This luscious Chocolate Strawberry cake inspired by Gourmet is supremely chocolatey, moist, and tender. The Kahlua whipped cream is unbelievable. Strawberries make the perfect filling accompaniment. You won't be sorry you tried this one!
Prep Time: 30 minutesmins
Cook Time: 1 hourhr
Cooling Time: 1 hourhr
Total Time: 2 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Servings: 12
Ingredients
For the Cake:
3ozgood quality semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (I love Guittard)
Fresh strawberries, chopped (about 1/2 cup, give or take)
Sliced strawberries, for garnish
Instructions
For the Cake (can be made 1 day ahead)
Preheat oven to 300F. Grease two 10x2 round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with rounds of wax paper, and grease the paper.
Combine finely chopped chocolate with hot coffee, and stir occasionally until chocolate is completely melted. Set aside at room temp.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a second large bowl, beat eggs until thickened and lemony yellow - about 3 min with standing mixer or 5 min with hand-held mixer.
Gradually add in oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture. Continue beating until well combined. Add flour mixture and beat on medium until just combined well.
Divide batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake in middle rack until toothpick comes out clean or almost-clean, about 60-70 minutes.
Cool cake completely in pans on racks. Can cool overnight at room temp, wrapped well. When cool, slowly run a thin knife around edges and invert layers. Carefully remove wax paper.
For the Frosting
In large mixing bowl, stir in heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, powder sugar, and Kahlua. Put this bowl, along with beaters, in fridge to keep cold.
Mix Knox gelatin with water in a microwave safe bowl. Let sit for about 10 min, for gelatin to soak up the water. Microwave for about 15-20 seconds, to melt the gelatin. Stir well, and let cool to lukewarm.
Take out the bowl with whipped cream ingredients. Beat on medium until ribbons form. Quickly check that your gelatin mixture is still liquid and almost cool. If it has coagulated, reheat in microwave for 5 seconds. Resume beating whipped cream mixture, while slowly pouring in liquid gelatin into the mixture as it is beating. Beat to stiff peaks. Keep in fridge until ready to use.
Mix desired amount of chopped strawberries with about 3/4 cup of the whipped cream to make the filling.
Spread filling in between layers of chocolate cake. Frost cake with whipped cream. Garnish with strawberry slices and shaved chocolate, if desired. Cake keeps very well in fridge as long as it is covered.
Notes
When choosing your semi-sweet chocolate for the cake, go for a high-quality brand like Guittard. It will make a noticeable difference in the richness and flavor of the cake.
To ensure that your cake has the perfect texture, make sure your eggs are at room temperature before adding them to the batter. Cold eggs can cause the batter to curdle.
You can make your own buttermilk by using 1 1/2 cups whole milk mixed with 1 1/2 T vinegar, and let that sit at room temp for at least 15 min, allowing it to curdle. Mix well before incorporating.
Adding gelatin ‘stabilizes’ the whipped cream frosting so it keeps its shape well, without fear of getting runny.
Both the cake layers and the whipped cream frosting can be made a day ahead, making this cake a great option for special occasions.
You can even freeze the cake layers for up to two months. Just be sure to wrap them well to protect them from freezer burn.
Freshly sliced strawberries make a beautiful and delicious garnish for this cake. They add a pop of color and a burst of fresh strawberry flavor.
The stabilized whipped cream frosting and fresh strawberry filling make this cake a perfect choice for warm-weather celebrations. Just be sure to keep it refrigerated until it’s time to serve.
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