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French Fraisier cake recipe

Fresh, creamy and moist, it’s the perfect fruity recipe you need to try!

It’s not hard, but it will take more time than the other dessert with only one step.

Just keep it step-by-step and everything will be ok.

It worth it, trust me!

You don’t have to bake the all-cake in one day. You could start to prepare the different elements on a day, do the setup the day after and serving it on the third day for example.

Trust yourself and it will be perfect.

Servings

10

Prep time:

1h30

Cook time:

20min

Resting time:

3h

Introduction

About this Recipe

The origin of this recipe is not really clear. We find some mention in the book “Le Guide Culinaire” from Auguste Escoffier where you could find strawberry cake recipes with kirsch syrup.

Then, it seems that the cake Bagatelle from Gaston Lenôtre created in 1966 inspired the Fraisier cake we know today.

Ingredients

Sponge cake

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup (95g) of granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup (95g) of all-purpose flour

Diplomate cream (pastry cream + whipped cream)

  • 1 cup (250g) of milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup (75g) of granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp of vanilla sugar
  • 2 tbsp (20g) of cornflour
  • 2 sheet (5g) of gelatin
  • 1 vanilla pod (or vanilla seeds)
  • 1 cup (250g) of liquid cream (30% fat at least)

Soak syrup

  • 3/4 cup (150g) of granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (115g) of water

Setup / Decor

  • 17,6 oz (500g) of strawberries
  • 8,8 oz (250g) of marzipan
  • 1 tbsp (25g) of white chocolate
  • Powdered sugar

Step by Step Instructions

Sponge cake

Step 1

Preheat your oven at 190°C (374°F). Line your dessert ring with some butter and flour (if you don’t have one you could just use a removable bottom cake pan). I recommend that you use one a little bit smaller than your final cake to make the setup easier.

Step 2

Pour in a mixing bowl your eggs and the sugar. Whisk them with your stand mixer (or hand mixer) for around 10min until your mix becomes whiter and double in size. This step is really important is you want a really light cake.

Step 3

Add the flour in two times and mix carefully with a spatula between each add.

Pour your batter in your cake pan. Place in the oven preheated for approximately 15min.

Check the cook by driving a knife in the cake. If the blade go out dry, it’s done!

Soak syrup

Step 1

Place the sugar and the water in a sauce pan and place it on the heat.

Step 2

Let it cooks until the sugar is completely melted and large bubble appears. Your syrup will thicken when it will cool. Let it cool completely before using.

Diplomate cream

Step 1

Place the liquid cream in the fridge immediately, we will need it really cold.

Place the gelatin in a small bowl with cold water to rehydrate it.

Place in a pan the milk with the vanilla and warm it.

Step 2

In a mixing bowl place the eggs and the sugar and whisk until it becomes whiter.

Then, add the cornflour and whisk until it’s combine.

When the milk is warm, pour it in your mixing bowl and stir to combine everything. Pour it back in the pan and stir until it thickens.

Step 3

Place it back in a clean mixing bowl and add your gelatin. Stir to incorporate it correctly. Place some plastic wrap on the top and let it cool completely.

Step 4

When your pastry cream is cool, place the liquid cream in the bowl of your stand mixer and whipped it with the whisk tool.

Stir a little bit the pastry cream with a spatula or a whisk to make it smooth.

Then, add the whipped cream and stir. You could also use your stand mixer to combine the creams together. Your cream is ready for the setup.

Setup

Step 1

Take back all your elements previously prepared. Slice your sponge cake in half (on the height).

Place your cake ring on your service plate (just a size up to the one used to cook your sponge cake). Place one layer of your sponge cake on the bottom. Soak it with some syrup on all the surface thanks to a pastry brush.

Step 2

Wash the strawberries and classify them by size. Place aside the bigger one for the outside part of your cake. Place also 1 or 2 strawberries aside for the decor. Hull the strawberries. For the outside ones, slice them in the height and place them aside.

Step 3

Place all around the sponge cake your large strawberries with the inside part face to the cake ring to have a nice result at the end. When it’s full, slice the other ones in pieces.

Step 4

Pour some diplomate cream on the sponge cake and in each space around the strawberry. Then, place your strawberries pieces on the middle.

Step 5

Soak the other layer of your sponge cake on the two sides with the syrup. Then, place it on your cream. Finish by a layer of cream on the top to full your cake ring and place it in the fridge to fix the cream. Let it at least 2h in the fridge.

Decor

Step 1

When your cake is cool or just before serving, it’s time to make the decor. I choose here to make a basic one, but you could do whatever you want. For example, using some left cream to make a nice piping on the top, more strawberries. Completely up to you, it’s just a suggestion here.

Step 2

Take your marzipan and some icing sugar. Pour some icing sugar on your worktop and spread your marzipan thanks to your rolling pin until your have the size of your cake ring.

Step 3

Place your marzipan on your cake ring and press on the edges with your rolling pin to cut perfectly the dimensions.

Step 4

Then, melt some white chocolate and pour in a trickle on the top of your marzipan. I choose to create a line on a side of my cake. Place nicely the strawberries slice in quarter on the top and it’s ready!

Just take off the cake ring before serving and your cake is just ready to be served.

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