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Slice of homemade chocolate strawberry cake with rich layers, fresh strawberries, pink cream filling, and glossy chocolate ganache on top.

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

5 from 1 vote
This Chocolate Strawberry Cake is the ultimate crowd-pleaser: rich, moist chocolate layers, thick real strawberry filling, and smooth ganache frosting. It's the cake everyone asks for at birthdays, fundraisers, and potlucks—and it's even better the next day.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Cooling & Assembly Time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 12 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Base:
  • 1 cup Cocoa powder - High quality, unsweetened
  • 1 cup Dark chocolate chips
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Brown sugar - Light or dark
  • 2 Large eggs - Room temperature
  • 1 cup Whole milk - Room temperature
  • ½ cup Vegetable oil - Or melted butter
  • 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract - Pure
  • 1 teaspoon Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon Salt - Fine
  • 1 cup Hot coffee - Freshly brewed
Strawberry Filling:
  • 2 cups Fresh strawberries - Hulled and sliced
  • ½ cup Strawberry jam - Good quality
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon juice - Fresh squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon Cornstarch - For thickening
Ganache & Frosting:
  • 1 cup Heavy cream - For ganache
  • 8 oz Dark chocolate - Chopped
  • 2 tablespoon Unsalted butter - For ganache
  • 1 cup Powdered sugar - Sifted
  • 8 oz Cream cheese - Room temperature

Equipment

  • 3 9-inch cake pans (Greased, lined, dusted)
  • 1 Electric mixer (Stand or hand mixer)
  • 2 Large mixing bowls (One for dry, one for wet)
  • 1 Offset spatula (For smooth frosting)
  • 1 Bench scraper (Optional, for clean edges)
  • 1 Digital scale (Optional, for accuracy)

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare three 9-inch cake pans (grease, line with parchment, dust with cocoa).
  2. Whisk dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another. Gently combine, then stir in hot coffee.
    Thick chocolate cake batter being whisked in a glass bowl, ready for baking.
  3. Divide batter evenly into pans and bake for 25–30 minutes. Cool completely.
  4. Macerate strawberries with sugar, strain juice, cook juice with cornstarch, and let everything cool.
    Strawberry filling cooking in a pot, stirred with a green spatula on a stovetop.
  5. Level cake layers, brush with strawberry syrup, add filling and sliced berries, stack layers.
  6. Heat cream, pour over chopped chocolate, stir in butter, let cool to spreading consistency.
  7. Frost cake with ganache and cream cheese frosting. Chill or serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 520kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 6gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 280mgPotassium: 290mgFiber: 4gSugar: 45gVitamin A: 580IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 3.8mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes

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