How to Make French Strawberry Cake
Preheat the oven and prepare the pan., Heat the sugar, eggs, and lemon zest., Whisk the wet mixture., Fold in self-raising flour., Melt and fold in the butter., Bake the génoise cake., Cool the cake., Put the milk and vanilla pod in a pan., Heat the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare the pan.
Turn the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).
Get out a 9-inch (23-cm) springform or cake pan.
Spray the pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
Set the pan aside.If you're using the cake pan, it should have a removable bottom. -
Step 2: Heat the sugar
Heat a few inches of water in a medium saucepan until the water simmers.
Set a large mixing bowl over the simmering water.
Measure 1/2 cup (125 g) of sugar and 4 whole eggs into the bowl.
Zest two lemons and add just the zest to the bowl.Keep the water in the saucepan simmering, so your sugar mixture heats gently. , Insert whisk attachments into a hand mixer.
Whisk the wet mixture in the mixing bowl on high speed for several minutes.
The mixture will double in size and become pale.Turn off the mixer and lift the whisk attachments out of the mixture.
If the mixture dribbles back into the bowl in a ribbon-shape, you don't need to whisk it any longer. , Turn the heat off to the saucepan.
Add 1 cup (125 g) of self-raising flour to the bowl with the wet ingredients.
Use a metal spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold the flour into the wet mixture.To fold in the flour, hold the spoon and use a twisting motion with your wrist to cut the flour in through the center of the wet mixture.
This will combine the wet and dry ingredients without losing the volume you beat into the mixture. , Place 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 g) of unsalted butter into a small, microwave-safe bowl.
Melt the butter and let it cool a little bit.
Once it's at room temperature, pour it into the bowl with the génoise batter.
Gently fold the melted butter, so it's incorporated.You can substitute salted butter.
The batter may be a little richer. , Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and put it in the preheated oven.
Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes.
The top of the cake will turn a light golden brown and the sides of the cake will pull away from the pan a little once it's finished baking., Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan for a few minutes.
Remove the side of the springform pan or remove the sides from the removable cake pan.
Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.The finished cake will only be about 2-inches (5-cm) high. , Pour 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of milk into a wide saucepan.
Take a small knife and careful cut a long slit along one vanilla pod.
Use the tip of the knife to carefully scrape out the seeds.
Add the seeds and the pod to the milk in the pan.The seeds will look like a dark, thick paste.
If you don't have a vanilla pod, you can add 1 tablespoon of vanilla to the crème pâtissière once it's finished cooking. , Turn the heat on to medium and let the vanilla milk slowly heat up.
You'll need to stir it occasionally to prevent it from scorching.
Keep cooking the milk until it begins to boil.
Turn off the heat once it starts bubbling., Get out a medium-sized mixing bowl and crack 4 whole eggs into it.
You'll also need to add 2 egg yolks.
Add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of kirsch, and 2/3 cup (100 g) of cornstarch.
Whisk the mixture until it's combined.If you don't have kirsch, you can use another type of cherry brandy or leave it out.
You can discard or save the extra couple of egg whites for a different recipe. , Remove the vanilla pod from the pan of hot milk.
Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl with the sugar and egg mixture.
Carefully pour the hot milk through the sieve into the egg mixture.
Discard the solids left in the strainer.
Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture until the custard mixture is combined.Avoid whisking too quickly or the hot milk may splash onto you. , Pour the custard mixture into a clean saucepan and turn the heat on to medium.
Keep stirring and cooking the custard for about 3 to 4 minutes.
It will thicken quickly, so stir well to prevent lumps.
The custard should be thick enough to pipe.If your crème pâtissière is lumpy, use a whisk to smooth the lumps out. , Cut 2/3 cup (150 g) of room-temperature butter into cubes.
Add the cubed butter to the crème pâtissière and stir the mixture well.
The butter should melt and combine with the crème pâtissière., Let the custard cool for a minute and then pour it into a shallow dish or baking pan.
Put the crème pâtissière in the refrigerator to chill for one hour.
The custard should set and become cold.You can make the crème pâtissière ahead of time and chill it for up to one day. , Squeeze the juice from the 2 lemons that you zested earlier.
Pour the juice into a small saucepan and add 1/3 cup (75 g) of sugar.
