Ingredients
Chocolate Cake Layers
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup oil
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup hot coffee or hot water
Strawberry Filling
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, diced
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
Cheesecake Whipped Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Topping
- Fresh strawberries
- Powdered sugar
- Extra whipped cream
Instructions
1. Bake the Chocolate Cake
Preheat oven to:
- 350°F (175°C)
Grease and line two 8-inch cake pans.
Mix dry ingredients together.
Add:
- eggs
- buttermilk
- oil
- vanilla
Mix until smooth.
Slowly stir in hot coffee/water.
Batter will be thin.
Bake:
- 28–35 minutes
Cool completely.
2. Make Strawberry Filling
In saucepan combine:
- strawberries
- sugar
- lemon juice
Cook 5 minutes.
Mix cornstarch + water.
Stir into strawberries.
Simmer until thickened.
Cool completely.
3. Make Cheesecake Whipped Filling
Beat cream cheese until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
In separate bowl whip heavy cream to stiff peaks.
Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture gently.
Chill 20 minutes.
4. Assemble the Cake
Place first cake layer down.
Spread:
- cheesecake filling
- strawberry filling
Repeat with second layer.
Cover top with more cheesecake cream.
Pipe whipped cream around edges if desired.
Top with sliced strawberries.
Dust lightly with powdered sugar.
Chill Before Serving
Refrigerate:
- at least 4 hours
- overnight is best
This helps the layers set cleanly like the photo.
Optional Upgrades
You can add:
- strawberry jam between layers
- chocolate ganache drizzle
- crushed freeze-dried strawberries
- mascarpone cheese for richer filling
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 4 days
- Best served cold
