Trending

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake | La Pêche Fraîche

“As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts
Oh, the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms
Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night?
For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt.”

—Mumford and Sons, Winter Winds

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake | La Pêche Fraîche

Current mood: ecstatic.
Reasons: Game of Thrones Season 5 trailer was released.
The Game of Thrones Season 5 trailer was released two days ago and I have watched it 19 and a half times.
Despite the half foot of snow that smothered Chicago on Sunday and the reading and pset sitting in my “to-do” pile, I am very, very happy.

(I just watched episode 2 of season 1 for, incidentally, the 19th time…  Am I obsessed yet?  Yes.)

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake | La Pêche Fraîche

If you’re anywhere on Pinterest or instagram (hey, you! Go follow me. The link in under that picture –> over there), you know about the naked cake boom that has been taking over weddings, pastry, and the food-blogosphere.
They’re trending.
#nakedcake

What is a naked cake?  It’s a cake whose layers show through the (minimal) frosting.  They’re often topped with berries or flowers, and they are so so so pretty as big tiered towers.

Here, check out this beautiful board of cakes.  OMg.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake | La Pêche Fraîche

I thought a ~naked~ cake would be perfect for Valentine’s day.
Did I just say that?  Oh, God.  I was joking.
(My dearest father is cringing somewhere.  Sorry family.)

This is the first one I made.
I learned some lessons along the way.

First, choose a sturdy cake.  You don’t want a ton of crumbs.
Second, also use a thick, sturdy frosting.  You want it to hold up even in a fairly thin layer.
Third, berries always look amazing on top of a cake.  And they would be delicious inside of the cake, provided that you don’t have a roommate who is averse to fruit.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake | La Pêche Fraîche

The cake base for this cake is my absolute go-to chocolate cake; it’s a recipe I’ve been working on and modifying slightly as time progresses. It’s perfectly moist and finely-crumbed while staying sturdy and not falling apart.
It slices like a marvel and is deeply chocolaty with a hint of balancing salt and a firm bite.

The frosting is a traditional American buttercream with a twist: a touch of goat cheese gives it creamy tang, with an earthiness that pairs well with cocoa.  A touch of cream keeps it soft and spreadable, and a shower of powdered sugar plays the foil to the deep, damp cake.

The chocolate covered strawberries on top make the cake extra special, and seriously…
Who doesn’t love chocolate covered strawberries?! 
They make pretty much anything that much better.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake | La Pêche Fraîche

For my first naked cake, I’m pleased with how it turned out.
Soon, I want to try a vanilla cake so I can frost it even more sparsely (less worry about dark crumbs).

Also, after I just wrote that, I realized I have made one naked cake before: this rouge-fruited beauty.

Anyways, in keeping with the February spirit aka oh-god-it’s-almost-Valentine’s-day panic, I’m leaving you with this cake.
It’s got chocolate, and cheese, and chocolate-covered strawberries; it’s naked and surprising; it will win over any Valentine whom you desire*.
*results may vary

xx

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake | La Pêche Fraîche

Chocolate Cake with Goat Cheese Frosting (and Chocolate Covered Strawberries)
makes 1 6-inch 3-layer cake

ingredients:
for the chocolate cake:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup hot water
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

for the goat cheese frosting:
8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, soft
3 ounces soft goat cheese, warmed to room temp
1/4-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
3-4 cups confectioner’s sugar, to taste
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream

for the chocolate drizzled/covered strawberries:
8 ounces strawberries, smaller is better
3 ounces dark chocolate
(sliced strawberries, optional, for between the layers)