You'll also need to stir in 4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) of water., Turn the heat to medium-high and stir the syrup.
Bring the syrup to a boil.
Keep stirring and boiling the syrup for a full two minutes, so the sugar dissolves completely.
Turn off the heat and let the lemon syrup cool., Get out 17 ounces (500 g) of pink marzipan and roll it into a ball.
Use a rolling pin to roll it into a 9-inch (23-cm) circle.
If the circle isn't perfect, place the circular bottom of a pan on the marzipan to use as a guide.
Trim around the circle, so your marzipan is circular.
Place the marzipan circle on a baking sheet in the fridge while you assemble the cake.Chilling the rolled marzipan will make assembly easier and make the circle sit flatter on the cake. , Take a clean springform tin and spray it with cooking spray.
Take a strip of acetate paper and lay it along the sides of the tin.
If you don't have acetate paper, you could use parchment paper lined with foil or just line the pan with plastic wrap.You can find acetate paper at culinary supply stores, art supply stores, or engineering supply stores.
Just cut the plastic to fit your pan. , Peel the parchment paper off of the bottom of the génoise cake.
Use a serrated knife to gently slice through the cake horizontally, so you have two thin layers of cake.
Each layer should be the same height.
Lay one of the layers into the bottom of the prepared springform pan., Wash 12 strawberries that are about the same size.
Trim off and discard the stems.
Use a small knife to cut each strawberry in half, so you have about 24 strawberry halves., Pour half of the cooled, lemon syrup over the layer of cake in the bottom of the pan.
Use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly and push it into the cake.
Push the cake against the sides of the pan.
Place the strawberry halves along the outside of the pan, so they're firmly pressed into the cake and nestled against each other.The cut sides of the strawberries should be pressed against the acetate.
This way, the strawberry halves will be exposed once you've assembled the cake and removed the acetate. , Spoon most of the chilled crème pâtissière into a piping bag that's fitted with a 1/2-inch (1-cm) nozzle.
Use a circular motion to pipe the crème pâtissière onto the bottom of the sponge cake.
Go back and pipe in between each of the strawberry halves to fill in the gapes.You don't need a decorative piping tip on the pastry bag.
Piping the custard ensures that it's spread evenly throughout the cake. , Chop the remaining fresh, hulled strawberries into small chunks.
Spread the chopped strawberries onto the custard.
Pipe another layer of crème pâtissière over the berries.
Use an offset spatula to spread the custard evenly.If you want to garnish the top of the cake with fresh strawberries, wash and slice a few extra berries.
Set them aside. , Set the other layer of cake on top of the crème pâtissière.
The cut side should be facing up, so the top is totally level.
Spread the rest of the lemon syrup over the top and gently push down on the layer of cake., Take the chilled marzipan circle out of the refrigerator.
Gently lift it off of the baking sheet and set it directly onto the top of the cake in the pan.
Put the cake into the refrigerator to chill.
The Fraisier cake should be completely cold before you decorate and serve it. , Melt about 1/4 cup (40 g) of chopped, white chocolate.
Place it in a piping bag with a small tip.
Pipe the chocolate onto a silicone mat or more acetate.
You can pipe decorations in any style you like.
Chill the chocolate decorations until they've hardened.If you don't want to use white chocolate, you could substitute bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. , Once the cake is cold, remove it from the refrigerator.
Release the sides of the springform pan and slowly peel away the strip of acetate.If you used foil, the sides of the cake may not be completely smooth. , Place your chocolate decorations on the marzipan top of the cake.
Garnish the cake with additional fresh strawberries, a few silver sugar pearls, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Slice the cake and serve it immediately.You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for about a day.
The moisture in the strawberries will eventually make the cake soggy. -
Step 3: and lemon zest.
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Step 4: Whisk the wet mixture.
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Step 5: Fold in self-raising flour.
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Step 6: Melt and fold in the butter.
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Step 7: Bake the génoise cake.
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Step 8: Cool the cake.
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Step 9: Put the milk and vanilla pod in a pan.
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Step 10: Heat the milk.
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Step 11: Whisk the eggs
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Step 12: kirsch
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Step 13: and cornstarch.
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Step 14: Strain the hot milk.
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Step 15: Cook the custard.
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Step 16: Cut and stir in the butter.
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Step 17: Chill the crème pâtissière.
