Time for another birthday cake recipe! My dad's birthday was this past Thursday, and I baked him a Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake. Let me tell you, it was so good and pretty simple to make. No separating eggs or anything, and you can even make it vegan! Just use non-dairy milk when making the cake, and frost with a vegan frosting.
I frosted the cake with stabilized whipped cream frosting and decorated it with chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate drizzle. The cake is filled with the whipped cream frosting and sliced fresh strawberries.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cake
vegan
You Will Need:
2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup milk (dairy, soy, almond, coconut, etc.)
8 Tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
1 1/2 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vinegar (apple cider vinegar or white)
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk and cocoa powder. Heat the mixture until it just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and all the remaining ingredients. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, and stir until there are no clumps.
Oil two 9 inch round cake pans for a layer cake (if you want to make a sheet cake, prepare a 9x13 rectangular cake pan). Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cake feels springy in the center when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly.
Cool completely before frosting and decorating.
To Decorate:
- Make a batch of stabilized whipped cream frosting
- Make Chocolate Covered strawberries:
10 strawberries (washed and dried)
1 1/2 cup chocolate
Melt chocolate in a double boiler by placing a mixing bowl over a sauce pan with boiling water. Using a spoon, coat each strawberry with melted chocolate and place on parchment paper. Place chocolate-covered strawberries in fridge until the chocolate is completely hardened. Reserve the leftover melted chocolate to use for drizzling the cake.
- Assemble the cake
Place the first cake layer on a plate with the flat side on the bottom. Cover the cake with an even layer of whipped cream. Arrange sliced strawberries to cover the top of the cake. Place the second layer on top of the first, with the flat side facing up. Scoop the remaining whipped cream on top of the cake, and start to spread it to the edges. Carefully frost the sides of the cake, and smooth the frosting evenly on the side and the top. Use the leftover melted chocolate to drizzle on the sides and arrange the chocolate-covered strawberries on top of the cake. It's easier to drizzle the chocolate by scooping it into a ziploc bag and making a small hole in the corner of the bag.
