This chocolate strawberry cake has moist chocolate cake layers filled with a thick, real strawberry filling and topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting.
Instead of relying on artificial extracts, this recipe uses a real strawberry reduction for a bright, natural fruit taste that perfectly balances the rich cocoa layers.
For more delicious chocolate cake recipes, check out my chocolate hazelnut cake, chocolate mayonnaise cake, chocolate brooklyn blackout cake, and chocolate espresso cake.
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Why this recipe works
- The Bloom Technique: Mixing hot coffee directly into the cocoa powder dissolves hidden lumps and "blooms" the chocolate, releasing deep flavor notes that cold liquids cannot activate.
- Real Fruit Reduction: Simmering the fresh strawberries into a thick concentrate delivers an intense berry flavor and a vibrant pink color without adding excess water that would make the frosting runny.
- Oil & Sour Cream Sponge: Using vegetable oil and sour cream instead of butter keeps the cake sponge incredibly soft and moist even when stored in the fridge—which is essential for any cake paired with a cream cheese frosting.
- Balanced Acidity: The natural tang from the cream cheese and the slight acidity of the fresh berries cut cleanly through the sugar, ensuring every bite is deeply flavorful rather than just sweet.
Ingredients
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
For the Chocolate Sponge
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the essential gluten structure to hold the cake layers together.
- Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens and aids in browning, while brown sugar adds a touch of molasses for a fudgy, moist crumb.
- Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder: Delivers a deep color and smooth chocolate flavor without any acidic bite.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Dual leavening agents that react with the dairy to give the cake layers a high, fluffy rise.
- Fine Sea Salt: Sharpens the cocoa notes and balances the sweetness.
- Eggs (Room Temp): Binds the ingredients together and adds structure and richness.
- Buttermilk & Full-Fat Sour Cream: This combination tenderizes the flour gluten, creating a melt-in-your-mouth texture and adding rich body to the batter.
- Vegetable Oil: A neutral oil ensures the cake layers never turn dense or dry when chilled.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the depth of the chocolate.
- Hot Coffee: Used to physically bloom the cocoa powder and intensify the flavor without leaving behind a coffee taste.
The Strawberry Filling
- Fresh Strawberries: Provide the pure, natural base flavor and bright color.
- Granulated Sugar: Helps draw out the juices and sweetens the reduction.
- Lemon Juice: Acts as a natural flavor booster to make the strawberry taste sharper and more vibrant.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the reduction into a stable filling that won't leak out of the assembled cake.
The Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Full-Fat Block Cream Cheese: Gives the frosting its signature tangy flavor and rich, creamy texture.
- Unsalted Butter: Stabilizes the cream cheese, providing the stiffness needed to keep the frosting from sliding off the cake layers.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens and structures the frosting.
- Strawberry Reduction: Added directly to the base for a punch of real fruit flavor and a beautiful natural pink tint.
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Sponge
1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
2. Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, sour cream, buttermilk, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until completely smooth.
3. Dry Ingredients: Sift the all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt directly into the wet ingredients. Whisk just until visible streaks of flour disappear.
4. Bloom: Pour the hot coffee directly into the batter. Whisk gently until smooth and uniform. Note: The batter will be very thin and liquid—this is exactly right.
5. Bake: Divide the batter evenly between your two pans using a kitchen scale for precision. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool: Run a thin spatula around the edges of the pans to release the cakes. Invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely before assembly.
Make the strawberry filling
1. Simmer: Combine the chopped strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Thicken: In a small bowl, whisk your cornstarch with a splash of water to form a smooth slurry. Pour this into the simmering berries and stir continuously for 2 minutes until the mixture turns glossy and thick. Cool completely to room temperature.
Make the strawberry cream cheese frosting
1. Cream: Beat the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth, fluffy, and aerated.
2. Incorporate: Gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed until fully mixed in. Add a portion of your cooled strawberry reduction, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on medium speed until smooth, uniform, and holdable.
Assembly
1. Place your first leveled cake layer on a turntable or cake stand. Fill a pastry bag with a portion of the frosting and pipe a thick ring around the top outer edge to create a secure "dam."
2. Pour the completely cooled strawberry filling into the center of the dam, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
3. Top with the second cake layer, pressing down very gently to secure it. Frost the top and sides of the cake smoothly with the remaining frosting.
4. For decoration, press paper-towel-dried fresh strawberry halves along the top or base of the frosting.
Expert Tips
- Use a Kitchen Scale: Weighing your dry ingredients, especially the flour and cocoa, is critical for achieving a consistently moist, melt-in-your-mouth sponge. Cups can easily pack in too much flour, leading to a dense or dry cake.
- The Coffee Bloom: Use freshly boiled coffee. The heat is what physically "blooms" the cocoa solids, resulting in a significantly darker, richer sponge.
- Precision Weight: Always weigh your batter when dividing it between the pans. Even a 20g difference can lead to uneven baking heights and lopsided stacking.
- The Frosting Dam: Make your piped frosting border slightly higher than the strawberry filling. This prevents the fruit center from leaking through the sides under the weight of the top layer.
- Dry Your Berries: If garnishing with fresh strawberries, pat the cut sides thoroughly with a paper towel. This prevents fruit moisture from bleeding into your smooth cream cheese frosting.
Troubleshooting
Cake Sank in the Middle: This is usually caused by underbaking or opening the oven door too early in the baking process. Ensure a toothpick inserted into the exact center comes out clean.
Runny Frosting: Your strawberry filling or cake layers were likely still slightly warm during assembly, which melts the butter and cream cheese. Ensure everything is completely cooled to room temperature.
