Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling Recipe

Celebrating Valentine’s Day, another special occasion, or just looking to make an elevated dessert for fun? Whatever the reason, this chocolate cake with strawberry filling is easy to make. Coated in a thick, homemade chocolate ganache, these two layers of rich chocolate cake also have roasted strawberries between them. Below are all the steps for making the moist chocolate cake recipe and dreamy frosting. While this treat is ideal for chocolate lovers, my strawberry cupcakes and strawberry-filled cake are perfect variations for vanilla fans.

Ingredients for Chocolate Cake

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.

Steps for Baking this Moist Chocolate Cake

First, preheat oven to 350°F.

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 two strips in water before proceeding with the recipe.

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. Whatever you decide, it’s important to use proper baking release spray or butter and cocoa powder. That way, your layers don’t stick to the pan.

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.

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

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.

Pour your hot water into the bowl of dry ingredients so your cocoa powder can bloom. Mix until fully combined. Then pour bowl of wet ingredients into your main bowl and mix again until everything is fully incorporated.

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.

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

Roasting Strawberries for Filling

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Then toss fresh strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and salt in a bowl before spreading berries out onto an aluminum or metal pan to bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping berries halfway through.

Bake time varies depending on the baking vessel and how it conducts heat – metal will be faster than glass, for instance.

Once they have a soft, syrupy consistency, remove from oven and transfer to a heatproof bowl. Let cool in refrigerator.

I personally like roasting the strawberries one day and assembling cake layers the following.

Chocolate Ganache for this Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling

Create a double boiler on your stovetop, using a medium-sized heatproof bowl on top of a similarly sized pot full of gently boiling water. Pour your heavy cream and chocolate pieces into the heatproof bowl and whisk occasionally until smooth.

Turn off burner and carefully remove bowl from pot – it will be hot.

Then 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.

Lastly, beat in powdered sugar. The final texture will look like a thick pudding. Put frosting into piping bag fitted with round tip.

How to Assemble Strawberry Chocolate Layer Cake

Pipe or spread a dollop of the chocolate frosting onto a cake circle to act as glue to hold the layer in place. Set first cake layer on top of that.

Pipe about a third of your frosting on top of the bottom layer and spread evenly with a cake spatula or large metal spoon.

Create thick piping border to hold in filling and 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!

Place second cake layer on top of the first. 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.

Use a cake spatula to smooth out the ganache on top of the cake. Alternate using this and a cake scraper against the sides of the cake to gently smooth out bubbles in the frosting.

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. 

FAQ for Strawberry Filled Cake

More Tips for Perfecting this Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling

• 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.

More Dessert Recipes

If you’re looking for a smaller version of this chocolate cake, you’ll love my fudgy chocolate cupcake recipe. They’re also topped with a rich dark chocolate ganache that is so decadent!

Or head to my post on black buttercream for a super rich and indulgent chocolate frosting made with black cocoa powder!

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