Hi! Happy Happy Sunday! I am just popping on here to share a super fun new recipe from a very talented friend of mine, Amanda, who just wrote a book!! I’ve never actually met Amanda IRL but we’ve chatted loads on the internet and I’ve been a guest on her podcast, so I’m pretty sure that counts as being real friends.
Amanda’s book is called Cake Portfolio, and the concept is simple and very genius - there are basically a whole bunch of base recipes, and then loads of different combinations and decorating suggestions where you can combine the techniques, recipes, and finishing methods to your heart’s content. It’s such a good idea - so often I make a ‘new’ recipe by combining a couple of my base recipes, and this is exactly the purpose of the book. There are 26 cake designs with flavour suggestions and combinations, but Amanda encourages you to combine things and go a little rogue and see what happens - which is exactly what I did with this cake!
I took the concept of her ‘Surprise Party’ cake, which is 6 layers of Vanilla Cake, sandwiched with Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream and Strawberry Jam, and riffed on it slightly, swapping out the vanilla cake for Amanda’s Chocolate cake (which is amazing, super easy to make and bakes up like a dream with the most perfect texture), then filled it with a mixed berry jam (we didn’t have any strawberry and I didn’t want to leave the house so here we are), and then finished it with Amanda’s STRAWBERRY SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM which is so good that it’s absolutely worth yelling about. It’s basically a vanilla SMBC, but transformed into the most dreamy strawberry frosting using Freeze-dried strawberries. I ate some of it with a spoon, and kept sneaking into the fridge to get little bites of it once the cake was finished, because it’s so good. It’s like the stuff of your childhood dreams, but if your childhood dreams knew that SMBC existed (mine did not).
I couldn’t decide on all the amazing finishing techniques in the book, so I went for a pretty simple but very pretty pattern on the side, which you basically make by holding an offset spatula to the side of the cake and then spinning the turn table, making all these amazing spiral swirly patterns on the side. It’s super simple to make, and a lot of fun, and takes some of the stress of getting a very smooth side out of the decorating process. I then finished off the top with a quick line of ‘shell’ piping, and that was all it needed!
Amanda’s book is so inspiring and full of endless combinations of cakes to make. I will absolutely be turning to it again and again when I need a little bit of inspo, or just a really good base recipe. Congrats lady - I can’t wait to make everything! x
A few wee tips:
- Make the cakes ahead of time if you can - I levelled mine off and wrapped them tightly in plastic wrap, then froze them overnight and frosted them frozen.
- I cheated just a little here and used my Swiss meringue buttercream recipe, because it’s what i’m used to (very very similar to Amanda’s), and then followed her instructions to make it strawberry flavoured. I also increased the amount slightly because I like to have more buttercream between the layers, and I like having a little as back up in case I end up doing a fancy design or the outside coat ends up a bit thicker.
- I used Fresh As freeze dried strawberry powder, but you can also use ground up freeze dried strawberries!
- Make sure you get your wee butt over to Amanda’s site to buy a copy of this book!!
Made this recipe and love it?
If you made this recipe then I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!
A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Using the double / triple function in the recipe card
You will notice that there is a '1X' '2X' '3X' button in my recipe card. This can be used for doubling or tripling a recipe. However, please note that this only doubles the ingredient quantities in the ingredients list and NOT in the method. If there are quantities or pan sizes in the method of the recipe (for example weigh out 150g brown butter), you will need to scale this number manually. It will also not change the baking time in the recipe so you will need to adjust this yourself too. It is always a good idea to read through a recipe fully before doubling it just to check this. If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!
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Chocolate Layer Cake with Jam Filling and Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Yield: Makes one 8”, three layer cake 1x
Description
Chocolate Layer Cake with Jam Filling and Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients
Chocolate Layer Cake
- 420g all-purpose flour
- 615g sugar
- 112g cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 2 ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ¼ tsp espresso powder
- 345g whole milk, room temperature
- 157g vegetable or neutral oil
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 345g boiling water
Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- 190g egg whites
- 300g sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 700g unsalted butter, cool, cut into cubes
- 60g freeze-dried strawberries, ground and sifted, or freeze-dried strawberry powder
Jam Filling
- 240g jam (I used mixed berry, Amanda uses Strawberry in her book - whatever you have on hand is great!)
Instructions
CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Prepare three 8 inch round, 3 inch deep pans with butter and cocoa powder, or baking spray and parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine all of the dry ingredients.
- Add in the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine, first at a low speed, and then increase to medium for 30 seconds.
- Add in the boiling water, cover the mixer with a tea towel to prevent splashing, then mix on medium high for 30 more seconds.
- Divide the batter between the three prepared pans, about 675g per pan. Bake until the cake springs back when gently poked and the cakes are starting to pull away from the sides, about 35 minutes.
- Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before leveling and frosting. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready.
STRAWBERRY SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
- Place the egg whites, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer or a heat proof bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water, ensuring that the water does not touch the bowl. Heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture registers 160˚f / 70˚c on a thermometer and the sugar has dissolved.
- Carefully transfer the bowl to the mixer, and fit with the whisk attachment. Whip the egg whites on high until they are snowy white and fluffy, 8-10 minutes. Add the butter one chunk at a time. The mixture may look curdled - but just keep mixing!
