Dark Chocolate Cake with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream
Brownie enthusiasts will adore this chocolate cake's rich texture, while strawberry fans will cheer for the buttery icing.
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Dark Chocolate Cake with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8x2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Grease the paper; set pans aside. Bring water to boiling.
- In a very large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir to just combine with a rubber spatula, scraping down the bottom of the bowl to make sure there's no dry bits (mixture will be thick). Pour in the boiling water and stir to just combine, scraping down bottom.
- Divide batter between prepared pans, filling pans about 1/2 full (about 3 cups batter per pan). Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of each comes out clean.
- Cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Before icing, wrap cooled cakes in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Place a cake layer on serving platter. Frost layer with 2 cups buttercream. Repeat with remaining cake layers and frosting.
From the Test Kitchen
To make Ahead:
Prepare and frost cake as directed above. Loosely cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving to allow the frosting to soften. If you like, prepare cake layers. Wrap or place in freezer containers. Freeze for up 1 month. Thaw and frost as directed.
Fresh Strawberry Buttercream
Directions
- In a very large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water continually whisk egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt until sugar dissolves and mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove.
- Beat with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add butter, one Tbsp. at a time, until mixture thickens and becomes smooth and spreadable (If it begins to curdle, continue to beat, adding another piece of butter until smooth). Stir in vanilla bean seeds and vanilla.
- In a food processor or blender, blend strawberries until smooth. Press through a fine mesh sieve. Stir strained strawberry mixture into the frosting.
Nutrition Facts (Fresh Strawberry Buttercream)
- Per serving:
- 6295 kcal ,
- 553 g fat
- ( 350 g sat. fat ,
- 21 g polyunsaturated fat ,
- 143 g monounsaturated fat ),
- 1463 mg chol. ,
- 1102 mg sodium ,
- 324 g carb. ,
- 4 g fiber ,
- 316 g sugar ,
- 36 g pro.
Nutrition Facts (Dark Chocolate Cake with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream)
- Per serving:
- 739 kcal ,
- 47 g fat
- (24 g sat. fat ,
- 4 g polyunsaturated fat ,
- 16 g monounsaturated fat ),
- 128 mg chol. ,
- 478 mg sodium ,
- 77 g carb. ,
- 3 g fiber ,
- 59 g sugar ,
- 8 g pro.
Recipe Collections
Reviews (8)
mollyes
498 Days Ago
This cake was fantastic. However, the frosting recipe makes about double the amount needed. I didn't have enough butter so I cut the recipe by 1/4 and found that it still was too much frosting. Now, don't get me wrong, the frosting is DELICIOUS, so it all was eaten. I just like a ratio that is heavier on the cake and less on the frosting. As for anyone who had a problem with the frosting, it must have been an issue of following the recipe. I followed it to a "t" and it came out perfectly. I did chill it for about 10 minutes before using to make sure it could hold the weight of the cake. I had no problems with that or making it. The cake was also excellent. It had a deep chocolate flavor and a nice, dense texture.
snuffysmum
589 Days Ago
Absolutely delicious, but 1 slice is all I'm allowed, so sadly had to stop at that. (diabetic)
I do substitute ingredients to make it easier for myself, e.g. Stevia for granulated sugar and you don't use the same amount as it is very sweet.
Because the butter content was so much, again the limit I ate was small.
I do substitute ingredients to make it easier for myself, e.g. Stevia for granulated sugar and you don't use the same amount as it is very sweet.
Because the butter content was so much, again the limit I ate was small.
reedles101
507 Days Ago
Everything turned out amazing however, there seemed to be some wording issues in the directions for the buttercream. When I made it, it was necessary to beat on high to make stiff peaks and to incorporate the butter. Using words like "continue to wisk" when the last instruction had been to "beat" just made things a little more confusing.I also needed to beat in the strawberry rather than just stir it.