Jeremy says
How difficult would you say this would be for a beginner baker?
Olivia says
Hi Jeremy! The chocolate cake is probably one of the easier cakes you can make. Mix the dry, mix the wet, combine the two together and bake. The batter will be very thin and rises a lot so don’t fill the pans more than half full.
The frosting is more of a challenge. If you’re up for it you can see my detailed tutorial here: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/ Otherwise I’d recommend an American buttercream (the easiest of the buttercreams): https://livforcake.com/simple-vanilla-buttercream/ That recipe should be enough to frost and fill this cake. Instead of fresh strawberries in the buttercream, I would recommend either freeze dried strawberry powder (ideal) or strawberry jam. The fresh ones can add too much moisture and break the buttercream.
I hope you give it a try. Let me know if you do!! 🙂
Robin Johnson says
Perfect!! I can’t wait to take this to work tomorrow for a coworkers birthday! I did add strawberry preserves and used three eight inch pans for a three layer cake since I had to transport it. I dipped the strawberries in the ganache and it looks amazing! Thank you for such a detailed recipe!
Olivia says
Hi Robin! Yay! I hope you (and they) love it. Thanks for your tips!
Pam says
Hi Olivia,
I read your whole post and had to reply because something similar happened to my aunt in May (we are also in Canada). She wasn’t feeling well, went in to see the doctor, had some tests done, found out she had cancer for the second time and passed away 13 days later. It really sucks!
Now about the cake. It was my daughters birthday yesterday and she wanted a chocolate strawberry cake. I tried your recipe. The cake turned out great. Something is a little off with my icing so I will check out your post on Swiss meringue buttercream to see if that solves it for me.
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Pam! Thanks for your comment <3 So glad you liked the cake! Did the frosting split after adding the strawberries? It's possible if they had too much juice. Otherwise, take a look at this post for a detailed tutorial on this kind of buttercream: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Pam says
No, it split after I added the butter and before I added the strawberries. From the video on Swiss meringue buttercream I’m thinking that I may have let the butter sit out too long? It was definitely room temperature and mixed in within seconds, the icing looked good, but I wanted to mix it a little longer before I added the strawberries, then seconds later it had split.
Olivia says
Hi Pam! If it split once you added the butter it’s likely the butter was still a bit too cold. You should add the butter slowly over time and if it curdles you can keep whipping it and it will come together or heat it a little bit. That link I posted above has all the tips and troubleshooting you’ll need!