Recipe for chocolate covered strawberry cake: flavorful strawberry cake filled and frosted with strawberry cream cheese frosting and topped with a chocolate ganache drip.
About Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake:
Chocolate and strawberries are a match made in heaven and I thought they just needed to be made into a cake. The cake itself is flavored with a combination of ground freeze dried strawberries and a fresh strawberry purée reduction. By puréeing the fresh strawberries and reducing them, less liquid is added to the cake. I first saw this concept from the talented Sally over at Sally's Baking Addiction. Too much liquid from the strawberries can cause the cake to be gummy and dense, as the first round of this cake recipe testing proved. By reducing the strawberries into a thick paste though, you get all the flavor of fresh strawberries while not sacrificing the cake's texture. The addition of freeze dried strawberries just intensifies the strawberry flavor. The result is a fluffy, moist and delicious strawberry cake.
The cake gets frosted and filled with strawberry cream cheese frosting, that again uses ground freeze dried strawberries. The cake also get's filled with a layer of chocolate ganache and is finished with a ganache drip. Chocolate covered strawberries complete this elegant cake giving you a beautiful and delicious treat everyone is sure to be wowed by.
Ingredients for Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake:
- Flour- all purpose flour is used for the best consistency
- Sugar- granulated sugar is used to sweeten the cake, and powdered sugar is used in the frosting
- Butter- make sure it's unsalted and softened
- Eggs- we'll just be using the whites
- Buttermilk- helps to keep the cake moist
- Vanilla- I recommend vanilla bean paste for the best flavor
- Strawberries- fresh strawberries get puréed and reduced to a thick sauce to give the cake a great flavor without adding too much liquid
- Freeze dried strawberries- adds extra strawberry flavor to the cake and are used to flavor the cream cheese frosting
- Baking soda & powder- help the cake to rise and have a fluffy texture
- Salt- just a little helps bring out all the flavors
- Cream cheese- used to make the delicious strawberry cream cheese frosting, use full fat for the best flavor
- Chocolate- dark chocolate is used to make a delicious, smooth ganache
- Heavy cream- used in the ganache
- Pink gel food coloring- optional, but will give the cake an extra soft pink color
- Chocolate covered strawberries- optional, for decorating the cake
How to Make Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake:
For the Strawberry Reduction:
Start by making the strawberry reduction. Purée 1 lb. of fresh strawberries and add them to a large sauce pan along with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Reduce the purée on medium low heat until it has thickened and reduced to ½ cup. This takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes. When it has reduced remove from the heat and let cool completely. (It can be made in advance for easy cake assembly).
For the Strawberry Cake:
Add 10 tablespoon of softened, unsalted butter and 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar to a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Next add in 4 egg whites and 2 teaspoon of vanilla and combine. Then mix in the cooled strawberry reduction.
In a separate small bowl whisk together 2 ¼ cups of all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ cup of ground freeze dried strawberries. (Make sure to work quickly with the freeze dried strawberries as I noticed they start to clump together once exposed to the air/humidity. They should be a fine powder).
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and 1 cup of buttermilk to the egg/sugar/butter/strawberry mixture until all is combined.
Lastly, add a little pink food coloring, just enough to brighten up the batter a bit. It will already have a nice pink hue from the strawberries, but the food coloring will just enhance it a bit.
Evenly divide the cake batter between three 6" cake pans. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 34-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers/ the tops bounce back when they are lightly pressed. Let the cakes cool for a few minutes in the pans then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool.
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
Add 1 cup of softened, unsalted butter to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until pale in color and fluffy.
Add in 8 oz. of softened cream cheese and combine.
Grind 2 cups of freeze dried strawberries until they are a fine powder. Mix them into the frosting.
Lastly mix in 3 cups of powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy.
For the Chocolate Ganache:
Heat ½ cup of heavy cream just until about boiling. Add ½ cup of chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips to a bowl and pour the cream over. Let sit for a few minutes to melt the chocolate and then stir to combine. Let the ganache cool on the counter for around 15 minutes to allow it to thicken before using in/on the cake.
Assembling the Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake:
Once the cakes are completely cooled assemble the cake. You can simply fill each layer with the strawberry cream cheese frosting and chocolate ganache, ice the outside with the strawberry cream cheese frosting, pour the chocolate ganache over the top and then decorate it how you see fit. However, if you are looking to make a really beautiful cake, follow these extra steps.
For these Steps You'll Need:
- a cake scrapper
- a rotating cake turntable
- a cake frosting spatula
- a sharp knife
- two icing piping bags fitted with a small circular tip
- an icing piping bag fitted with a large star tip, Wilton 1M works great
Getting Perfectly Sized Cake Layers:
Once the cakes are completely cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for a few hours. Once they are frozen, or nearly frozen, remove them from the freezer and begin to make each layer as similar in size as possible. Usually you will only have to cut the tops off of each cake layer. With a sharp knife, remove the tops from each cake layer until each are flat and can be stacked to where the cake is even. So, each layer should sit flat on each other without the cake leaning.
Creating the Crumb Layer:
Then place a dollop of strawberry cream cheese frosting in the center of your cake turntable. Place the first cake layer over it. Then add a generous amount of strawberry cream cheese frosting on top of the cake layer and even it out with your frosting spatula, turning the cake table as you go.