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Step 18: Combine lemon juice
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Step 19: and a little water.
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Step 20: Heat the syrup to dissolve the sugar.
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Step 21: Roll the marzipan into a circle.
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Step 22: Prepare the pan.
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Step 23: Slice the génoise cake.
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Step 24: Wash and trim fresh strawberries.
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Step 25: Brush syrup over the cake and arrange the strawberries.
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Step 26: Pipe the crème pâtissière onto the cake.
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Step 27: Add another layer of strawberries and crème pâtissière.
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Step 28: Lay the other half of cake and brush it with syrup.
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Step 29: Arrange the marzipan and chill the cake.
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Step 30: Make white chocolate decorations.
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Step 31: Remove the cake from the pan.
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Step 32: Top the cake with decorations and serve it.
Detailed Guide
Turn the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C).
Get out a 9-inch (23-cm) springform or cake pan.
Spray the pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper.
Set the pan aside.If you're using the cake pan, it should have a removable bottom.
Heat a few inches of water in a medium saucepan until the water simmers.
Set a large mixing bowl over the simmering water.
Measure 1/2 cup (125 g) of sugar and 4 whole eggs into the bowl.
Zest two lemons and add just the zest to the bowl.Keep the water in the saucepan simmering, so your sugar mixture heats gently. , Insert whisk attachments into a hand mixer.
Whisk the wet mixture in the mixing bowl on high speed for several minutes.
The mixture will double in size and become pale.Turn off the mixer and lift the whisk attachments out of the mixture.
If the mixture dribbles back into the bowl in a ribbon-shape, you don't need to whisk it any longer. , Turn the heat off to the saucepan.
Add 1 cup (125 g) of self-raising flour to the bowl with the wet ingredients.
Use a metal spoon or rubber spatula to gently fold the flour into the wet mixture.To fold in the flour, hold the spoon and use a twisting motion with your wrist to cut the flour in through the center of the wet mixture.
This will combine the wet and dry ingredients without losing the volume you beat into the mixture. , Place 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 g) of unsalted butter into a small, microwave-safe bowl.
Melt the butter and let it cool a little bit.
Once it's at room temperature, pour it into the bowl with the génoise batter.
Gently fold the melted butter, so it's incorporated.You can substitute salted butter.
The batter may be a little richer. , Scoop the batter into the prepared pan and put it in the preheated oven.
Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes.
The top of the cake will turn a light golden brown and the sides of the cake will pull away from the pan a little once it's finished baking., Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan for a few minutes.
Remove the side of the springform pan or remove the sides from the removable cake pan.
Set the cake on a wire rack to cool completely.The finished cake will only be about 2-inches (5-cm) high. , Pour 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of milk into a wide saucepan.
Take a small knife and careful cut a long slit along one vanilla pod.
Use the tip of the knife to carefully scrape out the seeds.
Add the seeds and the pod to the milk in the pan.The seeds will look like a dark, thick paste.
If you don't have a vanilla pod, you can add 1 tablespoon of vanilla to the crème pâtissière once it's finished cooking. , Turn the heat on to medium and let the vanilla milk slowly heat up.
You'll need to stir it occasionally to prevent it from scorching.
Keep cooking the milk until it begins to boil.
Turn off the heat once it starts bubbling., Get out a medium-sized mixing bowl and crack 4 whole eggs into it.
You'll also need to add 2 egg yolks.
Add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of kirsch, and 2/3 cup (100 g) of cornstarch.
Whisk the mixture until it's combined.If you don't have kirsch, you can use another type of cherry brandy or leave it out.
You can discard or save the extra couple of egg whites for a different recipe. , Remove the vanilla pod from the pan of hot milk.
Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl with the sugar and egg mixture.
Carefully pour the hot milk through the sieve into the egg mixture.
Discard the solids left in the strainer.
Whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture until the custard mixture is combined.Avoid whisking too quickly or the hot milk may splash onto you. , Pour the custard mixture into a clean saucepan and turn the heat on to medium.
Keep stirring and cooking the custard for about 3 to 4 minutes.
It will thicken quickly, so stir well to prevent lumps.
The custard should be thick enough to pipe.If your crème pâtissière is lumpy, use a whisk to smooth the lumps out. , Cut 2/3 cup (150 g) of room-temperature butter into cubes.
