Chocolate Strawberry Cake

Strawberry chocolate cake is a simple and decadent springtime treat!

Loaded with juicy strawberries, this easy chocolate cake recipe is great for any special occasion or day of the week.

A bit like chocolate covered strawberries in cake form, this decadent dessert is a great way to celebrate the season.

There’s never a bad time for delicious cake, after all, and when we can make it with fresh local ingredients so much the better!

A Simple Cake Recipe

There’s really nothing very special about the ingredients or technique here. It’s truly easy to pull together and not that much more difficult or time consuming than a boxed cake mix from the grocery store but I promise it tastes so much better.

Do use a good cocoa powder so that you do indeed get a rich chocolate cake in the end. Use a dark cocoa powder if you have it for a darker overall chocolate flavor.

Use fresh strawberries that are tasty to eat. If they are bland eaten raw, they won’t be better in the cake. As always, I recommend looking and supporting local folks first and foremost. Go berry picking if you have time!

Do chop the strawberries rather than slice them so that they get distributed throughout the entire cake well.

I kept the recipe as a single, thick layer for ease. You could slice the cake in half for a layer cake, if desired. The great thing about baking in a springform pan is that it’s super easy to get onto a serving plate and keeps everything quite compact.

Optional Additions

The recipe as written results in a great cake. However, if you want to add some extras to it:

Stir in up to 1 cup of chocolate chips into the batter. The mini chocolate chips would be especially nice but go with whatever you prefer or have on hand.

Use other fresh berries or a combination to equal the 1 1/2 cups for a mixed berry version.

Add up to 1 teaspoon of ground spice like cinnamon or ginger, for a little kick.

The Frosting

I wanted to keep playing with the chocolate covered strawberry theme with this cake so I made a strawberry cream cheese frosting. It’s rich and creamy, sweet and perfectly flavored.

Do puree the strawberries in a blender or food processor, this way you will get a mostly smooth frosting. I didn’t worry about the seeds but you could press it through a fine mesh sieve to remove those if you wanted too.

The chocolate lovers might prefer a simple chocolate ganache poured over the cake instead. It would be something amazing.

Honestly though, you could use whatever frosting you prefer – vanilla, chocolate, etc.

Decorating the Cake

I tend to keep decorating desserts pretty darn simple most of the time. In this case, I kept the frosting a bit on the loose side and poured it on the top, then just gently spread it to the edge and letting it drip down the sides of the cake.

You could, of course, frost the tops and sides in a more traditional fashion.

Give the cake an extra special look for birthdays or celebrations by putting chocolate dipped strawberries on top of the frosting.

Let the frosting harden up in the fridge for a bit and then drizzle the cake with some melted chocolate for a beautiful flourish.

You could skip the frosting and simply dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

How to Serve

Keep it simple and just serve slices with a variety of beverage choices.

Because this is a fluffy chocolate cake, the texture will absorb some ice cream quite nicely. Serve slices with a big scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Skip the frosting completely if desired and serve slices with fresh whipped cream and some extra sliced berries in a kind of take on strawberry shortcake.

How to Store

Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where this moist chocolate cake should stay fresh for 3 days.

For longer term storage, the cake does freeze well. Simply put leftovers in a freezer container or wrap with plastic wrap and freeze.

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Let frozen slices thaw in the fridge prior to serving.

Use up any frozen cake within 6 months for best flavor and to prevent freezer burn.

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