About This Chocolate Strawberry Snack Cake
This chocolate strawberry snack cake is made with a light and fluffy chocolate cake topped off with tangy strawberry cream cheese frosting. The frosting is made with freeze-dried strawberries for extra flavor and color! The best part? The cake is made in an 8 x 8-inch square cake pan, making it perfect for a small celebration.
For more quick and easy single layer cake recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my Cake Recipe collection! Popular recipes include this Texas Sheet Cake Recipe for 9 x 13 Inch Pan and this Soft and Fluffy Snickerdoodle Cake.
Why You Should Make The Recipe
This chocolate strawberry cake recipe comes together quickly… like, box mix quick.
The chocolate cake recipe is adapted from my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. And because my book is all about baking fast recipes on a weeknight, this chocolate cake recipe comes together really, really quickly.
The recipe doesn’t require an electric mixer of any kind. Instead, simply whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet ingredients in another, then whisk it all together by hand. Making the batter for the cake literally only takes 5 minutes, tops.
Similarly, making the strawberry cream cheese frosting only takes 5 minutes, too! And because it is a simple snack cake with no layers, there’s no complicated frosting and assembling process. You’ll be in and out of the kitchen (eating this cake) in no time at all.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make this chocolate strawberry cake recipe, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:
Shopping List
- cake flour
- granulated sugar
- cocoa powder
- baking soda
- baking powder
- kosher salt
- buttermilk
- virgin (unrefined) coconut oil
- pure vanilla extract
- coffee
- unsalted butter
- cream cheese
- confectioners’ sugar
- freeze-dried strawberries
And let’s talk about some of its key ingredients:
Ingredient Sources And Substitutions
- Cake Flour. No cake flour? No problem. Check out my recipe for Homemade Cake Flour using common pantry ingredients like all-purpose flour and cornstarch!
- Cocoa Powder. Cocoa powder, when used in baking recipes, often comes in two varieties: natural unsweetened, and Dutch-processed. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is natural unsweetened cocoa powder that’s been treated with alkaline to neutralize its acidity, giving it a darker color and milder flavor similar to Oreo cookies. Either type of cocoa powder works in this recipe!
- Kosher Salt. Kosher salt is the best salt for baking recipes—learn more in my post! In a pinch, you can replace it with table salt. Just use half the amount listed in the recipe.
- Buttermilk. You can make buttermilk at home with milk or yogurt and common pantry ingredients like lemons, vinegar, and more. Check out my post on How To Make Buttermilk Substitutes with what you already have!
- Coconut Oil. You can use whatever type of oil you have on hand, whether it’s refined coconut oil or something else like canola oil, grapeseed oil, or vegetable oil. However, if you substitute out the coconut oil with one of the neutral flavored oils I mentioned, your cake will lose its subtle coconut flavor.
- Coffee. Don’t drink caffeine? Replace the hot coffee with the same amount of hot water. Your cake will just taste less chocolatey if you do.
- Cream Cheese. Use full fat cream cheese for the best tasting frosting.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries. Freeze-drying fruit helps preserve its nutrients and concentrates the fruit’s flavor. After the fruit has been freeze-dried, they look like smaller, shrunken, and dry version of themselves. In baking, using freeze-dried fruit is a great way to add a lot of flavor and the sweetness of fruit without any of its moisture.
In the US, more and more supermarkets are starting to carry freeze-dried fruit. Both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market offer a variety of different freeze-dried fruits in their dried fruit and nut aisle. Most recently, I saw Target offer freeze-dried strawberries as part of their new Good & Gather brand. However, you can also buy freeze-dried strawberries online on Amazon. I recommend the Natierra brand.
How To Make Chocolate Strawberry Snack Cake
Here are the basic steps to make chocolate strawberry cake from scratch:
First, prep your ingredients for the chocolate strawberry cake.
