Chocolate and strawberry cake

To prepare the chocolate and strawberry cake, start with the chocolate base: coarsely chop the dark chocolate 1, then melt it in a double boiler, stirring to dissolve it 2; once melted, you can add the butter 3.

Let it melt completely, always stirring 4, then let it cool. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or with an electric beater), beat the egg yolks with half the amount of granulated sugar, that is 90 g 5; when they are well light and frothy, add the melted chocolate that has cooled 6, continuing to beat at medium speed until a homogeneous mixture is obtained.

Then, sift together the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder and add them to the mixture one tablespoon at a time, continuing to run the stand mixer at low speed 7, until a homogeneous and compact mixture is obtained. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can use a spatula or a wooden spoon and gradually incorporate the flour. It is very important at this stage to absorb the powders well into the mixture. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric beater 8 and when they are light and frothy, gradually pour in the remaining 90 g of granulated sugar 9

incorporate the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, a little at a time, and fold gently from top to bottom: first, add two tablespoons to soften the mass, then continue to incorporate the remaining egg whites folding from bottom to top 10, until a smooth and creamy mixture is obtained. Butter and line a 9-inch diameter pan with parchment paper, then pour the mixture 11 and level with a spatula if necessary to even out the surface 12. Bake the chocolate cake on the lower or middle shelf of a static oven at 350°F for about 50 minutes (if using a convection oven, try 320°F for about 40 minutes). If the surface darkens too much, after the first 30 minutes of baking you can cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper and continue baking.

Check with a toothpick that the chocolate cake is done, then take it out of the oven and let it cool 13 and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This step is very important to prevent the cake from breaking when cut. While the base is cooling, you can start on the filling and garnish: take the strawberries, wash them, dry them gently, then leave 6 whole (of which only one with the leaves), while the others remove the part with the green leaves 14 and cut them into 4 slices each 15

Then move on to the Chantilly cream: in the bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl with an electric beater, whip the fresh cream, adding the seeds of a vanilla bean 16 and powdered sugar 17 until a well-whipped and soft cream is obtained 18; transfer it to a piping bag with a star nozzle.

Once your base is well chilled, you can divide it in half by cutting all around with a blade and then slowly cutting the base into two 19. Follow the tips found in the sheet on our site: How to cut Sponge Cake. Once divided in half, fill the base with whipped cream starting from the edges to the center 21

Then decorate with slices of fresh strawberries, placed close together, starting from the edges 22 and gradually filling the entire surface (23-24)

Then close with the other cake layer 25, press slightly, and cover the surface with the remaining whipped cream 26, spreading it to create a soft decorative effect 27

Decorate the center with the whole strawberries, placing the one you left with the leaves at the center 28. Sprinkle the rest of the surface with dark chocolate shavings 29 and your chocolate and strawberry cake is ready to be served 30!