Grainy Frosting: Always sift your powdered sugar before mixing. Additionally, make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature; if the fats are too cold, they will separate instead of emulsifying cleanly.
Faq's
Yes. You can swap the coffee for plain hot water, but the final chocolate flavor profile will be noticeably flatter and less intense.
Vegetable oil provides long-lasting liquid moisture so the cake never tastes dry, while sour cream provides essential structural body and fat, creating a sturdy yet soft crumb.
Yes. To make three thin layers, divide this exact batter recipe into three 8-inch pans and reduce the baking time to 22–25 minutes. To make three thick layers, multiply all ingredients (batter, filling, and frosting) by 1.5 and bake for the standard 30 minutes.
No. Because of the fresh fruit reduction and the cream cheese frosting, this cake contains perishable dairy and must be stored in the refrigerator.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve slightly chilled or let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before slicing.
Freezing Slices: Flash-freeze individual slices on a tray for 1 hour until firm, then wrap them tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Store for up to 2 months.
Freezing Layers: Wrap unfrosted, cooled cake layers tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Stacking and frosting layers while slightly frozen actually reduces cake crumbs!
Make-Ahead: You can prepare the strawberry filling 2 days early and store it in the fridge. Bake the cake layers 1 day early and keep them wrapped at room temperature. On the day of serving, whip the fresh frosting and assemble.
Substitutions & Variations
Dairy-Free: Swap the buttermilk for almond milk mixed with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and use your favorite plant-based cream cheese and vegan butter block for the frosting.
Egg-Free: Replace the eggs in the cake batter with ⅔ cup of unsweetened applesauce.
Gluten-Free: Use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend that contains xanthan gum.
Citrus: Grate fresh orange or lemon zest directly into the chocolate cake batter and the strawberry filling to brighten the deep flavor notes.
Berry Swap: Replace the fresh strawberries with equal measurements of raspberries or blackberries using the exact same reduction steps.
Equipment
- Two 8-inch cake pans
- Parchment paper rounds
- Kitchen scale
- Fine-mesh sifter
- Electric hand mixer
- Saucepan
- Piping bag
- Offset spatula
More Chocolate Recipes
Chocolate Espresso Cake: Deep cocoa sponge layers paired with a silky espresso-infused buttercream.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake: Layers of rich chocolate cake filled with a decadent chocolate ganache and crunchy toasted nuts.
Chocolate Brooklyn Blackout Cake: A classic, ultra-dark chocolate cake filled and coated with a thick chocolate pudding.
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📖 Recipe
Chocolate Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Filling
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake
- 3 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup Cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ cups Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Sour cream
- ¾ cup Buttermilk
- ⅔ cup Vegetable oil
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¾ cup Coffee hot
For the strawberry filling
- 2 cups Strawberries
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
For the strawberry cream cheese frosting
- 1 cup Butter soft, unsalted
- 5.3 oz Cream cheese full fat
- 5 cups Powdered sugar
- ¼ cup Strawberry compote
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
Make the chocolate sponge
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, sour cream, buttermilk, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until completely smooth.
- Dry Ingredients: Sift the all-purpose flour, Dutch-process cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt directly into the wet ingredients. Whisk just until visible streaks of flour disappear.
- Bloom: Pour the hot coffee directly into the batter. Whisk gently until smooth and uniform. Note: The batter will be very thin and liquid—this is exactly right.
- Bake: Divide the batter evenly between your two pans using a kitchen scale for precision. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Run a thin spatula around the edges of the pans to release the cakes. Invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely before assembly.
Make the strawberry filling
- Simmer: Combine the chopped strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Once bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Thicken: In a small bowl, whisk your cornstarch with a splash of water to form a smooth slurry. Pour this into the simmering berries and stir continuously for 2 minutes until the mixture turns glossy and thick. Cool completely to room temperature.
Make the strawberry cream cheese frosting
- Cream: Beat the softened cream cheese and unsalted butter in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth, fluffy, and aerated.
- Incorporate: Gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed until fully mixed in. Add a portion of your cooled strawberry reduction, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on medium speed until smooth, uniform, and holdable.
Assembly
- Place your first leveled cake layer on a turntable or cake stand. Fill a pastry bag with a portion of the frosting and pipe a thick ring around the top outer edge to create a secure "dam."
- Pour the completely cooled strawberry filling into the center of the dam, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
- Top with the second cake layer, pressing down very gently to secure it. Frost the top and sides of the cake smoothly with the remaining frosting.
- For decoration, press paper-towel-dried fresh strawberry halves along the top or base of the frosting.
Notes
- Use a Kitchen Scale: Weighing your dry ingredients, especially the flour and cocoa, is critical for achieving a consistently moist, melt-in-your-mouth sponge. Cups can easily pack in too much flour, leading to a dense or dry cake.
- The Coffee Bloom: Use freshly boiled coffee. The heat is what physically "blooms" the cocoa solids, resulting in a significantly darker, richer sponge.
- Precision Weight: Always weigh your batter when dividing it between the pans. Even a 20g difference can lead to uneven baking heights and lopsided stacking.
- The Frosting Dam: Make your piped frosting border slightly higher than the strawberry filling. This prevents the fruit center from leaking through the sides under the weight of the top layer.
- Dry Your Berries: If garnishing with fresh strawberries, pat the cut sides thoroughly with a paper towel. This prevents fruit moisture from bleeding into your smooth cream cheese frosting.
Sarah says
Its soooo goodd