Fraisier strawberry cake
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Makes: 1 cake 18 cm Ø
 
Ingredients
Sponge
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 96 gr white sugar
  • 6 egg whites
  • 54 gr white sugar
  • 120 gr flour
  • 30 gr corn flour
  • 2 gr salt
Vanilla filling
  • 10 gr gelatine leaves
  • 500 gr milk
  • 1 tspn vanilla flavour
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 65 gr white sugar
  • 20 gr custard powder
  • 250 gr double cream
Finish
  • 6 tbspn strawberry jam
  • 300 gr strawberries
  • fresh mint
Instructions
Sponge
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and line the tray or trays with baking paper.
  2. Whisk in a bowl the egg whites to stiff peaks adding their sugar gradually. Whisk in another bowl the egg yolks and their sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix the flour and corn flour and salt.
  3. Fold gradually and carefully first the egg whites into the egg yolks and then the flours and salt. Spread on the prepared trays about a cm thick and bake at 170 °C for 15 min or until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove from the tin on a rack, cover with a second sheet of baking paper, and allow to cool.
Vanilla filling
  1. Bring most of the with the vanilla flavouring milk to the boil. Mix the remaining cold milk with the egg yolks, sugar and custard powder and stir into the milk. Bring to the boil stirring constantly until the filling thickens. Add half of the soft butter gradually while stirring with a whisk to emulsify the butter and the vanilla filling.
  2. Cover with cling film and allow to cool to room temperature. Cream the remaining soft butter and add gradually the vanilla filling until incorporated.
Finish
  1. Place a strip of acetate plastic or balking paper on the inside of the cake ring and place it on a some card board or chopping board.
  2. When ready to assemble the cake, cut the sponge in two rectangles that are the exact size of the cake ring.
  3. Place one layer of sponge cake in the bottom of the cake ring. Then brush the sponge with strawberry jam. If need be gently squash the edges of the cake down, with the back of a spoon, so that they are pushed directly against the sides of the tin, creating the defined edges necessary for the Fraisier cake.
  4. Rinse, hull and halve some strawberries vertically, preferably all the same height. Arrange them pointed end up on top of the sponge layer, cut side facing out, while you make sure they fit snugly next to each other.
  5. Pour some the vanilla filling in the tin to secure the strawberries in place. Place the remaining strawberries in the tin and finish with the rest of the vanilla custard. Smooth the custard until level, just below the top of the cake ring. Place the second sponge rectangle on top and press the top down gently, so that the cake and filling push against the ring to create the distinctive smooth and defined sides of the Fraisier cake. Refrigerate for several hours but preferably overnight to set.
  6. When ready to serve, remove the cake ring and acetate plastic or baking paper and place the cake on the serving platter. Decorate with some extra cream and strawberries and serve at room temperature.
Stuff to know
The vanilla custard must be warm but not boiling so the gelatine can dissolve. Next, it has to be at room temperature before you can fold in the whipped cream or otherwise it will collapse.
Ideally, make the fraisier the day before so it has the time to set and firm up overnight. Serve at room temperature.
This version is less heavy than the traditional French ‘fraisier’.
Garnish the fraisier with chopped pistachio nuts.

Recipe by Jeroen Valkenier Recipes at https://jpvalkenier.com/fraisier-strawberry-cake/