This is no doubt an impressive and beautiful cake! I’m sure your loved ones and your guests will love the presentation and the taste of this Kahlua-soaked, moist cake topped with heavenly strawberry buttercream and a drizzle of ganache. Enjoy by itself or top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
Cake:
3 cups flour
3 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups special dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large Eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup warm water
1/2 c. Kahlua
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 cup. canola oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:
2 cups unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
6 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely diced strawberries
5-7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Strawberries for topping
1 large piping bag fitted with a star tip
Large ice cream scooper
Chocolate Ganache:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large squeeze bottle
How to make Chocolate Kahlua Cake with Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Step 1: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 350 degrees. Using pam baking spray, grease three 9-inches cake pans.
Step 2: Whisk the espresso, Kahlua, and warm water in a small bowl.
Step 3: Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt with a standing mixer until well mixed. Slowly add in the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, espresso, oil, and vanilla extract, mixing well.
Step 4: Between the three pans, divide the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven when done and let the cakes cool for at least 20 minutes.
Frosting:
Step 1: Cream the butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, diced strawberries, and heavy whipping cream with a standing mixer until well mixed, creamy, and stiff peaks form.
Step 2: Into the piping bag, scoop a cup of frosting.
To build the cake:
Step 1: Onto the cake board, put 1 cake layer.
Step 2: Scoop out 4 to 6 scoops of frosting using an ice cream scooper. Evenly smooth the frosting on the cake. Top with the second cake layer and spread more frosting. Then, add the final cake layer on top and frost with the rest of the frosting.
Chocolate ganache:
Step 1: Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small pot until steaming.
Step 2: In the meantime, put the chocolate chips into a heat-proof bowl. Pour the heated heavy whipping cream over the chocolate chips. Let it sit for about a minute, then whisk until smooth.
Step 3: Into a squeeze bottle, pour the ganache and pipe dollops on the edges of the cake. On top of the cake, pipe dollops of frosting, then top with strawberries.
Step 4: Slice the cake and serve. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- Cake:
- 3 cups flour
- 3 cups Sugar
- 1 1/2 cups special dark chocolate cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large Eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/2 c. Kahlua
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/2 cup. canola oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:
- 2 cups unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup finely diced strawberries
- 5-7 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- Strawberries for topping
- 1 large piping bag fitted with a star tip
- Large ice cream scooper
- Chocolate Ganache:
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 large squeeze bottle
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 350 degrees. Using pam baking spray, grease three 9-inches cake pans.
Step 2: Whisk the espresso, Kahlua, and warm water in a small bowl.
Step 3: Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt with a standing mixer until well mixed. Slowly add in the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, espresso, oil, and vanilla extract, mixing well.
Step 4: Between the three pans, divide the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven when done and let the cakes cool for at least 20 minutes.
Frosting:
Step 1: Cream the butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, diced strawberries, and heavy whipping cream with a standing mixer until well mixed, creamy, and stiff peaks form.
Step 2: Into the piping bag, scoop a cup of frosting.
To build the cake:
Step 1: Onto the cake board, put 1 cake layer.
Step 2: Scoop out 4 to 6 scoops of frosting using an ice cream scooper. Evenly smooth the frosting on the cake. Top with the second cake layer and spread more frosting. Then, add the final cake layer on top and frost with the rest of the frosting.
Chocolate ganache:
Step 1: Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small pot until steaming.
Step 2: In the meantime, put the chocolate chips into a heat-proof bowl. Pour the heated heavy whipping cream over the chocolate chips. Let it sit for about a minute, then whisk until smooth.
Step 3: Into a squeeze bottle, pour the ganache and pipe dollops on the edges of the cake. On top of the cake, pipe dollops of frosting, then top with strawberries.
Step 4: Slice the cake and serve. Enjoy!
