Disholicious

Last weekend was my son, Liam’s, sixth birthday. I asked him what kind of cake he wanted and if he wanted me to buy it or to make him one. Well, he not only wanted me to make it, but he also wanted to search through my cake recipes to find the exact one he’d want. He chose this chocolate covered strawberry layer cake by Everyday Annie. To be honest, I wasn’t totally surprised since chocolate and strawberries are two of his favorite things. Fortunately the cake turned out great!

(Photo by Everday Annie)

I made the cake layers the day before his birthday and the house smelled amazing. Bill even said something about it when he got home from work. The cake is deep chocolate and it’s so moist. I honestly could have had a slice with just a cup of coffee and nothing on it. It was so tempting not to just dive right into the cake. Though I maintained my willpower and put it away. Remember, if you make the cake ahead of time, be sure to let it cool completely before wrapping the cake up in plastic wrap and a bit of tin foil to keep it fresh. I kept my cakes wrapped and on the counter since I was going to be assembling the cake the very next morning.

The day of his birthday, I made the strawberry buttercream frosting, the chocolate ganache, and the chocolate covered strawberries as soon as I got up. I did all of that while Bill was quickly making us breakfast and running around trying to get the boys ready for Liam’s party. I actually got the cake done just as we were about to walk out the door with it. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to photograph the cake before we left, so I share with you the pictures that were taken at Chuck E. Cheese (oh and one picture from Everyday Annie so you can see a beautiful upclose of the cake. My hat’s off to her and her gorgeous photo).

This cake was a big hit with our guests. I felt a little cheesy when they brought it out, to be honest, because all of the other parties had a store bought cake and out came my homemade creation. But as soon as we lit Liam’s sparkler candle, all eyes were on my cake. Everyone couldn’t say enough great things about it. By the time we left, all of the cake was gone. This is definitely a cake I’ll be making again.

CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRY LAYER CAKE

Serves: About 16

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake

• 1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp (9 3/8 oz) all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups (4½ oz) unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pans
• 1 tbsp instant espresso or coffee powder
• 1½ cups boiling water
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2½ cups plus 2 tbsp (18 3/8 oz) sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1¼ tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt

For the strawberry buttercream

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped, divided
• 4 large egg whites
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 3 sticks (1½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the chocolate ganache and garnish

• 12 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 12 whole strawberries, rinsed and dried

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Butter the edges of 3 8-inch round cake pans and dust with cocoa powder, shaking out the excess.  Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, espresso powder, and boiling water.  Whisk until smooth; set aside to cool slightly.  When cooled down a bit, whisk in the sour cream and vanilla.  Set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Gradually blend in the sugar and whip on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes more.  Blend in the eggs one at a time.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; whisk to blend.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the sour cream mixture, beating each addition just until incorporated.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.  Bake the cake layers for about 30-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans during halfway through to ensure even baking.  Transfer the baked cake layers to a wire rack and let cool in the pans at least 30 minutes before inverting onto the rack to cool completely.
3. To make the frosting, place half of the strawberries in a food processor or blender.  Puree until completely smooth.  Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.  (The bowl should be cool to the touch.)  Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (or longer – don’t worry, it will come together!)  Blend in the strawberry puree until smooth and completely incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Once the frosting is fully blended and smooth, fold in the remaining half of the coarsely chopped strawberry.
4. To make the ganache, place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.  Bring the cream to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.  Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand about 2 minutes.  Whisk together until the chocolate fully melts and a smooth ganache is formed.  Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
5. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper.  Dip the whole strawberries in the ganache to coat evenly and transfer to the baking sheet.  Let stand at room temperature until the ganache has set (or transfer the to refrigerator to speed up the process.)  If desired, drizzle with a contrasting chocolate such as milk chocolate or white chocolate.
6. To assemble the cake, place one of the cake layers on a cake board or serving platter.  Spread about one third of the strawberry frosting in a smooth layer on top of the cake.  Spread a thin layer of the ganache over the strawberry frosting.  Top with a second cake layer, followed by another layer of the frosting and ganache.  Repeat once more with the remaining cake layer.  Once the ganache has been spread on top, place the chocolate covered strawberries around the perimeter of the cake.  Chill and allow the ganache to set fully.

 

 

Recipe by Everyday Annie