- Prep your ingredients for the chocolate cake. (Prep Time: 5 to 10 minutes)
If making coffee from scratch, I recommend making the coffee first. You can then measure out the rest of the ingredients as the coffee brews. I also recommend prepping the coconut oil first (if necessary—if it’s a warm day, it might already be liquid) by melting it and giving it a chance to cool slightly before using in the recipe. - Make the cake batter. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
Thankfully, making the cake batter is an easy process. Simply whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then the wet ingredients (with the exception of the coffee) in a large bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine, then whisk in the coffee. That’s it! - Bake the cake. (Bake Time: 30 minutes)
Divide the cake between three 8-inch round cake pans and bake for 30 to 32 minutes. Note that you’ll need to wait for the cake to cool completely before frosting. Be sure to check out my baker’s tips below on how to make this recipe fit into your schedule!
Next, make the strawberry cream cheese frosting.
- Prep your ingredients for the frosting. (Prep Time: 5 minutes)
When making frosting, it’s especially important to make sure to bring your butter and cream cheese to room temperature. Cold butter makes lumpy frosting that is difficult to frost and riddled with bumps! Similarly, don’t forget to sift your confectioners’ sugar. Unsifted confectioners’ sugar also makes bumpy frosting. - Make the frosting. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
The strawberry cream cheese frosting is a simple frosting that comes together quickly. Simply beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy, then add the confectioners’ sugar, finely processed freeze-dried strawberry powder, and salt. Beat until light and fluffy! - Frost and assemble the chocolate strawberry cake. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
Simple snack cakes like this one are my favorite type of cake to make because they are so fast and easy to assemble. Simply scoop the frosting on top of the cooled cake and use an offset spatula to swoop and swirl it around on top of the cake. Don’t forget to garnish with sprinkles.
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
Can I bake this chocolate coffee cake recipe in a 9-inch square cake pan instead of an 8-inch square pan?
Yes! Just note that using 9-inch square pan will result in a thinner cake. I also recommend checking for doneness 5 to 10 minutes earlier than the Bake Time listed in the recipe.
Help! I don’t have a food processor to process the freeze-dried strawberries. What can I use instead?
No food processor? No problem. Use the following alternatives below instead:
- A blender. Place the strawberries in a blender and blend until you’re left with a fine, red powder with no strawberry pieces bigger than ⅛-inch pieces. Note that this alternative works best with a smaller blender like a NutriBullet.
- A manual or electric spice grinder. Manual spice grinders are typically operated with a crank—simply place the ingredient in the grinder, and turn the crank to grind it. This is the one I own. It’s fine, but I much prefer this electric spice grinder by Cuisinart. It is specifically made for grinding herbs and spices, and it is an absolute BEAST. It is so much less work than a manual spice grinder. I can have things like nutmeg, tonka beans, and cinnamon sticks fully powdered in less than 5 seconds. However, it doesn’t have the best ratings on Amazon. Why? The spice grinder bowl has a tendency to get stuck. Just make sure to store the machine disassembled and it shouldn’t be a problem!
- A mortar and pestle. When all else fails, go old school with a mortar and pestle. However, this is definitely the most labor intensive route of all the options.
Just note that the tools above will likely add more Work Time to the recipe. A food processor really is the most efficient way to grind the strawberries!
Help! I made the chocolate cake but the center of the cake baked up weird. It’s not smooth, and instead looks like it bubbled and is bumpy. What did I do wrong?
First things first, don’t panic! Your cake will still taste good, I promise. That texture is the result of undermixing the cake after you’ve added the coffee. For best results, be sure to mix the recipe for the full 2 to 3 minutes described in the recipe. Doing so results in a smooth cake top.
Second, the cake is perfectly fine to eat. Simply cover the bumpy top with frosting. Alternatively, you can turn out the cake onto a serving platter. The bottom of the cake will be perfectly smooth and perfect for frosting!
Can you freeze chocolate strawberry cake?
Yes! You can freeze the baked, unfrosted chocolate strawberry cake. Follow the recipe instructions for making and baking the chocolate cake. Once the cake has cooled, tightly wrap the entire cake in a sheet of plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw the cake at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. Make the strawberry cream cheese frosting and serve.
