Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Even if you don't consider yourself a baker you can easily make this beautiful and delicious cake. It's the perfect cake for those special occasions.
Equipment
- (2) 9 inch cake pans
- paring knife
- stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients listed on the box needed to make the cake
For the filling:
- 1 quart strawberries, diced
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅔ cup Nutella hazelnut spread
For the frosting:
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup sugar
For the topping:
- 1 quart strawberries, thinly sliced
- fresh Peppermint sprigs, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare strawberries for filling:
- Dice 1 quart strawberries into small pieces and place in a bowl.
- Add ½ cup sugar to the diced strawberries and stir to combine.
- Cover bowl and place in the refrigerator overnight to macerate the berries.
Bake chocolate cake:
- Make chocolate cake according to the directions on the box using (2) 9-inch round cake pans.
- Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow cake to cool completely.
Make frosting:
- Place softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add ½ cup sugar, and vanilla.
- Beat on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add heavy whipping cream.
- Turn mixer to low speed. Once whipping cream incorporates into the cream cheese, increase speed to high and whip until frosting increases in volume and stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
Assemble cake:
- Remove diced strawberries from the fridge and drain off excess juices. Set aside.
- Thinly slice 1 quart of strawberries. Set aside.
- Place a cake round on a cake platter.
- Top cake round with Nutella in an even layer.
- Top Nutella with the drained, diced strawberries.
- Top with a generous layer of frosting. You can be quite generous, the recipe makes plenty of frosting for the cake.
- Place second cake round on top.
- Frost entire cake with the remaining frosting.
- Assemble strawberry slices, points facing outwards towards the edge of the cake in a circle on top of the cake. Add another circle of sliced strawberries, allow the points to overlap the previous circle of sliced strawberries working your way inward towards the center of the cake with each ring of strawberries. Continue layering circles until you come to the center of the cake.
- Place a whole strawberry in the center.
- Garnish with fresh peppermint sprigs if desired.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.