Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Prepare three 6-inch (15-cm) or two 8-inch (20-cm) round cake pans by spraying the sides with baking spray and fitting a parchment paper circle to the bottom of each pan.
 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir the ingredients together at low speed for 30 seconds to fully combine them. Add the oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk and mix the ingredients at low speed until they are just combined. With the mixer still running at low speed, add the hot coffee or water in a slow stream. Mix the ingredients for 1 to 2 minutes, until they are fully combined. The batter will be very thin.
 

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 32 to 36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes in their pans, then remove them from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
 

With a food processor, grind the strawberries into a fine powder. Set the strawberry powder aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed for about 5 minutes, until it is creamy and light in color. Add the milk, vanilla and strawberry powder and mix the ingredients together at medium speed for 1 minute.
 

Decrease the mixer’s speed to low and add the powdered sugar 2 cups (240 g) at a time, mixing well and scraping the bowl and paddle after each addition. Add the salt and mix the buttercream at low speed for 1 minute, until the frosting is smooth and well combined.
 

Place the chocolate chips in a small glass or metal bowl.
 

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the cream until it just starts to simmer. Look for small bubbles forming around the edges and a gentle simmering movement in the middle. When it has reached this point, pour the cream into the bowl of chocolate chips.
 

Whisk the chocolate chips and cream together until the mixture is uniform in consistency and there are no bits of chocolate left on the whisk. Set the ganache aside and allow it to cool at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the ganache is room temperature or slightly above.
 

Level the cooled cake layers to your desired height. Fill and stack the cake layers with Strawberry Buttercream, then crumb coat the cake with Strawberry Buttercream. Chill the crumb-coated cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the frosting to firm up.
 

Reserve about 1 cup (215 g) of the Strawberry Buttercream for the swirl border, then create a smooth buttercream finish with the remaining Strawberry Buttercream. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to allow the frosting to firm up.
 

Create a traditional drip with the Chocolate Ganache Drip, then place the cake in the refrigerator while you prepare a piping bag with a Wilton tip 1M and fill it with the remaining Strawberry Buttercream.
 

Pipe a swirl border, spacing the swirls 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Place the fresh strawberries between the swirls.