You can also freeze any leftover, frosted slices of chocolate strawberry cake. Place the frosted cake in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, just enough for the frosting to stiffen. Once the frosting is stiff, carefully wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Best Recipe Tips
Cake Making Tips
- For this cake recipe, it’s especially important to add the coffee while it’s still hot (almost boiling, if possible!). The hot coffee will bloom the cocoa powder in the recipe, giving it a deeper flavor and an extra-dark color that’s signature to this cake.
- For this cake recipe, it’s especially important to add the coffee while it’s still hot (almost boiling, if possible!). The hot coffee will bloom the cocoa powder in the recipe, giving it a deeper flavor and an extra-dark color that’s signature to this cake.
Frosting Making Tips
- The strawberry cream cheese frosting gets more flavorful with time. That’s because the moisture from the butter and cream cheese slowly hydrate the freeze-dried strawberry powder, making it more flavorful. For best results, I recommend making the strawberry cream cheese frosting a day or so ahead of the chocolate cake itself. Store the strawberry cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the cake. Before assembling the cake, beat the frosting on medium-high speed until light and creamy once more, 2 to 3 minutes.
- The recipe for strawberry cream cheese frosting makes enough to generously frost the top of the cake and its sides, too. Although I didn’t do this for the blog post photos, I recommend turning out the cake onto a serving platter and frosting its top and sides. Doing so makes it easier to slice and serve the cake!
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Strawberry Snack Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) cake flour
- 1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (1 ounce or 28 grams) natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted if lumpy
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) buttermilk
- ¼ cup (2 ounces or 57 grams) virgin (unrefined) coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) boiling hot coffee
For the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (8 ounces or 227 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted
- ½ cup (.30 ounces or 8 grams) freeze-dried strawberries, finely processed
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
For the Chocolate Strawberry Snack Cake
- First, make the chocolate cake. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously spray an 8 x 8-inch square pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Spray the parchment, too.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients until just combined. Slowly pour in the coffee. The batter will be fairly runny; use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Use the rubber spatula to finish mixing until smooth and well combined, 2 to 3 minutes more.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth its top if necessary.
- Bake the cake. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. When done, the top of the cake should bounce back when gently pressed and a skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely in the pans on a wire rack before frosting.
- Once the cake is cool, make the strawberry cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla on medium-low until soft and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, and salt and beat until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on medium-high until the frosting is creamy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Assemble the chocolate strawberry snack cake. Use an offset spatula to cover the top of the cake with the frosting completely. Garnish with sprinkles.
- Serve and store. Serve at room temperature. The cake will keep in an airtight container for 1 day. After that, transfer to the refrigerator and refrigerate for up to 2 more days.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
This recipe looks really great, I have to try it right away with my kids, thanks.
amazing frosting and great tips!
Can’t wait to try this chocolate strawberry cake – both are my favorite flavor. Thanks so much for this recipe.
I am at high-altitude, so I tried to make some adjustments based on other tried-and-true recipes (which I got from you when you posted high-altitude recipes). Unfortunately, the cake didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped. My son called it “too chewy” but he did eat an entire piece. 🙂 The flavor of the cake was wonderful, and the frosting was seriously amazing! The texture of the cake just wasn’t quite right – even though it was definitely still edible. I used all of the ingredients exactly, but I increased the cake flour to 1 C + 2 tbsp, decreased the sugar to a scant 1 C, and decreased the baking soda to 3/4 tsp. I also added about 1 tbsp more of coffee and increased the oven temp to 365. It took exactly 30 minutes to bounce back. I’m not sure what I need to adjust, but I definitely plan to try again! Many of your high-altitude cupcake recipes have become regulars in my home over the last several years, so I am determined to figure this out.
Can I make this into cupcakes?
Yes! I think the cake will make about 20 cupcakes; you’ll need to bake them for 20 minutes.