This Chocolate Strawberry Cake balances rich chocolate cake with silky, fresh strawberry frosting for a showstopping dessert that is beautiful and delicious.
Chocolate Strawberry Cake Recipe Snapshot
What it is: Rich chocolate cake layered with fresh strawberry buttercream and topped with chocolate-covered strawberries.
Why you'll love it: Bold flavor, real strawberries, and a beautiful finish.
How to make it: Make a strawberry reduction, then mix it into the buttercream and layer it between layers of the chocolate cake.
Chocolate and strawberries are basically my love language - which is probably why I ended up testing this cake over and over again (purely for science, of course). What I discovered, though, is that the combination is not foolproof - too much chocolate and the strawberry gets lost; get the balance wrong and neither flavour really shines.
This chocolate strawberry cake recipe is the version that finally nailed it. The chocolate cake is moist, but light, and the strawberry Italian meringue buttercream is silky-smooth and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor. I've even included step-by-step instructions for how to make chocolate-covered strawberries to decorate the top!
Reader Review:
This looks AMAZING!! Thanks for the super-easy instructions! Not sure I'll try tempering the chocolate for the strawberries, but if I do, I'll follow your excellent dropped-strawberry rule - my kinda baking 😀
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Loobeeloo
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Ingredients
- Flour - Use all-purpose flour (plain flour) for the best structure.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar (caster sugar in the UK).
- Eggs - Large eggs, at room temperature.
- Cocoa Powder - You want to use dutch processed cocoa powder for this cake, it provides the best texture and chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder may make the cake too dense and stodgy.
- Vegetable Oil - Any unflavored oil will do here such as Canola oil or sunflower oil. I like to use vegetable oil.
- Milk - I find whole milk gives the best results, but you can use any kind of milk you like for this recipe.
- Vanilla - A touch of vanilla will round out the flavor of your cake - use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Strawberries - You can use fresh or frozen strawberries to make the strawberry puree, but decorate with fresh strawberries.
- Egg Whites - For the Italian meringue buttercream you'll need egg whites. Fresh eggs are best, but carton egg whites will do. Save the egg yolks for another recipe.
- Butter - We'll use the butter for our strawberry frosting, so it's best to use unsalted butter.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Chocolate Strawberry Cake
There are three core components of this cake, and two optional ones. The main elements are the chocolate cake, strawberry puree, and buttercream frosting. I used Italian meringue buttercream, but you can use your favorite buttercream recipe and just add the strawberry puree to it.
To make the cake extra special, you can decorate it with a chocolate ganache drip and homemade chocolate-covered strawberries.
Make The Chocolate Cake
This is my go-to chocolate cake recipe and I use it as the base for many of my cakes, such as my Chocolate Espresso layer cake. I love it because it's foolproof and super easy.
Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C (160° fan-assisted) and prepare two 8-inch cake pans. I like to place parchment paper circles on the bottom of the pan and spray the sides with cake release spray.
Dry Ingredients
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix together.
Wet Ingredients
Whisk the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla together in a separate bowl or jug, then pour into the dry ingredients and whisk everything together, just until smooth.
Add the hot water and mix it in, too.
Bake
Divide the chocolate cake batter between the two prepared cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool completely before removing from the pans.
Make The Strawberry Puree
Making strawberry puree is how we get the intense and natural strawberry flavor into the cake and my other strawberry recipes. I like this method because it is using real berries to bring an authentic flavor. For a more detailed post on how to make homemade strawberry puree, check out my strawberry puree recipe.
Strawberries and Sugar
Place the strawberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. If you are using fresh berries, rather than frozen, add a small splash of water to the pan too.
Heat the strawberries, stirring occasionally, until they start to break down; you can mash them a little with a fork or potato masher.
Reduce Strawberries
The mixture will become more liquid and eventually begin to boil. Keep boiling until it thickens and looks slightly gelatinous. This may take 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes, then use a blender or food processor to blend until smooth.
