Description
Delicious traditional French fraisier with diplomat cream, light and delicious for an 8 inches 20 cm cake (8-10 slices)
Ingredients
Genoise
- 3 eggs - large at room temperature
- 90 g (1/2 cup) Sugar - granulated
- 90 g (3/4 cup) Flour - Cake Flour
Diplomat cream filling
- 4 Sheets of gelatin - about 8 g
- 400 ml ( 1 2/3 cups) Milk - semi-skimmed or whole
- 1 Vanilla bean
- 64 g (4) Egg yolks
- 90 g (1/2 cup)Sugar - granulated
- 30 g (1/4 cup) Cornstarch
- 35 g (2 1/2 tbsp) Butter - unsalted and soft
- 160 g (2/3 cup) Heavy cream - full fat and cold
- 120 g (1/2 cup) Mascarpone cheese - cold
Decoration
- 500 g ( 2 1/2 cups) Fresh strawberries
- Soaking syrup - optional (see notes)
Instructions
Genoise
- Preheat oven to 329°F / 165°C and line the bottom of a 8 inches / 20 cm round cake pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed for 10 - 12 minutes until the mixture triples in volume.
- Stop the mixer and pour the cake flour through a fine sieve and gently fold in with an angled spatula until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous (without making the batter fall apart).
- Pour the genoise batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 20 minutes until golden on top (check for baking by plunging a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean without crumbs).
- Let the sponge cool a bit in its pan before unmolding it carefully by running a knife around the edge of the pan, then let it cool completely on a cake rack.
- Cut the sponge cake into 2 layers of about 1 cm thick with a cake leveler or a large serrated knife.
- Cover with a cloth and keep at room temperature for the rest of the preparation.
Diplomat cream filling
- Rehydrate the gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.
- Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil, previously split in two and scraped to remove the seeds, then leave to infuse for 10 minutes if possible.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl until the mixture is whitened.
- Pour the hot milk through a sieve over the yolk mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat until the pastry cream thickens, stirring constantly with a hand whisk.
- As soon as it starts to boil, continue to cook the pastry cream for another 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add the gelatin sheets first and mix vigorously to incorporate them, then add the softened butter and mix again.
- Pour the pastry cream into a rectangular dish and cover with plastic wrap.
- Place the pastry cream in the refrigerator until it is completely chilled.
- When the pastry cream is cold, put it in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes to relax it.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cold heavy cream with the cold mascarpone cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes until you have a firm whipped cream.
- Add the whipped cream to the pastry cream with a spatula until you have a smooth, unctuous diplomat cream.
- Cover and store in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Set up
- Place a pastry ring on a cake board or in a large serving dish.
- Place halved strawberries around the edge of the circle, making sure not to leave any space between the strawberries.
- Place first re-cut sponge cake about 6 inches/ 16 cm in diameter (use a plate or tart circle to cut out the bottom layer of genoise).
- Apply the soaking syrup with a pastry brush over the entire surface of the genoise.
- Then cover the entire genoise and fresh strawberries with the diplomat cream until completely covered.
- In the center, add some strawberry chunks and cover again with a layer of diplomat cream.
- Place the second genoise of 8 inches / 20 cm in diameter and soak it with sugar syrup.
- Cover completely with the filling and smooth with an angled spatula.
- Place the strawberry cake in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before unmolding.
Decoration
- Whip the remaining diplomat cream filling with an electric whisk to give it a fluffy texture.
- Decorate the top with a piping bag and the filling, then decorate the center with fresh strawberry slices.
- Enjoy the cake.
Notes
Conservation: Up to 2 days in the refrigerator under a plastic film or in a conservation box.
Soaking syrup: Mix 50 g of water with 50 g of caster sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat until you have a fluid texture like sugar syrup. (You can add a few strawberries to flavor the strawberry syrup.
- Prep Time: 1 houre
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: cake,pastries
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 410
- Sugar: 30.8 g
- Sodium: 70.3 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.2 g
- Protein: 9.5 g
- Cholesterol: 208.9 mg