Add the cubed butter to the crème pâtissière and stir the mixture well.
The butter should melt and combine with the crème pâtissière., Let the custard cool for a minute and then pour it into a shallow dish or baking pan.
Put the crème pâtissière in the refrigerator to chill for one hour.
The custard should set and become cold.You can make the crème pâtissière ahead of time and chill it for up to one day. , Squeeze the juice from the 2 lemons that you zested earlier.
Pour the juice into a small saucepan and add 1/3 cup (75 g) of sugar.
You'll also need to stir in 4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) of water., Turn the heat to medium-high and stir the syrup.
Bring the syrup to a boil.
Keep stirring and boiling the syrup for a full two minutes, so the sugar dissolves completely.
Turn off the heat and let the lemon syrup cool., Get out 17 ounces (500 g) of pink marzipan and roll it into a ball.
Use a rolling pin to roll it into a 9-inch (23-cm) circle.
If the circle isn't perfect, place the circular bottom of a pan on the marzipan to use as a guide.
Trim around the circle, so your marzipan is circular.
Place the marzipan circle on a baking sheet in the fridge while you assemble the cake.Chilling the rolled marzipan will make assembly easier and make the circle sit flatter on the cake. , Take a clean springform tin and spray it with cooking spray.
Take a strip of acetate paper and lay it along the sides of the tin.
If you don't have acetate paper, you could use parchment paper lined with foil or just line the pan with plastic wrap.You can find acetate paper at culinary supply stores, art supply stores, or engineering supply stores.
Just cut the plastic to fit your pan. , Peel the parchment paper off of the bottom of the génoise cake.
Use a serrated knife to gently slice through the cake horizontally, so you have two thin layers of cake.
Each layer should be the same height.
Lay one of the layers into the bottom of the prepared springform pan., Wash 12 strawberries that are about the same size.
Trim off and discard the stems.
Use a small knife to cut each strawberry in half, so you have about 24 strawberry halves., Pour half of the cooled, lemon syrup over the layer of cake in the bottom of the pan.
Use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly and push it into the cake.
Push the cake against the sides of the pan.
Place the strawberry halves along the outside of the pan, so they're firmly pressed into the cake and nestled against each other.The cut sides of the strawberries should be pressed against the acetate.
This way, the strawberry halves will be exposed once you've assembled the cake and removed the acetate. , Spoon most of the chilled crème pâtissière into a piping bag that's fitted with a 1/2-inch (1-cm) nozzle.
Use a circular motion to pipe the crème pâtissière onto the bottom of the sponge cake.
Go back and pipe in between each of the strawberry halves to fill in the gapes.You don't need a decorative piping tip on the pastry bag.
Piping the custard ensures that it's spread evenly throughout the cake. , Chop the remaining fresh, hulled strawberries into small chunks.
Spread the chopped strawberries onto the custard.
Pipe another layer of crème pâtissière over the berries.
Use an offset spatula to spread the custard evenly.If you want to garnish the top of the cake with fresh strawberries, wash and slice a few extra berries.
Set them aside. , Set the other layer of cake on top of the crème pâtissière.
The cut side should be facing up, so the top is totally level.
Spread the rest of the lemon syrup over the top and gently push down on the layer of cake., Take the chilled marzipan circle out of the refrigerator.
Gently lift it off of the baking sheet and set it directly onto the top of the cake in the pan.
Put the cake into the refrigerator to chill.
The Fraisier cake should be completely cold before you decorate and serve it. , Melt about 1/4 cup (40 g) of chopped, white chocolate.
Place it in a piping bag with a small tip.
Pipe the chocolate onto a silicone mat or more acetate.
You can pipe decorations in any style you like.
Chill the chocolate decorations until they've hardened.If you don't want to use white chocolate, you could substitute bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. , Once the cake is cold, remove it from the refrigerator.
Release the sides of the springform pan and slowly peel away the strip of acetate.If you used foil, the sides of the cake may not be completely smooth. , Place your chocolate decorations on the marzipan top of the cake.
Garnish the cake with additional fresh strawberries, a few silver sugar pearls, or a dusting of powdered sugar.
Slice the cake and serve it immediately.You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for about a day.
The moisture in the strawberries will eventually make the cake soggy.
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Matthew Evans
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