Strain
Once the puree is smooth, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any remaining seeds or fibres.
Cover and let it cool completely.
Alternatives to Homemade Puree
Making your own strawberry puree is easy, but you can also use store-bought puree or jam as a shortcut.
Store-bought puree: If it's very runny, gently reduce it in a small saucepan and let it cool before using to avoid affecting the buttercream's consistency.
Jam: Choose a jam that isn't overly sweet. If it has fruit chunks, blitz until smooth and bring to room temperature before adding to the frosting.
Assemble The Cake
Make Buttercream
Make your favorite frosting and add the strawberry puree to it. I like to use Italian meringue buttercream because it's silky smooth, not too sweet, and the perfect base for strawberry flavor.
For an easier frosting, try adding the strawberry puree to Russian buttercream instead.
Stack the Cake
Slice each of the cooled chocolate cakes in half to make four thin layers.
Stack the cake with strawberry frosting in between each cake layer.
Decorate
Cover the whole cake in strawberry buttercream and smooth it out.
To go all out, decorate with a chocolate ganache drip and some homemade chocolate-covered strawberries (see below).
Alternatively, you could just decorate with fresh strawberries or whipped cream.
Storage
Store your finished cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
If you made the elements ahead of time, keep the chocolate cake in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to frost and fill.
The strawberry meringue buttercream should be kept in the fridge in an airtight container and will be good for 5 days.
I strongly recommend making the chocolate-covered strawberries the day of serving, as they don't hold up very well overnight.
Show Me Your Bakes!
If you make this recipe, please tag @bonni_bakery on Instagram or send me a photo - I love seeing all your creations.
Want your bake featured on the blog? You can also upload a photo here.
More Layer Cakes
If you love this chocolate strawberry cake, you might enjoy some of my other layer cake recipes:
Recipe
Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 240 g (2 cups) All-purpose Flour (plain flour)
- 400 g (2 cups) Granulated Sugar (caster sugar)
- 2 Large Eggs room temperature
- 60 g (⅔ cup) Cocoa Powder dutch-processed
- 160 ml (⅔ cup) Vegetable Oil
- 240 ml (1 cup) Whole Milk room temperature
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 120 ml (½ cup) Hot Water
- 500 g (17 oz) Strawberries fresh or frozen
- 100 g (½ cup) Granulated Sugar (caster sugar)
- 4 Large Egg Whites (approx 160g)
- ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 265 g (1⅓ cups) Granulated Sugar (caster sugar)
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) Water
- 340 g (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Equipment
- 2 9-inch cake pans
- 1 Stand Mixer (for Italian Meringue Buttercream)
- Whisk Attachment
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C (160°C fan-assisted) and grease two 9-inch baking pans.
- Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.240 g (2 cups) All-purpose Flour, 400 g (2 cups) Granulated Sugar, 60 g (⅔ cup) Cocoa Powder, 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 teaspoon (½ tsp) Salt
- Whisk the wet ingredients (except the hot water) into seperate bowl and then add to the dry ingredients and whisk just until smooth. Be careful not to overmix.2 Large Eggs, 160 ml (⅔ cup) Vegetable Oil, 240 ml (1 cup) Whole Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Add the hot water and mix it in just until combined.120 ml (½ cup) Hot Water
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Place strawberries and sugar in a high-sided saucepan and cook on medium heat. If you are using fresh strawberries, add a splash of water too. Stir occasionally and keep cooking until the strawberries start to break down.500 g (17 oz) Strawberries, 100 g (½ cup) Granulated Sugar
- Mash the strawberries a little with a potato masher and continue to cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Keep boiling, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens slightly and has a kind of gelatinous look to it. (Will take at least 15 minutes from the point of boiling, but could be longer depending on how much liquid was in your strawberries).
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the strawberry mixture to a food processor or blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove any seeds and then allow to cool completely before using.
