Scrumptious Dark Chocolate Cake w/ Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing

Happy Birthday Brad!

January 2nd was Brad's birthday, and we celebrated with a delicious Dark Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese icing.  I even added freshly sliced strawberries in between the two cake layers to make it that much more decadent.  On the side?  Chocolate covered strawberries, of course!

I love making birthday cakes and it's become a little thing lately for everyone to give me some sort of birthday cake "challenge" on their birthday.  Brad wanted a cake that incorporated dark chocolate and strawberries, so this is what I came up with.

The result was pretty delicious, if I do say so myself.  Brad even had seconds, and when that happens you KNOW it's good!  I combined two different elements from two of my favorite cake recipes...I whipped up Hershey's recipe for Dark Chocolate Cake (I've used this recipe time and time again!), and combined it with Paula Deen's recipe for Strawberry Cream Cheese icing from her Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake.  Plus, the contrast of the pink icing looked so pretty on the dark cake.

AH-mazing!

The chocolate covered strawberries served on the side were the perfect touch to a perfect birthday celebration.

Bon Appetit, my friends! 

Dark Chocolate Cake

Source:  Hershey's Kitchens

Ingredients:  
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa (you can use regular cocoa, if you prefer)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed coffee

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a different bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract; Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat on medium speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Stir in hot coffee...the batter will be very thin!

Pour batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely and add icing and strawberry slices.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Source: Cooking with Paula Deen magazine - May/June 2008

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract (I used vanilla extract instead)

7 cups confectioner's sugar (a little less than 2 lbs.)

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup strawberry puree, reserving remaining for another use. Beat in extract. Gradually add confectioner's sugar, beating until smooth.

***Notes***

- For pinker frosting, add 2 to 3 drops of red food coloring to frosting.

- I added freshly sliced strawberries between the cake layers!