Description
An elegant dark chocolate cake paired with a light and airy strawberry buttercream, perfect for celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 3/4 cups (220 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (75 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) neutral oil
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 ml) hot brewed coffee
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, room temperature and softened
- 3–3½ cups (360–420 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) fresh strawberry purée
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Pinch fine sea salt
- Fresh strawberries, halved (for garnish)
- Shaved dark chocolate or cocoa nibs (for garnish)
- Optional: edible flowers or toasted almond slivers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) round pans and line bottoms with parchment.
- Whisk dry ingredients until uniformly dark and free of lumps.
- In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla until combined and glossy; add hot coffee and stir.
- Fold wet ingredients into dry until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and tap pans to remove air bubbles.
- Bake for 28–34 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the strawberry buttercream, beat room-temperature butter until silky, gradually add confectioners’ sugar, then mix in strawberry purée, lemon juice, and salt.
- Level cake tops if needed, layer with buttercream, and apply a crumb coat. Chill for 15 minutes and then finish with an outer layer of buttercream.
- Garnish with halved strawberries and chocolate shavings; let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Use high-quality Dutch-process cocoa and keep butter at true room temperature for the best results.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 30mg