If you're craving a chocolate strawberry cake that rivals the deliciousness of my chocolate raspberry ganache cake, this is the recipe for you.
This guide will show you how to create a decadent dessert featuring a rich chocolate cake paired with fresh strawberries and topped with a chocolate ganache frosting. Simple, refined, and sure to satisfy – let's begin this baking journey.
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This chocolate strawberry cake is a true showstopper, perfect for any occasion that calls for a touch of elegance and indulgence. Here's why you'll fall head over heels for this recipe:
Why you'll love this recipe
If you love chocolate desserts? Give these a try: Chocolate ganache cheesecake, chocolate cinnamon rolls, chocolate ganache macarons, double chocolate chip bundt cake and French chocolate mousse.
Key Ingredient Highlights
Make sure you have these ingredients to mix up a delightful strawberry chocolate cake recipe.
- Chocolate buttermilk cake: cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, a pinch of salt, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, buttermilk.
- Chocolate ganache frosting: semi-sweet chocolate couverture and heavy cream
- Strawberries: Opt for ripe, firm fresh strawberries for garnishing the cake, ensuring they are of high quality to enhance the cake's presentation and taste.
How to Make the Best Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Here are some quick visual instructions. Don't forget that full instructions with exact ingredients can be found in the main recipe card below!
Step 1: Combine vegetable oil, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Step 2: Gradually mix in the wet ingredients the buttermilk and the dry ingredients previously mixed and sifted, alternating between the two, until just combined.
Step 3: Pour the cake batter into 3 prepared round cake pans lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 329°F for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 4: Finely chop the chocolate into a medium bowl and add the warm heavy cream, stir until blended.
Step 5: Add the cold heavy cream, stir until smooth, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge overnight.
Step 6: The next day, whip the ganache in the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until it's fluffy and ready to use.
Step 7: Put the first chocolate cake layer on a cake board and turntable. Use a piping bag with whipped ganache to add a layer on the cake. Add chopped strawberries in the middle, then cover them with more ganache and smooth it out with an offset spatula.
Step 8: Do the same with the next cake layers, then cover the whole cake with ganache, decorate top of the cake with fresh strawberries, and chill for 1 hour before serving.
Serving Suggestions
- Fresh Whipped Cream: Serve each slice with a dollop of fresh whipped cream or chocolate mascarpone whipped cream on the side for an extra creamy texture.
- Drizzled with Chocolate Sauce: Enhance the chocolate flavor by drizzling warm chocolate ganache over each slice before serving.
- Strawberry Coulis: Offer a side of strawberry coulis or a strawberry puree for a sweet and tangy contrast to the rich chocolate cake.
- Served with Ice Cream: A scoop of vanilla or strawberry ice cream makes a delightful pairing with the cake’s rich flavors
Tips for this recipe
Storage
In the fridge: You can store the cake in the refrigerator under plastic wrap or in an airtight container for about 2 - 4 days.
How to freeze? Place cake slices in a storage box with a airtight container or wrap in cling film and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Variations & Substitutions
Recipe Questions
Can I use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones?
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries in place of fresh berries, especially for the filling or mixed into the batter. Just make sure to thaw them and drain any excess liquid to avoid making the cake too soggy.
How do I keep my chocolate cake moist?
Use ingredients like buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream in your batter, don’t overbake, and ensure your cake is properly wrapped and stored if not serving immediately.
Can I make this cake in advance?
Absolutely. You can bake the cake layers a day or two ahead, wrap them well and keep them in the fridge. Assemble with strawberries and frosting on the day you plan to serve.
Can I turn this recipe into cupcakes?
Definitely! Adjust the baking time to around 18-22 minutes for cupcakes. They're a great portable option for parties.
More Chocolate Cake Recipes
I hope you love this Fresh strawberry chocolate cake. If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Happy Baking!
Print
Chocolate Strawberry Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices
Description
Strawberry chocolate cake recipe, rich and moist chocolate sponge cake with a chocolate whipped ganache frosting and strawberries (for a 6 inch/ 15 cm cake 8-10 slices)
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge cake :
- 225 g (1 ½ cups) Flour - Cake flour
- 345 g ( 1 ½ cups) Sugar - granulated
- 80 g (¾ cup) Cocoa powder - unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon baking soda - approx. 6 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder - approx. 6 g
- ½ teaspoon salt - about 3 g
- 3 eggs - at room temperature
- 160 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil - sunflower or grape seed oil
- 190 ml (⅔ cup) Buttermilk
- 170 ml (⅔ cup) Coffee or water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped chocolate ganache
- 400 g (14 oz) Baking chocolate - semi-sweet
- 400 ml (13 ½ oz - 1 ⅓ cup) Heavy cream - full fat
- 400 ml (13 ½ oz - 1 ⅓ cup) Heavy cream - full fat and cold
- 200 g (1 cup) Fresh strawberries
Instructions
Chocolate cake
- Preheat the oven to 329°F / 165°C and line three 6-inch/ 15 cm diameter round cake pans with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, mix and sift together the dry ingredients, cake flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
- In another large bowl, mix the eggs with the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and oil with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes until the mixture is pale and smooth.