- Once all the butter is incorporated, mix on high for a further 10 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Once the buttercream has finished mixing, and is smooth and silky, add the strawberry powder and switch to the paddle attachment. Mix in medium until incorporated, and then mix on low for one minute to remove any air. Use immediately - store any leftovers in the fridge.
ASSEMBLY
- Level off the cake layers. Transfer some of the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a wilton 1M tip - this will be used to make a buttercream dam to hold in the jam between layers and to pipe the top design of the cake.
- Secure one of the layers of cake to a cake turntable using a little buttercream. Add about a cup of buttercream onto the first layer of cake, and smooth using an offset spatula. Create a buttercream dam using the buttercream in the piping bag by piping a ring of frosting around the outside edge of the first layer. Fill in the ring with approximately 6 Tbsp Jam.
- Place the second layer of cake onto the first, pressing very lightly to secure, and sealing the joins with a thin layer of buttercream. Repeat the layering process - add a cup of buttercream, make a dam, fill with 6 Tbsp Jam, then top with the third layer of cake - I like to put this one upside down to ensure that the top of the cake is flat. Return the rest of the buttercream in the piping bag to the bowl with the buttercream.
- Crumb coat the cake - to do this, apply a thin layer of buttercream over the surface of the cake, and smooth with a bench scraper or icing smoother. Refrigerate the cake for 20-30 minutes, until the crumb coat has set.
- Cover the side and top of the cake with a smooth layer of buttercream. Using an offset spatula, create a pattern on the side of the cake by holding the spatula against the cake and rotating the turntable, slowly moving the spatula up the side of the cake. Smooth off the top edge.
- Using the remaining buttercream in the piping bag, pipe a ‘shell’ design on top of the cake - this video explains it better than I can!
- Chill the cake until ready to serve. Remove from the fridge about an hour before serving to bring to room temperature.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge
Notes
Recipe Reprinted with Permission from Cake Portfolio
Comments
Made this buttercream and it was fantastic! One of the main reasons I look for recipes on your site first is that they’re in grams, so it’s super easy to scale up or down. In this case, I used 4 egg whites and did the math accordingly. It’s deliciously strawberry flavoured (another person who ate it kept saying how much it tasted like strawberry) and I could honestly eat it with a spoon, which is crazy because I’m not usually a frosting eater. Will definitely be keeping this in the rotation.
Ah yayyy I'm so glad you liked! It's a fave of mine too!
I made this cake ( three of them actually) for my Goddaughters wedding. Used salted caramel filling. Two I iced with vanilla German buttercream, the third with Whittaker’s chocolate ganache. Transported them frozen from South to North Island. Decorated table with white hydrangeas and clusters of sweet peas. Wonderful feedback from all.
Thanks for the guidance
Yayyyy I'm so glad it went so well! They looked so beautiful xx
Hello! I love the look of this recipe but have always been nervous about using a wet filling such as jam. If I make it on a Saturday for a celebration on Sunday will it be ok? Thanks
I made this cake not once but twice for my daughter's birthday. Her birthday party had to be cancelled the night before when NZ went into a lockdown so we had to eat the first cake ourselves! The following weekend I made it again. What an amazing cake, everyone loved it! This was the first time I made SMBC and I loved the taste and the look of the cake. I finished the cake with a chocolate drip, sprinkles and unicorns on top! Thanks for such a great recipe and so grateful for measurements in grams!!!
Hi! Ahhh so happy you love! I was just thinking about this cake the other day actually - it's so good! So sorry to hear about the cancellation - so happy for you that you're back out now x
Hello! Making this cake or a friend's baby shower, and I'd like to make the layers ahead of time. You mentioned you like to freeze the layers and then frost? Does this change the texture of the cake and/or the SMBC, or is it better to just do it all in one bit without freezing?
Thanks!
Hi! Yes I frost them from frozen - it doesn't change it, just make sure you have time in advance to leave the cake in the fridge to finish defrosting once frosted. If you want to make it all in one go that works great too!
Okay this cake is perfection! I just tasted a bite of the bit I leveled off (surely I'm not the only one who does this), and it's so so good. Moist, soft, super chocolatey. I was out of espresso powder so threw in a little malted milk powder instead, which turned out great. Fabulous recipe! Thank you!
★★★★★
you're def not the only person hahahah that's my husband's fave part of the cake!
haha yes I do this too and let my kids eat the tops with a dollop of the left over buttercream spread over them!
★★★★★
Make this for a friends 30th and topped it with pink lollies as she is a huge sweet tooth. Everyone LOVED it! Thanks for making me look like a baking wiz.
★★★★★
I've made this cake 3 times now and it just gets better. This week I divided the batter to make 2 x 9inch cakes and 2 x 6inch cakes so I ended up with 2 individual cakes. The big one to take in for the work morning tea and the small one for us to eat at home. Everyone wanted the recipe! So of course I gave you the credit Erin and directed them to your website.
I love the addition of freeze dried strawberries to the buttercream, so delicious! I decorated mine with a sprinkle of freeze dried strawberry chunks in the center along with a selection of pink and white sprinkles. Looked so pretty!
★★★★★