INGREDIENTS
Cake Ingredients:
• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups Sugar
• 1½ cups special dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1½ tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cups sour cream
• 1 cups buttermilk
• 1 cups warm water
• ½ cup Kahlua
• ½ tsp espresso powder
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:
• 2 cups unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup finely diced strawberries
• 5 – 7 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• Strawberries for topping
• 1 large piping bag fitted with star tip
• Large ice cream scooper
Chocolate Ganache:
• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 large squeeze bottle
INSTRUCTIONS
• Preheat oven to 180°c and spray/grease three 9″ cake pans.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the espresso, kahlua and the warm water until combined.
• Using your standing mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined.
• Gradually add in the eggs, sour cream, buttermilk, espresso, oil and vanilla extract until combined.
• Divide the batter between the 3 pans.
• Place in the oven to bake for 25-35 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
• Allow cakes to cool for 20 minutes.
Frosting Directions:
• Using a standing mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, diced strawberries and heavy whipping cream until creamy stiff with peaks.
• Scoop 1 Cup of frosting into the piping bag.
Assembling:
• Place 1 layer of cake onto the cake board.
• Using the ice cream scooper, scoop out 4-6 scoops of frosting
• Smooth evenly on one layer of cake.
• Place another layer of cake on top and spread more frosting.
• Place the last layer on top and frost the remaining cake with remaining frosting.
Chocolate Ganache:
• Using a small pot, heat up the heavy whipping cream until steaming.
• While heavy whipping cream is heating up, place chocolate chips into a heat-proof bowl.
• Once the heavy whipping cream is heated, pour over the chocolate chips.
• Allow to sit for 1 minute before whisking until smooth.
• Pour ganache into the squeeze bottle.
• Pipe dollops of ganache over the edge of the cake.
• Pipe dollops of frosting onto the top of the cake.
• Place strawberries into the dollops of frosting.
• Cut, serve and enjoy!
