Description

This Indulgent Strawberry Chocolate Shell Cake is a showstopper dessert that combines rich chocolate cake with fresh strawberries and a glossy chocolate shell. Perfect for any celebration, this cake is sure to impress your guests and leave them asking for seconds.

Ingredients

Good Quality Cocoa Powder
All-Purpose Flour
Granulated Sugar
Brown Sugar
Eggs
Buttermilk
Hot Coffee
Oil
Vanilla Extract
Fresh Ripe Strawberries
Granulated Sugar
Lemon Juice
Cornstarch
Good Quality Dark Chocolate (60-70% cocoa solids)
Heavy Cream
Butter
High-Quality Dark or Semi-Sweet Chocolate
Optional: Cocoa Butter or a small amount of neutral oil
Fresh Strawberries

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans, or line with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the room temperature eggs, buttermilk, oil, and non-alcohol vanilla extract.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix on low speed with an electric mixer until just combined. Be careful not to overmix!
Gradually add the hot coffee (or hot water) to the batter, mixing on low speed until the batter is smooth and thin.
Divide the batter evenly between your prepared cake pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cakes comes out with moist crumbs attached.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cakes are cooling, hull and finely dice your fresh strawberries.
In a medium saucepan, combine the diced strawberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries start to soften and release their juices, about 5-7 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of cold water to create a slurry. Pour this into the simmering strawberry mixture, stirring constantly.
Continue to simmer and stir for another 1-2 minutes until the mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency.
Remove from heat and transfer the strawberry filling to a clean bowl. Cover it and let it cool completely in the refrigerator.
Finely chop your good quality dark chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl.
In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until it just begins to simmer around the edges.
Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
After 5 minutes, gently whisk the mixture from the center outwards until it's completely smooth and glossy.
Stir in the unsalted butter until it's fully melted and incorporated.
Let the ganache cool at room temperature for at least 2-3 hours, or in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a spreadable frosting consistency.
Once your cake layers are completely cool, the strawberry filling is cold, and the ganache is spreadable, you're ready to assemble!
If your cake layers have domes, use a serrated knife to level them, creating flat tops.
Place one cake layer on your serving plate or cake stand. Spread about 1/2 cup of the chocolate ganache frosting evenly over the top.
Create a 'dam' around the edge of the first ganache layer using a piped ring of ganache.
Spoon the cold strawberry filling into the center of the ganache dam, spreading it evenly.
Carefully place the second cake layer on top.
Apply a very thin layer of ganache all over the entire cake (top and sides). This is your 'crumb coat,' which traps any loose crumbs.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes to firm up the crumb coat.
Once firm, apply a thicker, even layer of the remaining chocolate ganache frosting to the top and sides of the cake.
Chill the fully frosted cake in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours, or even overnight.
Place two-thirds of the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir gently until the chocolate is melted and reaches 115-120°F (46-49°C) for dark chocolate.
Remove the bowl from the heat and add the remaining one-third of chopped chocolate. Stir continuously until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture cools down to 88-91°F (31-32°C) for dark chocolate.
Place your thoroughly chilled and frosted cake on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.
Working quickly, pour the tempered chocolate over the top center of the cake, allowing it to cascade down the sides.
Allow any excess chocolate to drip off for a minute or two.
Carefully transfer the cake to a clean serving plate or back to the refrigerator for the chocolate to fully set.
Once the chocolate shell is completely set and hard, carefully transfer the cake to your final serving platter.
Decorate the top with fresh, beautiful strawberries.
Let the cake come to room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before slicing for the best flavor and texture.
Slice with a sharp, warm knife to get clean cuts through the chocolate shell.

Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 450
Sugar: 35 g
Sodium: 200 mg
Fat: 25 g
Saturated Fat: 15 g
Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 50 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 5 g
Cholesterol: 80 mg

Keywords: Quality matters, especially for the chocolate shell and fresh strawberries. Don't rush the chilling steps, as a very cold cake is essential for a stable assembly and for the chocolate shell to set beautifully.