Description
This recipe delivers a bold, small-batch 6-inch cake featuring moist chocolate sponge layers and a bright, homemade strawberry jam filling. It’s finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting that perfectly balances the richness of the cocoa.
Ingredients
- 500g Strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 75g Natural Cocoa Powder
- 190g All-Purpose Flour
- Unsalted Butter
- Oil (vegetable or canola)
- 250g Cream Cheese (softened)
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Large Eggs (room temperature)
- 330g Milk
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Water (for jam)
Instructions
- In a small pot, stir together your strawberries, sugar, and water. Crank the heat to medium-high and watch it like a hawk. Once it boils, keep stirring as it transforms into a thick, jammy concentrate. You will know it is ready when you drag your spatula through and it leaves a clear path that slowly closes. Transfer this liquid gold to a bowl and chill it until it is ice cold.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two 6-inch round pans. In one bowl, whisk your flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift them if you want to be extra precise, but a good whisking usually does the trick to break up any cocoa clumps.
- Melt your butter and whisk it with the oil and both sugars. It should look like dark, gritty sand. Add the eggs one by one, beating until the mixture is smooth and glossy. This is the foundation of our moist crumb.
- Alternate adding your dry mixture and the milk into the wet ingredients. Start with dry, then milk, then dry. Mix until just combined. If you overmix, you lose the tenderness, and we want a cake, not a bread loaf. Divide the batter into the pans evenly.
- Slide those pans into the oven for 40-45 minutes. You are looking for a toothpick to come out with just a few moist crumbs. Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. They must be completely cool before the frosting touches them.
- Beat your softened butter until it is pale and creamy. Add the cream cheese and whip until they are a single, smooth force. Add the powdered sugar, your chilled homemade jam, and vanilla. It will turn a beautiful, natural pink that screams flavor.
- Level your cakes and slice them in half so you have four glorious layers. Place the first layer on a turntable. Pipe a ring of frosting around the edge to act as a dam. Fill the center with more jam and diced strawberries. Repeat until the tower is built. Crumb coat it, chill it, then finish with a final layer of frosting and swirls.
Notes
If you plan to make this cake ahead of time, the baked, cooled layers can be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for up to a month. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator before frosting. When mixing the cream cheese frosting, ensure the ingredients are cool but truly softened; if the cream cheese is too warm, the frosting will be runny. For the best flavor, allow the assembled cake to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American