Valentine’s Day Cake
User Reviews
5
Valentine’s Day Cake
Description
Valentine’s Day Cake is built on a chocolate-flavored batter using all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, natural cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and wet ingredients including buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and hot brewed coffee. The coffee intensifies the chocolate notes while keeping the cake moist and tender. Baking the batter in two 8-inch round pans results in evenly baked layers that cool to a firm texture before frosting.
The accompanying strawberry buttercream is made by creaming unsalted butter with sifted powdered sugar and mixing in seedless strawberry preserves and vanilla, with optional red gel food coloring to emphasize the pink hue. The buttercream provides a fruity sweetness and creamy texture that contrasts the chocolate layers. Adding chocolate-covered strawberries as garnish adds a decorative and tasty touch fitting for Valentine’s Day.
This cake suits celebratory occasions where a rich, chocolate strawberry dessert is desired. The layers and buttercream can be prepared in advance and assembled after chilling to ensure a clean finish. This dessert serves well as a centerpiece cake offering both chocolate depth and bright strawberry flavor.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- butter for greasing
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for pans, 225 grams
- 2 cups granulated sugar 400 grams
- 3/4 cups unsweetened natural cocoa powder 64 grams
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil fresh
- 2 egg at cool room temperature, large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract pure
- 1 cup coffee freshly brewed, hot
For the strawberry buttercream:
- 6 cups powdered sugar sifted, 750 grams
- 4 ticks butter at room temperature, unsalted, 452 grams
- 2/3 cup Strawberry Preserves seedless
- 1/2 teaspoon salt fine
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract pure
- red gel food coloring if desired
- chocolate-covered strawberries for garnish
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour 2 (8-inch) round cake pans.
- Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add in the salt and whisk to combine.
- In a large measuring cup or small bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With the mixer still on low, add the hot coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Don’t overmix, the batter should be very thin and runny.
- Divide the batter among the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. The cakes may sink slightly in the middle because they're so moist. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then carefully turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Freeze or refrigerate until firm to the touch.
For the buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes until ultra light and smooth. Add in the strawberry preserves, salt, and vanilla and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add about 1/4 teaspoon gel food coloring, if using, and beat until the buttercream is evenly colored. Add more coloring if desired.
Assemble the cake:
- Place the first cold cake layer, flat side up, on a flat surface or cake pedestal. Using an offset spatula, spread about 1/3 of the frosting all over the top of the cake, pushing it all the way past the edges.
- Place the second cake layer on top, flat side up, and spread a very thin coating of frosting all over the top and sides of the cake, to make a crumb coating. When scraping away excess frosting, be careful not to add the crumb frosting back in with the clean frosting. Freeze or refrigerate the cake until the frosting is firm.
- Once the frosting is firm, spread the remaining frosting evenly over the cake, scraping away excess frosting and smoothing imperfections with the offset spatula. Garnish with sprinkles and chocolate-covered strawberries before serving, if desired.
- The frosted cake can be stored at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 3 days.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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