- Make sure the egg whites and butter are at room temperature before beginning.
- Place 1 cup of the sugar into a saucepan along with the water and set aside. Place the remaining ⅓ cup of sugar next to your stand mixer.265 g (1⅓ cups) Granulated Sugar, 80 ml (⅓ cup) Water
- Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to a very clean stand mixer bowl and whip on medium speed until they start to get frothy.4 Large Egg Whites, ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- Once they start to froth up, start adding the reserved sugar, one tablespoon at a time, letting it mix in for at least 30 - 60 seconds in between additions. Keep going until all the sugar has been added. The meringue should be thickened to soft peaks by now. Keep it whipping on medium speed while you prepare the sugar syrup.
- Place the saucepan with the sugar and water on medium heat, with a thermometer, and bring it to a soft boil. Do not stir. Once the sugar has all dissolved and the thermometer reads 240°F / 115°C, it's ready to use. Note: If you are confident in the kitchen, you can boil the sugar syrup and mix up the egg whites at the same time, but if this is your first time, you may want to do the egg whites first, then the syrup.
- With the mixer on low speed, start pouring the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a very slow and steady stream, being careful not to hit the side of the bowl or the whisk. Keep going until it has all been added.
- Once the sugar syrup is all into the meringue, the bowl should feel hot to the touch. Continue whipping on high until the bowl feels cool.
- When the bowl feels completely cool, you can begin adding the butter. The butter must be at room temperature or it won't incorporate properly. Keep whisking the meringue on high speed while adding the butter one small chunk at a time. Let it mix in completely before adding the next tablespoon of butter340 g (3 sticks) Unsalted Butter
- About halfway through adding the butter, your frosting will be a very strange consistency - don't panic! Just keep adding the butter and it will thicken.
- Once all the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla and whip for another minute. You should have a thick, glossy frosting.1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Now add in the cooled strawberry puree a little at a time until you achieve the strength of strawberry flavor you want. If you want a punchier flavor, you can add a few drops of strawberry flavor to boost it, but I don't think it needs it.
- If you aren't going to use the buttercream right away, store it in the fridge in an airtight container and then let it come back to room temperature and whip it on high again for a minute or two before using.
- Once the chocolate cakes have completely cooled, use a cake leveler or serrated knife to cut the domes off the top of the cakes.
- Cut each cake layer again about halfway down to make 4 thin layers of cake.
- Place one layer of chocolate cake on your cake board or serving plate and put some of your strawberry buttercream on top, smoothing it out to an even layer.
- Place the next layer of cake on top and spread with more buttercream.
- Optional extra: For even more strawberry flavor, you could chop up some fresh strawberries and place them in the middle layer here for a fruity surprise.
- Repeat until all layers are on, then cover the whole cake in frosting and smooth out.
- To make the cake extra special, finish with a chocolate ganache drip and homemade chocolate-covered strawberries.
Louey
Hi was just wondering if the sugar syrup is necessary? Or can this step be skipped? .... can definitely taste the "sugar/water" mix in the cake. Thanks!
Grandma
More deliciousness! I’m full up by the time I’ve made my way through all your mouthwatering recipes online, always look forward to seeing what’s next.
Loving the mummy/baby photo ❤️
Loobeeloo
This looks AMAZING!! Thanks for the super-easy instructions! Not sure I'll try tempering the chocolate for the strawberries, but if I do, I'll follow your excellent dropped-strawberry rule - my kinda baking 😀
Christopher Radwanski
I LOVE the picture you took of the strawberries all lined up in a row (just above the recommendations section). They are like little strawberry soldiers all lined up in a neat row. Also I just want to say it tastes like chocolate strawberry heaven. Keep up the good work!
Christopher Radwanski
Just above substitutions, not recommendations.
April Harold
I have a question please. It says Strawberry Italian Meringue. But it has no strawberries in the ingredients. So is it just a white Meringue Frosting? Or is there supposed to be Strawberry added to it?