Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling

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There's cake, and then there's cake. If you're looking for the latter, this chocolate cake with strawberry filling brings the "wow" factor. Judge it by its cover, and the silky smooth, homemade chocolate ganache would already win you over. But cut into this moist, two-layer cake to find an amazingly juicy and flavorful roasted strawberry filling. Everything about this dessert is a win for chocolate lovers and strawberry fans, too.

Inside look at chocolate layer cake with strawberry filling.

Whether you're celebrating Valentine's Day, another special occasion, or just looking to make an elevated dessert, I highly recommend whipping up this recipe (or this recipe for chocolate fudge cupcakes if you're looking for something similar but smaller).

People will be so impressed you made it at home, and it really is easy, with simple parts that come together to create such a delish end result.

Below are all the steps for making the moist chocolate cake recipe and dreamy frosting. But if you need some variety and less chocolate, my strawberry cupcakes and strawberry-filled cake are excellent alternatives for vanilla fans.

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Chocolate Cake Ingredients
Pro Tip for Even Cake Layers
Steps for Baking this Moist Chocolate Cake
Recipe Shortcut
Instructions for the Roasted Strawberry Filling
Instructions for Chocolate Ganache Frosting
Cake Assembly Instructions
Best Results: Baking in Grams
FAQ for this Strawberry Filled Cake
Cake Storage Instructions
Tips for Perfecting this Chocolate Strawberry Cake
More Delicious Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling

Chocolate Cake Ingredients

In the recipe card below, you'll find all the ingredients you need for making moist chocolate cake layers. I highlight a few of the key ones and why they're important.

Fresh strawberry filling - By roasting strawberries, we soften their texture and release some of their water, leaving us with lots of pure strawberry flavor.
Dutch processed cocoa powder - Also known as alkalized cocoa powder, this dark cocoa powder has been treated with an alkalizing agent. As a result, it's a lot less acidic-tasting than natural cocoa powder. Dutch processed powder has a milder flavor and less bitterness. Because the alkalization process makes this cocoa powder less acidic and more neutral, it reacts with baking powder and not soda.
Espresso powder - Espresso powder enhances the chocolate flavor.
Canola or vegetable oil (or another flavorless oil) - While I often use unsalted butter in baked goods, this recipe relies on oil for much of its fat content. Oil helps keep these layers moist for days! Canola is also a neutral-flavored oil. This is important because you don't want an oil with a distinct taste - like olive oil - to overpower the chocolate flavor.
Buttermilk - Buttermilk is a common ingredient in chocolate cake recipes because it helps tenderize and moisten the cake. Also, due to its acidity, it reacts with baking soda, which creates carbon dioxide bubbles that help the cake rise. Buttermilk adds a tanginess that can really enhance the flavor of chocolate baked goods.
Hot water - Hot coffee or hot water are often used in chocolate cake recipes to enhance the chocolate flavor and create a moist texture. Mixing cocoa powder with a hot liquid helps to release the powder's natural oils, intensifying the richness of flavor.

Chocolate cake with strawberry filling, sitting on a wooden cake stand, surrounded by strawberries and fresh white hydrangeas in a vase behind it.

Pro Tip for Even Cake Layers

I use these bake even strips on most of my cakes. They help cake rise evenly during baking.

If you want to do the same, start soaking strips in water before proceeding with the recipe.

Steps for Baking this Moist Chocolate Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°F and dive into the steps below.

Step 1: Line two eight inch round cake pans with parchment paper.

Alternatively, you can generously butter the pans and coat with cocoa powder or use non-stick baking spray.

Unlike some recipes for vanilla or light-colored cakes, we don't flour the pans for this chocolate strawberry cake recipe. The white flour would contrast with the dark brown color of the layers, so cocoa powder is necessary.

bow of dry ingredients for chocolate cake batter.

Step 2: To a large bowl, add and whisk together all-purpose flour, brown sugar and granulated sugar, dutch processed cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and kosher salt. Set aside.

bowl of light-colored wet ingredients for cake batter.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together your vanilla extract, eggs, greek yogurt or sour cream, buttermilk, and oil.

bowl of wet ingredients for chocolate cake batter.

Step 4: Pour your hot water into the bowl of dry ingredients (flour mixture) so your cocoa powder can bloom. Mix until fully combined. Then pour bowl of other ingredients to this one and mix again until all ingredients are fully incorporated.

Step 5: Pour and evenly divide cake batter into your prepared cake pans (about 515 grams in each pan). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until layers bounce back at the touch of your finger.

Two baked chocolate cake layers cooling on a rack.

Step 6: For best results, let cake cool in pans for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Recipe Shortcut

If you don't have time to roast the strawberries, replace the steps below with your favorite store-bought strawberry jam!

Instructions for the Roasted Strawberry Filling

I personally like roasting the strawberries one day and assembling cake layers the following or vice versa to break things up.

Preheat oven to 375°F to create your filling and follow the below steps.

Up-close image of strawberries in bowl with sugar on them.

Step 1: Toss fresh strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a bowl.

Up-close image of chopped strawberries on a baking sheet.

Step 2: Spread berries out onto an aluminum or metal pan to bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping berries halfway through.