directions:
Make the cake: preheat oven to 350 degrees F and butter and flour 3 6-inch round pans.
Whisk the oil, sugar, salt, and egg together vigorously until lighter in color and fully homogeneous.
Whisk the cocoa powder and vanilla extract into the hot water, then slowly stream it into the sugar mixture while whisking quickly.
Dump the flour on top of the batter and the baking soda on top of the flour.
Gently beat/stir to incorporate all of the flour evenly.
Portion batter out into prepared pans (you may have a little extra).
Bake for 18-22 minutes, until the tops are springy and a tester comes out nearly clean.
Allow to cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting: beat the butter on high speed for 5 minutes, until super fluffy and light.
Beat in the goat cheese and salt until completely homogenized.
Sift the confectioner’s sugar over the butter and cheese and slowly stir to combine; increase speed until completely mixed in and the frosting is fluffy.
Pour in cream 1 tablespoon at a time while whipping at high speed until the frosting is a pipeable consistency.
To frost the cake, place 1/3-1/2 cup frosting between each of the layers, then use the remaining frosting to crumb coat/frost the outside and top of the naked cake (optional: layer sliced strawberries over the frosting between the layers).
To make the chocolate covered strawberries, melt the chocolate over low heat, either over a bain marie or in a microwave.
When 3/4 of the way melted, whisk vigorously until the rest of the chocolate is melted and is shiny and smooth.
Dip or drizzle the strawberries as desired (do this over a piece of parchment paper).
Allow to cool and harden completely, then top the cake with the strawberries.

22 comments

  1. Loveee. So gorgeous. Not to mention that goat cheese in frosting sounds absolutely delicious!

    1. Thanks so much Michelle!! I do love a not-too-sweet frosting!

  2. You win. (I win?) I have been looking for just the right recipe to make for Valentine’s Day, and this is the one. Chocolate and goat cheese and berries? Can. Not. Wait. 🙂

    1. Spring, I’m so glad! We both win 😉 Let me know how it goes if you try it!

    1. Thank you Erin! xx

  3. Every time I visit Rachel, your baking talents blow me away. This cake is BEAUTIFUL!

    1. Thanks so much Thalia! You are the sweetest—what a great compliment coming from someone as talented as you! xx

  4. You did an amazing job with your first naked cake. My first go at it. . .I used a cake that was way to “crumby”. . .so very impressive that you nailed it on the first stab. Love that you snuck is some goat cheese as a twist.

    1. Thank you Lynn! I do love cheese, any excuse for it in a dessert is fine by me! xx

  5. What a beautiful cake! I love the way you decorated it 🙂

    1. Thank you so much June!! xx

  6. This cake is GORGEOUS!!! Can’t believe it’s your first naked cake–looks perfect. And that goat cheese frosting sounds amazing!!

    1. Thanks so much Alana!! xx

  7. […] this most recent chocolate covered strawberry delight this red-berry strewn cake, accompanied by my favorite poem these pink and red cakelets, fluffy and elegant or, for a chocolate fix, these sexy, whole-wheat (didn’t think those could go together? Think again.) brownies with glossy ganache or, for a French dessert fix, these petites Madeleines, soaked in tart lemon syrup, sticky and dense and delectable. […]

  8. This is not a naked cake. This is “semi-naked cake”…

    1. Iva—up to interpretation!

  9. Hi! The cake looks gorgeous and I cannot wait to try it. I the picture the cake looks smaller than 6 in…are you sure about the 6in pan?
    Thanks!

    1. Filomena—yes, it is a 6-inch cake. I am sure. Good luck trying it—let me know how it goes!

  10. I made this today and it seemed not very sweet? I was expecting a more richer chocolatey flavor. I double checked and I got all the ingredients. I think I will add a middle layer of chocolate buttercream to sweeten the taste!

    1. Roxanna, I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t find it sweet enough! I definitely tend to prefer less-sweet chocolate cakes with sweeter buttercreams—that’s just my personal taste preference. Chocolate buttercream sounds like a great option—I hope it all works out, and thank you for trying the recipe! xx

  11. […] Fluffy, buttery copycat Lofthouse cookies Chocolate covered strawberry cake with goat cheese frosting Dolled-up red velvet cake Mini pink […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.