Chocolate Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting

So this recipe was meant to be posted months ago, but never late than never, right?

A long while back, my mom's cravings for chocolate were particularly strong. Out of the blue, she told me to make chocolate cake. Gotta love spontaneous baking on a Tuesday afternoon.

Although there's a million and more recipes out there for "The Best" chocolate cake, that means something different for everyone. Some like it intensely dark and chocolate-y, some like a subtle chocolate flavor, some like it fluffy, some like it dense, and on and on. I won't say this is the best chocolate cake, but it will please anyone's sweet tooth with no doubt. 

When deciding about which recipe to use, I immediately thought about a stunning chocolate cake post I saw on The Sugar Hit. Will you JUST LOOK at the moist fluffy chocolate goodness, everything I need in a chocolate cake. I'm very indecisive and usually open like 15 different recipes before I choose one, but I was sold the moment I saw that post.

Speaking of chocolate cake, have you guys tried the chocolate cake from Urban Plates? OMFG IT IS SO GOOD. So so chocolatey, the perfect balance between dense and fluffy, and the most unbelievable vanilla and chocolate frostings. It's 11:38 PM right now and all I can think about is that sinfully delicious cake.

Although this cake doesn't quite match the level of the UP cake, it is a pretty solid chocolate cake. And it comes together in no time. The combination of strawberries and chocolate is a classic for a reason- the fresh tang of the strawberries with the sweet, rich chocolate is beyond perfection. The feather light whipped cream brings everything together into a harmonious bite of heaven. 

Strawberries are unbelievably sweet and juicy right now, so buy a gigantic box and use them for a good purpose. In my book, chocolate cake is a damn good purpose.

Recipe

Ina Garten's buttermilk chocolate cake (I halved the recipe)

Around 2 cups of heavy cream

2-4 TBSP granulated sugar

Around 1 cup of strawberries, sliced

5-6 whole strawberries for garnish

Chocolate shavings for garnish

1. Cut the cooled chocolate cake in half as even as possible. 

2. Pile on some of the whipped cream, making about a 1/2 inch layer. Layer slices of strawberries. Pile another layer of whipped cream on top of the strawberries.

3. Place the second half of the cake on top. Cover with the rest of the whipped cream. 

4. Garnish with chocolate shavings, cocoa powder, strawberries, etc.