Strawberry Filled Chocolate Cake

Layered chocolate cake with moist chocolate cake, a bright strawberry filling packed with real strawberry flavor, and the most delicious chocolate buttercream, just like biting into a perfect chocolate covered strawberry!!

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Cut out 8 inch circles for the bottom of the pans.
In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the wet ingredients: eggs, vanilla extract, whole milk, sour cream, and vegetable oil.
In a separate bowl, beat together the dry ingredients: granulated sugar, all purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Add 1 cup of hot coffee to the batter and beat until smooth. The batter will be thin, but that’s okay! Making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl.
Divide the batter between the two prepared 8-inch cake pans. I like to weigh out or measure out the batter to make sure the layers are even.
Position it on the center rack of the oven to ensure even baking, avoiding placement too close to the top or bottom. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (you can bake 2 cakes at a time)
Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. I like to place a plate or rack on top of the cake pan with a sheet of parchment paper between them, then flip it over. The cake should release and fall out easily.

Strawberry Filling (When assembling the cake, you can add ½ cup of strawberry preserves on top of the strawberry filling layer if you’d like extra filling and a more jammy texture)

Crush or blend freeze dried strawberries into a fine powder.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the salted butter with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.
Add the sour cream and vanilla extract to the butter. Beat until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, about ¼ cup at a time, mixing on low speed to prevent a mess. Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth and creamy.
Add the freeze dried strawberry powder to the frosting. Mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium-high speed until the frosting is light, fluffy, and evenly colored.
If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.

Chocolate Buttercream

Using a mixer on low speed and then increase to medium, beat the butter and cocoa powder together in a large bowl until smooth and fully combined, it will look like a thick paste,
Add the sour cream and a pinch of salt, and mix until well incorporated. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed as you go.
Add the milk and vanilla extract, then continue adding the remaining powdered sugar. Beat on medium high for 1–2 minutes, until the frosting is light, fluffy, and spreadable, beating long enough also ensures the powdered sugar dissolves.
Taste and adjust, if you prefer it a little sweeter, add a tablespoon more powdered sugar at a time, if it needs to be thinner add a little more milk, one teaspoon at a time.

Assembling

Once the cakes have completely cooled, place one cake layer on a cake plate or serving plate. Spread the strawberry filling evenly over the top, going all the way to the edges. If using preserves, spread it evenly over the filling layer. Place the second cake layer on top, then frost the cake with the chocolate buttercream, I like to use an offset spatula.

Strawberry Filled Chocolate Cake

Equipment

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake Batter

Strawberry Filling

Chocolate Buttercream

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Filling (When assembling the cake, you can add ½ cup of strawberry preserves on top of the strawberry filling layer if you’d like extra filling and a more jammy texture)

Chocolate Buttercream

Assembling

Notes