Table of Contents
Indulge in this Strawberry Chocolate Cake, featuring layers of rich, fudgy chocolate cake with homemade strawberry jam and fresh strawberries between each layer. It's all covered with a luscious strawberry cream cheese frosting for even more strawberry flavor!
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Soft and Fudgy Chocolate Cake: My go-to recipe for a chocolate cake that is always perfectly rich and decadent.
- Strawberry Jam and Fresh Strawberry Filling: The fruity and juicy filling balances the richness of the chocolate.
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting: Enhance a simple cream cheese frosting with a touch of strawberry jam for extra flavor and color.
- Simple Decorations: No need for piping tips or fancy designs. The organic look of decorating with strawberries gives it a charming cottagecore aesthetic.
TOOLS
- 6″ Round Cake Pans: This recipe makes two thick 6″ cake layers. You can keep them thick or cut them in half for four thinner layers. Alternatively, divide the batter into three 6″ pans for a three-layer cake.
- Electric Hand Mixer: Ideal for quickly beating softened butter and cream cheese for the frosting. If you bake often, it's highly recommended. If not, a spatula will do; just ensure the butter and cream cheese are very soft.
- Cake Turntable (Optional): Makes frosting cakes easier and more enjoyable. A smoothly turning metal one is best.
- Piping Bag: Needed to pipe a ring of frosting on each layer to prevent the jam from leaking out. If using store-bought, non-liquidy jam, you can skip this.
- Offset Spatula: Perfect for spreading frosting and useful for other tasks. Having both a small and large one is recommended.
- Cake Scraper (Optional): Helps smooth out the frosting and remove excess. Even for an organic look, it ensures even frosting.
INGREDIENT NOTES
- Strawberries: Use fresh or frozen for the jam; fresh for the filling and decoration. Ripe, fresh strawberries offer the best flavor.
- Granulated Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cocoa Powder: Use natural cocoa powder, the most common kind.
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter: Melted for the cake, softened for the frosting.
- Oil: A mix of butter and oil keeps cakes soft and moist. Use a light-tasting oil like canola, avocado, or grapeseed oil.
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs: Room temperature to prevent butter from solidifying.
- Milk: Room temperature for seamless mixing.
- Cream Cheese: Softened to room temperature for easy creaming.
- Powdered Sugar: For sweetness and a creamy, spreadable frosting. Adjust to taste.
- Vanilla Extract
HOW TO MAKE A STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE CAKE
MAKE THE STRAWBERRY JAM
- Cook Until Thickened: In a small pot, stir together strawberries, granulated sugar, and water. Cook over medium-high heat until it boils and thickens into a jammy consistency.
2. Cool: Transfer to a bowl and cool completely in the fridge.
MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 6″ round pans with parchment.
- Dry Mixture: Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Wet Mixture: Whisk melted butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs and whisk until smooth.
4. Combine: Alternate adding dry mixture and milk, mixing until just combined.
5. Fill Pans: Divide batter evenly into prepared pans.
6. Bake: Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
MAKE THE STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Cream Butter and Cream Cheese: Beat softened butter until creamy, then add cream cheese and beat until smooth.
2. Beat Frosting: Add powdered sugar, beat on low speed until combined. Add strawberry jam and vanilla, beat until combined. Transfer some frosting to a piping bag.
ASSEMBLE THE CAKE
- Prep Layers: Level cake layers if needed, then cut in half for four layers.
2. Frosting Ring: On a turntable, place the first layer, pipe a ring of frosting around the edge.
3. Fillings: Add 4 tablespoons of jam inside the ring, smooth, and top with diced strawberries.
4. Repeat: Continue with remaining layers.
5. Crumb Coat: Apply a thin layer of frosting, scrape away excess.
6. Frost and Decorate: Apply final frosting coat, add swirls with a spatula, and decorate with halved strawberries.
STORAGE
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
- Freeze: Wrap leftovers well and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Can I make this cake in 8″ pans? Multiply ingredients by 1.78x or 2x. Bake longer and use visual cues for doneness.
- Why use grams for measurements? Baking by weight is more accurate. For small measurements, tablespoons/teaspoons are more precise.
Enjoy making and indulging in this delightful Strawberry Chocolate Cake!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally, Chris and Lindsay.
Ingredients
Total Time: 2hours 25minutes
Strawberry Jam (or use store-bought)
- 500 g strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Chocolate Cake
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 75 g natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted
- 100 g light-tasting oil
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 330 g milk, room temperature
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 250 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 100 g powdered sugar
- 70 g strawberry jam, from above
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling and Toppings
- 200 g strawberries, finely diced
- 7 strawberries, halved for decoration
Instructions
Strawberry Jam
-
Cook until thickened: In a small pot, stir together strawberries, granulated sugar, and water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a boil. Be careful as the foam can bubble up as it boils. Continue cooking until the boiling subsides and the mixture thickens into a jammy consistency. The jam should part when you drag a spatula through it and then slowly come back together after a few seconds.
-
Cool: Transfer the jam to a small bowl and let it cool completely in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Chocolate Cake
-
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 6" round cake pans with parchment paper rounds. Set aside.
-
Dry mixture: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
-
Wet mixture: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined. Add the eggs and whisk together until smooth.
-
Combine into batter: Alternate adding half of the flour mixture and then half of the milk, mixing until just combined after each addition.
-
Fill pans: Divide the batter evenly into your prepared cake pans (about 540g of batter in each pan). Use a spatula to smooth the surface of the batter or give the pans a quick spin on the counter.
-
Bake: Bake cakes for about 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean with some crumbs attached.
-
Cool: Let the cakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before running an offset spatula around the edges of the cakes to release them from the pan. Turn them out onto a wire rack and let them cool completely before assembling the cake.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
-
Cream butter and cream cheese: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat softened butter until it becomes very creamy. Add the cream cheese and continue beating until the cream cheese is smooth and creamy.
-
Beat frosting: Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined. Add the strawberry jam and vanilla extract and beat again until combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl once. Transfer a small portion of the frosting to a piping bag and cut the tip off.
Assemble the cake
-
Prep cake layers: Use a serrated knife to level the cake layers (if there's any doming) and cut them in half to make four cake layers.
-
Frosting ring: On a cake turntable, lay down the first cake layer. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge of the cake.
-
Fillings: Add about 4 tablespoons of strawberry jam in the middle of the frosting ring and smooth into an even layer with an offset spatula. Add diced strawberries on top of the jam and arrange into an even layer.
-
Repeat: Top with the next cake layer and repeat with the rest of the filling and cake layers.
-
Crumb coat: Apply a thin layer of frosting to the cake as a crumb coat and scrape away the excess with a cake scraper.
-
Frost and decorate: Apply a final coat of frosting and smooth with a scraper. Use your spatula to add some swirls in the frosting. Press halved strawberries on top of the frosting to decorate the cake.
Notes
Equipment
- 2 6" round cake pans▢
- 1 electric hand mixer
- 1 cake turntable, optional
- 1 piping bag
- 1 offset spatula
- 1 cake scraper
Nutrition
Calories: 797kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 410mg | Potassium: 452mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 1275IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 3mg