Moist Strawberry Chocolate Cake

See in this video video how I make the cake.

For the chocolate layer cake preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line two 18cm/6inch cake pans with parchment paper.

Whisk eggs, vanilla extract, oil and buttermilk in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients except for the coffee, beat well. Lastly add the coffee. The batter will be thin. Pour into prepared cake pans. If you only have one, you will have to bake one after the other. Chill the second half in the fridge while you bake the first batch. Baking time is about 45min, an inserted tooth pick should come out clean. Cool and release from cake pan.

For the strawberry filling bring the frozen strawberries with the sugar to a boil and cook for a few minutes until soft. Puree the mixture until smooth. Stir in the cornstarch with a bit of water in a mug and add to the strawberries. While stirring, cook for another minute until it thickens. Let cool. Meanwhile beat the butter for about 5-10 minutes until much lighter in color and fluffy. Slowly add the strawberry mixture by the spoonful. Combine thoroughly. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined, set aside.

Now we will assemble the cake. For this first take off any dome of your cake layers and cut in the middle so that you have four even cake layers. Divide the strawberry cream in fourths and evenly spread one fourth on the first cake layer (this was three heaping tablespoons for me). Place the second cake layer on top and repeat the procedure, do it again with the third layer. Place the fourth layer upside down so that you have an even and straight finish. Place three tablespoons from the strawberry cream in a piping bag with an open tip. Frost the cake with the remaining cream. You should have enough to do the semi-naked style, which means that you will still see a bit from the chocolate cake layers. Chill the cake for at least half an hour.

For decoration melt the chocolate with oil on low heat and let cool a little. Using a spoon, first create the chocolate drips. It is of utmost importance that your cake is chilled so that the drips will not go to the bottom of the cake. Spread a thin layer of melted chocolate in the middle. You should still have enough chocolate to dip your washed and patted dry strawberries it it. I let my strawberries cool on some parchment paper. Pipe circles on your cake and place into each a strawberry (see also picture). If properly chilled, the cake will keep for a few days.