Transfer some of the strawberry cream cheese frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small circular tip. Pipe a boarder along the outside edges of the cake layer, about ¼ inch thick. Spoon some of the chocolate ganache on top of the frosting. The boarder will help it to stay put and not leak out of the cake.
Place the next layer over top and repeat the step. Then place the final layer over the top. I recommend putting the cake in the fridge at this point for about 15 minutes to allow the ganache to firm up a bit so the cake layers aren't sliding around as you try to work. Then place small dollops of frosting on the outsides and top of the cake. Even out the frosting as much as possible with your frosting spatula.
Then with your cake scraper, scrape the icing across the cake, turning the cake table as you go to make this as easy as possible. This layer of frosting should be very thin. This is called the ‘crumb layer’ and will ensure that the cake’s final coating of frosting is smooth and free of crumbs. Freezing the cake layers before frosting them also helps tremendously with this step. Once the crumb layer of frosting has been applied, place the cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to harden.
Final Frosting Layer:
Once the cake has chilled in the fridge, remove it and apply the final coating of frosting. Apply generous dollops of frosting on the sides and top of the cake and smooth them out with your cake frosting spatula. Then with your cake scraper even out the frosting, turning the cake table as you go, to give you an even coating of strawberry cream cheese frosting. Make sure it is not too thin so you do not see the layers underneath, unless of course that it is how you want it to look.
Once the final layer of frosting is applied, place the cake back in the fridge to chill for another 30 minutes, up to an hour.
For the Chocolate Ganache Drip:
While the cake chills prepare the chocolate ganache by pouring it into an icing piping bag fitted with a small circular tip. The chocolate ganache should be cooled but still come easily out of the icing bag. Once chilled, remove the cake from the fridge.
Go around the top edges of the cake and squeeze the chocolate ganache so it starts to drip down the sides of the cake. A good tip is to space out your drips about every inch. If at first it doesn’t look like it will be a long enough drip, wait a few minutes. The ganache will continue to drip down the sides of the cake. Also squeeze ganache around the top of the cake and smooth it out slightly with a clean frosting spatula. As it sits the ganache will smooth out and come together to form a beautiful finish on top of the cake.
Place the cake back in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to let the ganache harden up a bit.
Decorating the Cake:
While it is chilling, place the remaining strawberry cream cheese frosting in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. (I use a Wilton 1M). Once the cake is chilled, remove it from the fridge and go along the top edges of the cake with the frosting to create a ruffle. Do this by slowly moving the piping bag back and forth in a small zigzag formation. Practice on a cutting board before to get the feel for it. Once your ruffle is on you can decorate the top of the cake with chocolate covered strawberries or whatever else you think would look beautiful!
Serve this cake right away, or keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Store left overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days for the freshest, best flavor.
If you make this cake please tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Recipes to Try:
Pink Funfetti Animal Cookie Cake
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
For the Strawberry Reduction
- 1 lb. fresh strawberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the Strawberry Cake
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup ground freeze dried strawberries (¼ cup measured of ground freeze dried strawberries)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 10 tablespoon softened, unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup softened, unsalted butter
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese
- 2 cups freeze dried strawberries (measure 2 cups before grinding)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
For the Chocolate Ganache
- ½ cup chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
For the Strawberry Reduction
- Purée 1 lb of fresh strawberries and add them to a large sauce pan along with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
- Reduce the purée on medium low heat until it has thickened and reduced to ½ cup. This takes anywhere from 20-40 minutes.
- When it has reduced remove from the heat and let cool completely. (It can be made in advance for easy cake assembly).
For the Strawberry Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add 10 tablespoon of softened, unsalted butter and 1 ½ cups of granulated sugar to a large bowl. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Next add in 4 egg whites and 2 teaspoon of vanilla and combine.
- Then mix in the cooled strawberry reduction.
- In a separate small bowl whisk together 2 ¼ cups of all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoon of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ cup of ground freeze dried strawberries. (Make sure to work quickly with the freeze dried strawberries as I noticed they start to clump together once exposed to the air/humidity. They should be a fine powder).
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and 1 cup of buttermilk to the egg/sugar/butter/strawberry mixture until all is combined.
- Lastly, add a little pink food coloring, just enough to brighten up the batter a bit. It will already have a nice pink hue from the strawberries, but the food coloring will just enhance it a bit.
- Evenly divide the cake batter between three 6" cake pans.
- Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 34-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers/ the tops bounce back when they are lightly pressed.
- Let the cakes cool for a few minutes in the pans then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool.
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Add 1 cup of softened, unsalted butter to a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high until pale in color and fluffy.
- Add in 8 oz. of softened cream cheese and combine.
- Grind 2 cups of freeze dried strawberries until they are a fine powder. Mix them into the frosting.
- Lastly mix in 3 cups of powdered sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy.
For the Chocolate Ganache
- Heat ½ cup of heavy cream just until about boiling.
- Add ½ cup of chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips to a bowl and pour the cream over.
- Let sit for a few minutes to melt the chocolate and then stir to combine.
- Let the ganache cool on the counter for around 15 minutes to allow it to thicken before using in/on the cake.
Assembling the Cake
- Once the cakes are completely cooled assemble the cake. You can simply fill each layer with strawberry cream cheese frosting and chocolate ganache, ice the outside with the strawberry cream cheese frosting , pour the chocolate ganache over the top and then decorate it how you see fit. However, if you are looking to make a really beautiful cake, follow the extra steps in the above blog post.
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