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Fraisier cake / French strawberry cake
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Fraisier cake / French strawberry cake

Juicy sponge cake, delicate muslin cream and fresh strawberries are combined in the Fraisier cake. The three components make an unforgettable combination of flavors that no one is guaranteed to be able to resist. Here I'll show you how to make the French strawberry tart with sponge cake base yourself. Apart from the fact that it tastes incredibly delicious, it is an eye-catcher on the dining table.
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cooling time 8 hours
Servings 14

Equipment

  • Ø 24 cm large baking pan
  • Ø 26 cm large baking pan

Ingredients

for the dough

  • 120 ml milk
  • 60 g butter
  • 160 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 8 g vanilla sugar
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 5 g baking powder
  • 165 g flour
  • butter or margarine to grease the baking pan

for the cream

  • approx. 900 g fresh strawberries
  • 500 ml milk
  • 350 g butter (room temperature)
  • 100 g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 20 g cornstarch
  • 20 g flour
  • vanilla

for decorating

  • fresh peppermint leaves

Instructions

Preparation of the dough

  • Beat eggs, sugar, salt and vanilla sugar to a fluffy white mixture.
  • Fold in flour with baking powder to make a thick, fluffy batter.
  • Put milk and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring. The butter must be melted in the milk before it boils.
  • Add the hot milk-butter mixture to the sponge dough in small portions, a little at a time, stirring the dough gently each time until it has a homogeneous consistency.
  • Line the bottom of the Ø 24 cm baking springform pan with baking paper, pour the batter into the baking pan and bake in the preheated oven at 180 °C for about 30 minutes. Allow the sponge cake to cool and then cut it lengthwise into two equally thick cake layers.

Preparation of the cream

  • Mix eggs and sugar briefly with a whisk to a somewhat fluffy mixture.
  • Add flour and cornstarch and mix until homogeneous without lumps.
  • Boil milk in a saucepan and then add it in small portions (e.g. with a ladle) to the egg-sugar-flour mixture, stirring constantly.
  • Now transfer the milk-egg-sugar-flour mixture to a saucepan and cook it for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until it thickens and becomes about the consistency of pudding. Then let the pudding mixture cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
  • Add vanilla as well as softened butter in small portions a little at a time and whip it into a homogeneous cream.

"Assembling" the strawberry cake

  • Line the bottom of the Ø 26 cm baking springform pan with baking paper and grease the rim with butter or margarine. Cut each strawberry lengthwise into two halves and spread the halves with the cut facing down on the bottom of the baking pan (see the pictures at the top of the article for this).
  • Fill the holes between the strawberry halves on the bottom of the springform pan with the cream, e.g. using a piping bag, and then generously spread the top of the strawberries with the cream.
  • Place one of the two sponge cake layers on top of the cream in the springform pan and place more strawberry halves around the sponge cake layer with the cut facing the edge of the springform pan and the top down.
  • Spread the remaining cream on the sponge cake layer in the springform pan.
  • Cut the remaining strawberries into small cubes, spread them on the cream and press them, e.g. with a tablespoon, carefully into the cream.
  • Place the second sponge cake layer on top and chill the cake for about 8 hours.
  • Then turn the cake over with the upper sponge cake layer facing down, remove the edge and the bottom of the springform pan and pull the baking paper off the top of the cake. Decorate the edge of the strawberry cake as desired with fresh mint leaves.

Notes

  • Use fresh, aromatic strawberries of good quality.
  • Gently fold the flour with baking powder into the egg-sugar mixture. The sponge mixture should be very airy.
  • When baking the sponge, do not open the oven for the first 20 minutes or so, so that the sponge does not collapse.
  • To check if the sponge cake base is done baking, do a chopstick test. Alternatively, use a finger to gently press briefly on the surface of the sponge cake about halfway down. If it springs back after pressing and no marks remain, it is done.
  • To boil milk, use a saucepan with a thick bottom to prevent the milk from scorching.
  • Be sure to add the hot milk to the egg-sugar-flour mixture in small portions, stirring constantly.
  • Decorate the fraisier cake to taste.
  • The time to cool the sponge cake base and the custard for the cream is not included in the preparation time.
  • Note the detailed tips and tricks for preparing the French strawberry tart at the top of the post.