Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream & Fresh Fruit

Happy Independence Day!

The Fourth of July is a special day for me as it is the day I met my husband. Ten years ago today, we met at a barbecue and just couldn’t shake each other. I’m incredibly blessed with how far we’ve come since that day — two overseas tours, two healthy children, one awesome dog, a new house, and millions of wonderful memories. He often misses spending holidays and celebrations together given his duty aboard a ship, but I couldn’t be prouder of his service to our country. Today and always.

So cheers to the land and the man that I love!

In celebration, I decided to bake something patriotic to take to this year’s Fourth of July party. I saw these beauties at the market and immediately wanted a strawberry shortcake-type fix. (Fujiya is my all-time favorite!)

Instead of the traditional angel food or white cake, I thought chocolate would go nicely with these berries. And to make it patriotic, I added some blueberries and bananas — red, white and blue!

My first attempt was with boxed brownie mix inspired by this post, but it turns out I’m not really a brownie fan. The edges hardened and were too tough for my liking, and the double layer of brownies was too rich for my taste buds. I thought the use of brownies as a base was creative, however, so I might try a single layer with trimmed edges if I were to make it again.

My next choice of homemade chocolate cake proved to be fantastic!

Sweet, light (but slightly dense) chocolate cake balanced perfectly with mildly sweet (and slightly tart) cream cheese whipped cream. Topped with fresh fruit, it’s a winner to make for your family or take to barbecues and parties!

The recipe is also easy enough for my 3-year-old son to help. Even though it takes a bit longer and can get a lot messier, I love seeing his confidence grow when he’s able to complete a task well and hearing him beam with pride when we present the final product: “Look what we made! A yummy chocolate cake!”

Here are some of the things he did on his own to help:

1. Scooped and poured flour and sugar into mixer bowl.
2. Poured all other ingredients into mixer bowl.
3. Washed strawberries and blueberries.
4. Lined up strawberries for slicing.
5. Taste tested. :)

Do you bake treats with your kids? What are some of your favorite dishes to make together? I hope this will be a new sweet treat to enjoy together, too!  — v.

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Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Whipped Cream & Fresh Fruit

July 4, 2015

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By: v.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsps baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp espresso powder or robust instant coffee
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsps pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 
  CREAM CHEESE WHIPPED CREAM
• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz Cool Whip or 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

• Step 1 For the cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with baking spray or grease and lightly dust with flour.
• Step 2 In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder until well combined. Carefully add boiling water to cocoa mixture and whisk to blend well. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Step 3 Using an electric hand or stand mixer, add milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract to cocoa mixture and mix on medium speed until combined. Add flour and mix until combined.
• Step 4 Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.
• Step 5 For the whipped cream: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. (If you’re using Cool Whip, skip to the next step.)
• Step 6 In a separate mixing bowl, whip cream cheese with powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add whipped cream (or Cool Whip) and vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks form. Store in refrigerator.
• Step 7 Frost cake with cream cheese whipped cream topping. Garnish with fresh fruit of your choice such as strawberries, blueberries and bananas. Brush banana slices with lemon juice or use Fruit Fresh to avoid browning.
  
  Cake recipe is adapted from Add a Pinch. Whipped cream recipe is adapted from Cooking Classy.