Chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries on top

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Chocolate Strawberry Cake is the ultimate combination of chocolate and strawberry. This cake has it all. It’s rich, fudgy, creamy, with hints of strawberry flavor to really wow your taste buds. This dessert is versatile and can be used for many different occasions. You can use it as a romantic dessert for special occasions like an anniversary or Valentine’s day. But this drip cake is also perfect for birthday parties or get-togethers to really impress your friends.

Holy moly! Doesn’t this cake look too good to eat!?! It’s a chocolate lovers dream with the rich chocolate cake and fluffy chocolate frosting with chocolate ganache dripped on top! But to balance all the chocolate out, we have layers of strawberry filling and chocolate-covered strawberries on top. It will have your Valentine drooling just like the chocolate ganache dripping down the cake.

Drip cakes have always been some of my favorites to make. Just the whole chocolate dripping down the sides has me always drooling! If you’re a chocolate lover, you won’t want to miss out on this cake! It’s rich yet frightening delicious. Strawberry and chocolate have always been a popular combination, especially for people in love. This dessert has that romantic feel but can really be made for any party occasion.

There are a few parts to the cake but each is well worth it. There’s the rich, decadent chocolate cake that’s soft and moist, then the fluffy chocolate frosting and the fudgy chocolate ganache, with the chocolate covered strawberries to complete the look. Although there are chocolate-covered strawberries on top, the cake is meant to give the feel of chocolate-covered strawberries throughout the cake. It really should be named Chocolate covered strawberry cake but I felt that was too much of a mouthful and the cake is a mouthful enough 🙂

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How to Make Chocolate Cake

This chocolate should be used as a base for all your chocolate cakes. It’s rich but not overly rich. It’ll certainly be a favorite. It’s soft, moist, decadent, and full of chocolate flavor. Hot coffee helps enrich the flavor of the chocolate but if you don’t have any, using hot water will do just fine. You’ll still have a fantastic chocolate cake.

Before starting, preheat oven to 350F and grease three 8-in baking pan. Set them aside. This cake is very simple to make. Just combine all your wet ingredients except the coffee in one bowl (egg, vanilla, milk, and oil) and then in another bowl, combine the dry ingredients ( flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt). Then slowly combine dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until blended. Last, stir in the cup of coffee. Split the batter evenly into pans and bake for 20-25 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

How to Make Strawberry Filling:

The strawberry filling really provides such a nice flavor to the cake. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, diced strawberries, lemon juice, water, and cornstarch. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Your mixture will start to thicken and darken in color going from a light red to a deep red. Stir occasionally as it simmers. Pour into an airtight container and allow it to cool.

How to Make Chocolate Buttercream

This chocolate buttercream is highly addicting. The cake almost didn’t get iced 😛 The key is using softened butter. You don’t want to use melted butter because it won’t provide the right consistency.

In a large bowl, cream softened butter. Don’t skimp on this make sure its nice a creamy. Add in Hershey’s cocoa powder and mix. Next, add in melted chocolate. I measured 1 cup of chocolate chips out and melted them in the microwave in 15-second increments, stirring after each round. After melted chocolate is well-combined add in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Mix well in between each cup. Last add in heavy whipping cream to get your desired consistency. I usually go for more of a stiff buttercream as it helps with piping for the cake. (I LOVE this piping tip!)

How to Make Chocolate Ganache

Ganache is very simple to make as it’s only two ingredients: chocolate and heavy whipping cream. In a small bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream. It’s best to heat the cream and not the chocolate so you can’t burn it. You can microwave the cream for 30 seconds or you can heat the cream over the stove and take it off the heat once it starts to simmer. Add in chocolate chips and stir until smooth.

How to Assemble the Cake

Place the first layer on the cake board. Make a ring of chocolate frosting around the top of the cake. Spread a thin layer of ganache in the middle of the cake. Then add a layer of the strawberry filling (about half of the mixture) then repeat. Add the second layer, add a ring of chocolate buttercream, add ganache and rest of strawberry filling. Add the last layer on top.

Cover the cake in chocolate buttercream and smooth. Using a piping bag and tip #21, make swirls of frosting on top. Using the rest of the ganache, dip the strawberries into the ganache. Make sure your strawberries are dry if you just washed them or the ganache will runoff. Let chocolate drip down and then place on parchment paper to set. Once strawberries have set, place strawberries on top of the cake. Sprinkles are optional but always make things better 🙂 Enjoy!

More Recipes You’ll Love!

• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownie
• Chocolate Covered Cherry Cupcakes
• Chocolate Orange Peach Cake
• Banana Split Cupcakes
• Sparkling Cranberry Chocolate Cupcakes
• Strawberries n Cream Cupcakes
• Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
• Strawberry Icebox Cake
• S’mores Whoopie Pies

Favorite Tools:

• Mixeror Stand Mixer
• Baking pans
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Non-stick spray
• Spatula
• Mixing bowls
• Glass bowls – Favorite!

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

A rich chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and strawberry filling. Wrapped in a creamy chocolate frosting and dripped with chocolate ganache and topped with swirls of chocolate buttercream and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Chocolate Cake

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup hot coffee
• 3/4 cup hershey's cocoa powder
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Strawberry Filling

• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cup strawberries
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Chocolate Frosting

• 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 7 tbsp Hershey's cocoa powder
• 1 cup chocolate morsels melted
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 1/2 cup chocolate morsels
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease three 8-in pans and set aside. for 22-25mins

2. In a large bowl, add ingredients wet together (except hot coffee). Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Then, slowly mix together wet and dry ingredients until combined.

4. Lastly, add hot coffee and stir until combined. If you don't have coffee you can use hot water as well.

Strawberry Filling

1. In a medium saucepan, add in sugar, water, lemon juice, cornstarch, and diced strawberries. Mix until combined and then whisk occasionally while simmering.

2. Allow simmering for about 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and turns a deep ready. Pour into an airtight container. Allow to cool for 5-10 before using. If not using until the next day, place in the fridge.

Chocolate Buttercream

1. Cream softened butter. (You don't want it melted as it will change the whole consistency of the frosting. Just allow it come to room temperature). Add in cocoa powder and combine.

2. Add in melted chocolate. Then add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Last, add heavy whipping cream to get the frosting to the desired consistency.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Heat heavy whipping cream in the microwave about 30 seconds or on the stove. Remove from heat once it starts to simmer. Add in chocolate chips and stir until smooth.

Assembly

1. Take 1 layer of cake and add a ring of chocolate buttercream around the edge of the cake. Pour a thin layer of chocolate ganache in the middle and then add half the strawberry filling on top of the ganache.

2. Place another layer of cake and repeat the process (Ring of chocolate buttercream, some chocolate ganache and rest of strawberry filling).

3. Place last layer of cake on top and then cover the cake in chocolate frosting. Stick in the fridge for 10 mins to allow frosting to set.

4. While the cake is in the fridge, dip strawberries in the chocolate ganache. (If you wash your strawberries, make sure your pat them dry before dipping them in chocolate or your chocolate will slide off.) Allow excess chocolate to drip off and then lay strawberry on a place or parchment paper.

5. Pour most of chocolate ganache on top of the cake, allowing some to drip down the sides. Take a squeeze bottle and fill with the rest of the ganache and add drips down the cake. If you don't have a squeeze bottle, you can use a small spoon to pour chocolate gently down the top/side of the cake to make the drip.

6. Using a piping bag with a #21 tip, swirl chocolate buttercream on top. Once chocolate covered strawberries have set, add strawberries on top.

7. Pink and red sprinkles are optional, but make everything better 🙂 Enjoy!

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