Step 3: Once berries have a soft, syrupy consistency, remove from oven.

Pieces of roasted strawberries in a bowl.

Step 4: Transfer roasted strawberries to a heatproof bowl and let cool in refrigerator.

Note that bake time varies depending on the pan and how it conducts heat. For instance, strawberries in a metal dish will bake faster than ones in glass.

Instructions for Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Chopped chocolate in a metal bowl with heavy cream.

Step 1: Pour your heavy cream and chocolate pieces into a medium-sized heatproof bowl that you can place over a pot on the stove. You'll add enough water to the pot to fully cover the bottom (2 cups or so should do it) before placing your bowl of chocolate and cream on top of it. You've just created a double boiler!

Double boiler, with chopped chocolate in a metal bowl with heavy cream over a hot burner on the stove.

Step 2: Now with your double-boiler, whisk chocolate and cream occasionally until smooth as the hot water in the pot gently melts your chocolate mixture.

Double boiler containing chocolate ganache in a metal bowl over a hot burner on the stove.

Step 3: Once mixture has a smooth consistency, carefully remove the bowl from the pot – it will be very hot.

Mixing bowl with ingredients for chocolate ganache.

Step 4: Pour the melted chocolate into the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment), along with room temperature cream cheese and vanilla extract. Mix everything together for about 1 minute. It will look initially lumpy.

Mixing bowl filled with chocolate ganache.

Step 5: Lastly, beat in powdered sugar. The final texture will look like a thick pudding.

Chocolate cake frosting in a piping bag, fitted over the rim of a tall glass.

Step 6: Put frosting into a piping bag fitted with round tip.

Cake Assembly Instructions

Dollop of chocolate frosting on a cake board on a white cake turntable.

Step 1: Pipe or spread a dollop of the chocolate frosting onto a cake circle to act as glue to hold the layer in place.

White hands placing one layer of moist chocolate cake onto a white cake turntable.

Step 2: Set first cake layer on top of the cake circle on your cake turntable.

Step 3: Pipe about a third of your frosting on top of the bottom layer, and evenly spread ganache with an offset cake spatula or large metal spoon.

Chocolate cake layer with a layer of chocolate ganache on top of it.

Step 4: Create a thick piping border to contain your filling.

Hand and spoon adding strawberry filling to chocolate cake's first layer.

Step 5: Spread all of your roasted strawberry filling inside the border. The border should be the height of the strawberries so that they don’t leak out!

White hands placing second layer of chocolate cake onto the first.

Step 6: Place second cake layer on top of the first.

White hands piping chocolate ganache onto two-layer cake.

Step 7: Then, starting from the base of the cake and moving to the top, pipe a thick layer of frosting all around your cake’s sides and top.

White hands using an offset spatula to smooth chocolate frosting onto top of two-layer cake.

Step 8: Use a cake spatula to smooth out the ganache on top of the cake.

White hands using a cake scraper to smooth chocolate frosting onto two-layer cake.

Step 9: Alternate using the spatula and a cake scraper against the sides of the cake to gently smooth out bubbles in the frosting.

Chocolate cake with strawberry slices decorated the top of it.

Step 10: Use an open star tip on a piping bag to decorate any sections you'd like with remaining ganache. Add sliced strawberries to top of cake if desired.

Up-close shot of slice of moist chocolate cake with a roasted strawberry filling.

Best Results: Baking in Grams

If you’re not already, use a kitchen scale for accuracy in baking.

While I include cups and grams in my recipe cards, weighing your ingredients and writing or following a recipe using a standard metric like grams ensures consistency.

I highly recommend investing $30 or less in a kitchen scale.

FAQ for this Strawberry Filled Cake

How do I keep cake crumbs out of my frosting?

This chocolate cake is delicious and moist, but that makes it easier to accidentally pull crumbs from it into the ganache.

To prevent that, I freeze my cake layers in plastic wrap for at least an hour (usually overnight) before coating them with frosting. A chilled cake holds its crumbs better than a room temperature one.

This will not affect or damage the flavor.

Why do I need to bake with room temperature ingredients?

Ingredients like eggs, butter, and other dairy products are important in trapping air into your baked goods as you mix the batter or dough for them. That air expands during the baking process in the oven. This can mean the difference between a dense and crumbly cake and a nice, fluffy one. So you should always bake with room temperature ingredients if a recipe calls for it. This one does.

Cake Storage Instructions

Serving and refrigerating - This cake will remain most fresh if stored in the refrigerator for no more than five days.

If possible, bring out the cake about 30 minutes before serving so that it can reach room temperature. This will make it more moist, giving it the best flavor and texture.

Freezing - Even with the filling, this cake will freeze pretty well for 3 months. Store slices in wax or parchment paper in an airtight container.

Overhead shot of a chocolate cake with ganache and strawberries on top of it.

Tips for Perfecting this Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Let cake layers cool before assembling cake. If the layers are still warm when you pipe frosting onto them or try to add the strawberry filling, you'll regret it. The frosting may melt, and the warm cake's texture won't be quite sturdy enough to hold the strawberry filling well.
For a more flavorful dessert, eat cake the next day. The added time allows the flavors to meld together longer, resulting in a stronger taste.