Strawberry Chocolate Cake

Strawberry Chocolate Cake is rich and indulgent, made with two layers of chocolate cake with a strawberry filling, then frosted with a light strawberry whipped cream frosting and topped with fresh strawberries!

I love making cakes for my family and friends on special occasions. For more cake ideas, check out this Chocolate Coffee Cake and Gluten Free Carrot Cake!

Strawberry Chocolate Cake is my family’s favorite dessert, made with moist chocolate cake layers and my homemade strawberry cake filling, and topped with a strawberry whipped cream cream cheese frosting for the perfect balance of light and indulgent.

You can use just the strawberry cake filling between each layer of cake, or add a layer of frosting first, then the filling on top of it. This frosting is really light, so it goes perfectly with the indulgent cake.

Top this cake with fresh berries, semi-sweet chocolate chips, or chocolate shavings. 

Ingredients You’ll Need For the Cake

Gluten Free Flour. The gluten free flour mixture that you use will make a big difference in the flavor and texture of your cake. I prefer to use a gluten free cup-for-cup blend that already contains xanthan gum, because it holds together nicely. 

You can use regular all-purpose flour for this recipe if you’re not gluten free. 

Granulated Sugar. Sugar not only adds sweetness, it also helps keep the cake soft and helps it maintain moisture. You can substitute granulated sugar with brown sugar, or do half white sugar and half brown sugar. 

Eggs. Eggs are a binder, which means they help hold everything together. They also add a small amount of fat from the yolks.  

Sour Cream. Sour cream adds extra fat in the cake, which keeps chocolate cake moist and soft. If you want a really indulgent cake, choose a recipe with sour cream.

Vegetable Oil. Adds both moisture and fat to the cake, giving a really indulgent moist texture. 

You can substitute the oil 1 to 1 with melted butter. If you want a lighter option, use applesauce.

Black Coffee. Coffee helps bring out the chocolate flavor in the cake, without adding actual coffee flavor. Brew a strong coffee for a better chocolate flavor.

If you don’t like to use coffee, you can substitute with milk or hot water. 

Cocoa Powder. Use an unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe. Dark cocoa powder will also work, but dark chocolate in general has a slightly more bitter flavor. 

Vanilla. Vanilla adds flavor to the cake. You can also use a small amount of almond extract.  

Leavening. A combo of baking soda and baking powder works really well for gluten free baked goods. Both are critical for getting the cake to rise properly. 

Make sure the baking powder you use says “double-acting”. This is key to preventing a really dense cake. 

Salt. 1 teaspoon salt helps balance the sweetness of the cake, so it doesn’t turn overly-sweet. 

Cinnamon. I like using a small amount of cinnamon in chocolate cakes, but this ingredient is completely optional.

How to Make Strawberry Chocolate Cake

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
2. Add wet ingredients to the mixing bowl (eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and vegetable oil), whisking until combined. Slowly add the brewed coffee while whisking everything together. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to make sure all of the dry ingredients are mixed in.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans, and pour the chocolate mixture evenly into the prepared cake pans. Tap the pans gently on the countertop to release any air bubbles. 
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before decorating.
5. Once the cake is cooled, add a small amount of frosting to the cake plate, then place a cake layer on top. Use a piping bag to make a ring of frosting around the outer edge of the cake. This will hold the strawberry filling in place. Spoon strawberry cake filling onto the cake, spreading it with the spoon until even.
6. Place the second cake layer on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to frost the entire cake. Pipe frosting on the top decoratively, adding fresh strawberries and mini chocolate chips as-needed.

Ingredients You’ll Need For the Frosting

Strawberry Filling. For this recipe, I use my Homemade Strawberry Cake Filling. You can also use strawberry jam if you don’t want to make it from scratch. 

Fresh Strawberries. Try to choose sweet strawberries, which will be used decoratively to top the cake. 

Cream Cheese. Cream cheese helps add structure to the frosting and also gives it a thicker creamy texture. 

Heavy Whipping Cream. Heavy cream turns into whipped cream making the frosting light and fluffy!

Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar adds structure and also a light amount of sweetness to the frosting. 

Vanilla. Vanilla adds flavor to the frosting, but it can be left out if needed.

Food Coloring. You can add a few drops of red food coloring for a frosting that is more pink. Add this a little bit at a time until you like the results. 

How to Make Strawberry Whipped Cream Cream Cheese Frosting

You need a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer for this frosting recipe. 

1. Add 8 ounces of cream cheese to a stand mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, work the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. 
2. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract on medium speed and mix until combined.
3. Turn the speed up to high and slowly pour 2 cups of heavy cream down the side of the mixing bowl. Beat until the cream begins to form stiff peaks. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, then continue to mix until the frosting looks like whipped cream. 
4. Turn the mixing speed down to low and add 1/4 cup of strawberry cake filling. Mix until combined. Add an additional 1/4 cup of filling if you want a stronger strawberry flavor. 
5. Add a few drops of red food coloring if desired for more of a pink colored frosting. After frosting the cake, top with fresh strawberries.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Cake Recipes

• Gluten Free Chocolate Mug Cake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake
• Gluten Free Coffee Cake
• Flourless Chocolate Cake

Storage

Refrigerate strawberry chocolate cake for 3-4 days, wrapped carefully in an airtight container. Because the frosting is dairy-based, the finished cake has to be refrigerated. 

Freeze strawberry chocolate cake for up to 1 month. You can freeze this for longer if you go with a strawberry cream cheese frosting or buttercream instead. 

Place the entire cake in the freezer for about an hour, then wrap the cake in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place back into the freezer. 

Recipe Variations for Strawberry Chocolate Cake

• You can use this same recipe to make a raspberry cake. Decorate with white chocolate chips. 
• You can also add drips of chocolate ganache around the edges of the cake decoratively. Let the ganache cool before you top the cake with strawberries. 
• If you don’t want to frost the entire cake, just pipe frosting decoratively between each layer and on top. 
• This is also great topped with chocolate covered strawberries, for a chocolate strawberry cake!
• Try dusting with extra cocoa powder before adding the fresh strawberries. 

Cooking Tips

• If you want to make a crumb coat, just use a thin layer of frosting and refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes until it dries. You should be able to see the chocolate crumbs in this layer. After it’s dry, you can decorate normally without chocolate crumbs getting into the final frosting layer. 
• For some types of decorative cake plates, I’ll add a layer of parchment paper down before the cake layer. Use a small amount of frosting to hold everything in place. You can also use a cardboard cake circle.
• If you use a stand mixer for the cake batter, use a paddle attachment. For the frosting, use the whisk attachment. 
• An offset spatula helps make cake decorating easier, but you can also use a rubber spatula or a butter knife in a pinch. An offset spatula will help your strawberry chocolate cake look more professional.

If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!

We are a participant in both the RewardStyle and Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which are affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and through RewardStyle.