Hey guys! Today we’re talking about a sweet little Valentine’s day treat that I’m obsessed with. It makes just one 8-inch layer of cake, so you won’t have a 20 serving cake leftover, and it’s got tons of chocolate and strawberry flavor!
I like chocolate covered strawberries and all, but I’m pretty much always going to choose cake over it in a fight… a fight about dessert that is. So let’s make it both, ok? Not only is this cake flavored with strawberry AND chocolate, but I’m topping mine with a few chocolate-dipped berries too.
This is truly one of my favorite chocolate cakes I’ve made in years. It’s super simple, but the white chocolate gets caramelized on top of the cake and the combination of flavors is insanely good! Let’s get to it!
How to Make Chocolate Strawberry Cake
This cake comes together super quickly and I like to just whisk the whole thing by hand, no need to pull out an electric mixer. We’re starting off with stirring together some oil and sugar until combined, and then adding in an egg and some vanilla extract or paste.
Then we’re stirring in the dry ingredients alternating with the milk mixture. The dry ingredients we’re using are the standard flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and then we’re adding some dark cocoa powder and some powdered freeze-dried strawberries to the mix!
The wet mixture is some strong brewed coffee and some buttermilk. Once everything is added in, you just want to stir until everything is well combined and smooth. Pour the whole thing into an 8 inch cake pan, and sprinkle on a bunch of white chocolate over the top. Then it’s off to the oven!
While your cake bakes, I like to dip 4 strawberries in some melted dark chocolate, and pop them into the fridge to set. Once the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool completely before removing from the pan and topping with your strawberries. Slice and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks For Your Chocolate Strawberry Cake
I love this cake because it’s super simple, but it packs big flavors and it’s a perfect choice for Valentine’s Day dessert! Here’s a few tips and tricks to help you out as you bake!
- Freeze dried strawberries typically do not come already powdered at the grocery store. You can find them whole in the health foods snack area of your grocery store. Then, use a small food processor or your blender to blend them into a fine powder. Target actually now sells all kinds of freeze dried fruits!
- Use dark cocoa or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. These two are actually typically the same thing- Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but a few grocery store brands label them as dark cocoa. It’s going to give your cake a deep cocoa flavor!
- Use a bar of white chocolate instead of white chocolate chips. It’s often better quality and it gives you those randomly sized small bits running throughout!
- Don’t overthink the strawberries on top. You can even just buy some if your grocery store sells them around this time of year! Or, you can top the cake with sliced strawberries and a drizzle of melted chocolate for a similar effect!
- I’m at about 5,000 feet above sea level and I find that most people who live between about 3,000 ft and 7,000 ft do not need to make any adjustments to my recipes.
- You can also bake this cake in an 8-inch loaf pan. It will take longer to bake, about 45-55 minutes, and you may need just a little less white chocolate for the top of the cake!
I hope you guys enjoy this one, and I hope you have a wonderfully fun Valentine’s day that’s full of good food and good times!
Small Chocolate Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups flour
- 1/4 cups dark cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup powdered freeze dried strawberries
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup brewed, cooled coffee
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 oz white chocolate, chopped
- 4-6 large strawberries
- 4 oz. dark chocolate
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and generously grease an 8-inch cake pan. Line the pan with parchment paper on the bottom optionally.
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In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, freeze dried strawberry powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the buttermilk and coffee and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar until combined, and then whisk in the egg and vanilla extract. Pour in about 1/3 of the flour mixture, and whisk to combined. Then add in about 1/2 of the milk mixture, and repeat until all of the flour and all of the milk has been added. Whisk until just combined and smooth.
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Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan, and sprinkle the white chocolate all over the top of the cake. Bake for 33-36 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean aside from a few flecks of melted white chocolate. The cake will be kind of bumpy and craggly with the bits of white chocolate, that's how it should be! The white chocolate will also lightly caramelize and become a light golden brown color.
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For the strawberries: Melt your chocolate, stirring frequently in the microwave until smooth. Dip your strawberries in the chocolate and place onto a plate in the fridge to set completely. You will likely have extra chocolate, but it's hard to dip the strawberries if you use less. I like to just pour the extra chocolate onto a piece of parchment paper and let it set at room temp. Then place the bar into a plastic bag and save it for another use, like cookies! Top your cooled cake with the strawberries and enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
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