Chocolate strawberry drip cake

There’s something undeniably joyful about the pairing of chocolate and strawberries — a little romantic, and always guaranteed to impress. This chocolate strawberry drip cake takes that classic combination and turns it into a true celebration bake, with rich chocolate sponge, silky strawberry‑flecked buttercream, and a glossy chocolate drip cascading down the sides.

It’s impressive to look at yet wonderfully simple to decorate, making it perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion. Finished with a flourish of fresh berries on top, it’s the kind of cake that draws everyone to the table — who could possibly resist it.

Chocolate and strawberry drip cake

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Cook Time 40 minutes
Chilling time 30 minutes
Course Cake

Ingredients
  

  • 225 g caster sugar
  • 225 g margarine
  • 225 g self-raising flour
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder

Chocolate buttercream

  • 150 g unsalted butter, softened (Top tip: leave out of the fridge for a few hours to get to room temperature)
  • 300 g icing sugar
  • 150 g dark chocolate, melted

Chocolate ganache

  • 100 g double cream
  • 100 g dark chocolate, grated
  • strawberries, halved

Instructions
 

For the sponge

  • Preheat the oven to 180°c / gas 4. Grease 3 x 7" tins grease with margarine and a light dusting of flour and set aside.
  • Beat together the margarine and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.
  • In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the vanilla extract. In another bowl add the flour and baking powder.
  • Add a ¼ of the eggs to the butter and stir in, then fold in ¼ of the flour and stir until combined and then repeat until all the eggs and flour are mixed together and smooth.
  • Stir in the sifted cocoa powder and mix until all combined.
  • Divide the mixture between the 3 cake tins and bake for approx 20-25mins until when pressed in the middle the cake springs back.
  • Leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.

Adding the chocolate buttercream

  • Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot simmering water and allow to cool slightly.
  • Beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth, then add the melted chocolate.
  • Spread the chocolate buttercream over bottom cake, place the second sponge on top and spread another level on top, placing the third sponge on top. With the remaining buttercream, spread over the top and all around the sides, levelling so it's smooth.

Chocolate ganache

  • Put the grated chocolate in a heat proof bowl.
  • In a saucepan, gently warm the cream until just starting to simmer, then slowly pour over the grated chocolate and stir until you have a smooth sauce.
  • Spoon into a piping bag, snip a tiny bit off the bottom and then very carefully pipe around and allow the chocolate sauce to slowly drip down the sides. Then pipe the rest of the chocolate sauce over the top, spreading it carefully with a pallet knife.
  • Decorate with some strawberries and then place in the fridge for 30mins to allow the chocolate sauce to harden.