- Add the buttermilk and black coffee and mix again with a mixer.
- Add the dry ingredients in batches and gently fold in with a hand whisk until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
- Divide the mixture into 3 and pour into the prepared pans.
- Bake the 3 pans together for 35 minutes or if you only have one pan then bake in 3 batches for about 20 minutes.
- Check with a toothpick by plunging it into the center of the cake, it should come out clean or with crumbs.
- Let the cake cool a little in the pan before removing it from the pan and cooling completely upside down on a cooling rack.
- Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Whipped chocolate ganache
- Cut or finely chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave until it is completely melted.
- Place 400 ml of heavy cream in a saucepan and heat it to a simmer over medium heat.
- Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate in batches and stir between each addition with a spatula to make the emulsion and until it is smooth.
- Pour in the 400 ml of cold heavy cream and mix again to incorporate it.
- Blend with an immersion blender if necessary to smooth the ganache and remove any lumps.
- Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight (at least 6 hours).
Assembly and decoration
- Cut the bump of each cake layers to have even levels with a cake leveler or a large knife.
- Beat the cold ganache with an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment at medium speed for about 3 minutes until you have a smooth, firm texture.
- Fill a pastry bag with the whipped ganache.
- Place the first layer of chocolate cake on a cake board and on your turntable.
- Cover with the ganache frosting and place pieces of strawberries in the center and cover again with the chocolate frosting.
- Place the second layer of cake and repeat the last step until you reach the 3rd layer of cake.
- Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of ganache and smooth it with an offset spatula. Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
- Cover the entire cake with the ganache and smooth with icing smoother.
- Decorate the top of the cake with the remaining ganache and decorate with strawberry pieces.
- Place the finished chocolate and strawberry cake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
*For the best baking results, I recommend using a digital scale to measure ingredients in grams instead of cups. Precise measurements ensure consistent and perfect outcomes every time.
Conservation: 2 to 4 days in the refrigerator under a cling film or in a conservation box.
You can replace the buttermilk with dairy milk + 2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice, or with plain yogurt or sour cream.
Add a chocolate drip: Melt 50 g of chocolate with 50 ml. of heavy cream in a double boiler until you get a liquid ganache, let it cool down a bit and then pour it on the cold cake.
- Prep Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: cake, dessert, layer cake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 764
- Sugar: 38.2 g
- Sodium: 346.4 mg
- Fat: 49.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 71.7 g
- Protein: 13.3 g
- Cholesterol: 104.6 mg
If I wanted to use the sponge recipe for cupcakes, how long would you recommend baking for?
Hi, you'll have to watch the baking time, I'd say about 20 minutes for the cupcake shape.
This cake looks delicious! Can this cake be left out for a few hours or will the ganache get soft and droop as it sits out? Thanks
Thank you for your message, no this cake is too fragile to stay out of the fridge, you need to keep it in a cool place and take it out just before serving.
How many days ahead can the whipped ganache be made
Hi, the ganache can be prepared up to 2-3 days in advance and left to rest in the fridge, then whipped the day of use.
I made this for my grandson’s 5th birthday, today. Everything about this cake is delicious, however, my semisweet chocolate seized up which I thought it might do. I would use a darker chocolate than semisweet if I were making it again. I tried to recover my seized ganache but when I did I ran out of time because I needed to get the cake in the refrigerator so the ganache was too loose so my cake looks very amateurish and not what I was hoping for… oh, well, it will taste great and he will love it.
So gorgeous! And how good it must taste...
Absolutely beautiful
Hello
Your cakes are very pretty! I took the liberty of sharing your recipe on my Pinterest "Coup de Coeur"!
See you soon!
Splendid. Truly impressive
Your layer cake is just stunning... Majestic, sumptuous, ultra gourmand! It's so tempting. Beautiful realization, bravo. Kisses
Great blog thank you
Ce gâteau est magnifique !!!
Hello