Chocolate Strawberry Cake Done Two Ways

I recently made both of these chocolate strawberry cakes. One for my daughter’s 18th birthday. The other for my friend who was ready to give birth to her second child and needed one last girls night out before she exploded.  Or maybe that was me who felt that way. Either way, this one cake was a hit done two ways.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry S and Circle pattern Cake Topped with chocolate covered strawberries.  (A quick tip: don’t wash your strawberries. Use a wet paper towel to wipe them off. Washing them makes them break down quicker.)

I used the #22 Open Star tip and just piped a drop star pattern around the bottom of the cake. Next I went around the top of the cake with the same tip and make the zig zag pattern. Who knew one little tip could produce so many cool patterns? Next, switch out tips (you can do this if you have a couple attachment and your tips are not too big. It won’t work for the Large 2D tip but you’re not using that one for this cake anyway.)

I also gave you the quick tip in the recipe box for holding in your filling so it doesn’t leak out the side of the cake. The last thing you want is a beautiful cake that is leaking it’s contents down the sides.

Once you are switched over to #5 writing tip, simply make an S pattern and then alternated with the circular pattern. Lastly, I topped off with the chocolate covered strawberries.

It was a hit with my daughter. She loved it.

Next we move to the Hydrangea rosette cake. One of my absolute favorite patterns to make. It brings so much class to any social event. People will think you spent hours creating this, but it’s the Wilton 2D tip that does all the work for you.

To pipe the hydrangea and rosette pattern, please refer to this previous blog here. Also, that blog will instruct you on the crumb icing layer we talked about in the recipe box above.

Use the milk chocolate icing as is to do the crumb icing. You want it to be soft and smooth so it will spread easily over the cake. Try to get as smooth a surface as possible. It doesn’t have to be perfect on this one as the decorations will cover the crumb layer.

Another quick tip: Have two 2D tips on hand if possible that way you won’t have to wash the tip before using with the chocolate frosting.

Fill a piping bag with the butter cream and pipe your rosettes around the cake.

Take, the rest of the milk chocolate icing and add confectioners sugar until you get a stiff but creamy consistency. You don’t want the icing so soft that it begins to melt in the bag from the warmth of your hand. It need a stiff consistency to hold its shape.

Fill a piping bag with chocolate frosting and pipe hydrangea pattern on top of cake. Every so often stop and apply your pink sugar pearls to center of the flowers with a pair of tweezers. If the cake begins to stiffen the pearls won’t take as well.

Once top is done begin on bottom of cake sides and move with rows of the pattern. Don’t forget to stop and add your pearls.  Or you can choose to leave them off.

Done. Now stand back and look at what you created! All by yourself!

Ready to box it up and take to that special event? This one’s headed to GNO (Girls Night Out.) What’s better than getting a homemade cake made with love? Eating it!

I invite you to come back and share a link or picture if you try one or both. I love seeing other readers’ creations.

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Sherri at The Kitchen Prescription (dot) com

Prep time: 1 hour

Cook time: 50 mins

Total time: 1 hour 50 mins

Serves: 6-10

This is one great cake done two ways.

Ingredients

• CHOCOLATE CAKE:
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 package Chocolate Jell-O Pudding
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (Hershey’s )
• 1 stick salted butter room temperature
• 1 cup warm milk (microwave for 40 seconds)
• 1 egg room temp (soak in warm water for a minute or two)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• STRAWBERRY FILLING:
• 1 container ripe fresh strawberries
• Baker’s Milk Chocolate Discs if you are making the chocolate covered strawberry cake
• 1 jar strawberry preserves
• FROSTING:
• 2 Cans Duncan Hines Milk Chocolate canned frosting
• Wilton pink sugar pearls
• BUTTER CREAM FROSTING
• 3 tablespoons room temperature butter
• 2 teaspoons soft cream cheese
• 2-3 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
• 4-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (always use least amount of cream and add more if you feel frosting is too dry or stiff this requires practice to get it to your liking, consistency, and taste)
• Wilton Rose Food Coloring gel/paste (I use toothpick to apply to frosting)
• OTHER TOOLS NEEDED
• Wilton 2D Large Drop Flower Tip
• Wilton #5 Writing Tip
• Wilton #22 Open Star Tip
• Disposable piping bags
• Small metal spatula
• 9″ round cake pan
• Large serrated knife
• Patience (haha. A little TKP humor there)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
2. Spray one 9″ round cake pan with non stick spray and lightly dust with flour
3. Mix butter in stand mixer or with hand mixer on med speed until it has a frosting like consistency
4. Add dry ingredients
5. Add wet ingredient and mix well until all lumps are out.
6. Pour batter into cake pan. Should be 2/3 full
7. Bake at 350 for about 40-50 minutes (the pudding mix will take this batter longer to bake so keep a close eye on it. Don’t over bake and do your toothpick test)
8. Cool cake (I put mine in freezer for about 20 minutes)
9. While cake is cooling make BUTTER CREAM FROSTING
10. Whip butter and cream cheese in stand mixer (or with hand mixer in bow)
11. Add a cup of confectioners sugar one at a time
12. Add strawberry extract and a couple of tablespoons of whipping cream
13. Mix
14. You may not need all of the confectioners sugar or whipping cream. Just try to get a stiff but creamy consistency. Don’t be afraid to get those fingers in there and taste.
15. Add a little rose gel to frosting and mix on low until mixed well and you have the color you desire
16. Cover with plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
17. Slice cake in half with serrated knife
18. Carefully lift off with the knife and spatula. Place aside for later use.
19. Take enough Duncan Hines mild chocolate frosting out of the container to pipe a circle damn around the top edge of cake. Put in small bowl and add a few tables spoons confectioners sugars to stiffen up frosting.
20. Mix with small flat metal spatula
21. Put in piping bag with 2D tip and pipe a circle damn around outer edges of top (this will help hold in your filling so it doesn’t leak out of the sides)
22. Spoon on jar of preserves in middle and spread
23. Place a layer of sliced strawberries on top of preserves.
24. Place cake top carefully back on top.
25. Do a crumb icing and smooth as flat as possible with spatula
26. Now you are ready for to decorate. (this is the fun part!)