Strawberry Fraisier Cake
·Prepare the tin
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. You'll need a cake tin 26 cm in diameter. Trace around the tin with a pencil onto the parchment paper, then flip the paper over so the pencil marks face down – you'll still be able to see the circle clearly through the paper.
Whip and fold
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold the flour into the yolk mixture, then very gently fold in the egg whites in stages. The batter should be smooth, with no lumps of flour or streaks of egg white.
Divide the batter and bake
Spread half the batter in the centre of one sheet of parchment, and the other half onto the second sheet. Spread it out to just past the traced circle, about 1.5 cm beyond the line. Bake one sponge at a time in the preheated oven until golden – this should take about 15 minutes each.
Cool and trim
Let the baked sponges cool completely. Then use the cake tin ring to cut out neat, even circles from each one. You'll end up with a top and a bottom sponge layer.
Pale vanilla cream
Put the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk with the sugar and cornflour until smooth and fully combined, with no lumps. Scrape the vanilla seeds into the milk and bring it to the boil.
Pour in the milk slowly
Pour the hot milk into the bowl with the sweetened yolks, adding it gradually and whisking constantly. Once all the milk is incorporated, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat gently on the stove. Keep stirring and simmer slowly until the cream thickens.
Let it cool
Pour the cream into a clean bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool completely.
Gelatine and cream
In a small bowl, mix the water with the gelatine and let it bloom for a few minutes. Whip the cream until stiff. Warm a bowl with a little of the pastry cream (about 3 tablespoons) over a water bath to 45°C.
Combine gradually
Add the gelatine and stir until fully dissolved. Pour the gelatine cream mixture back into the bowl with the rest of the pastry cream and mix well. Carefully fold in the whipped cream, a little at a time.
Piping tip
The recipe suggests piping the cream using a piping bag. I was a bit lazy and just spooned it straight into the tin. It works just fine.
Choose lovely strawberries
Pick out about 12 to 14 strawberries of roughly the same size. Remove the leaves and slice them in half lengthwise. Prepare the cake ring, wrap it in cling film, and place it on the tray or plate you'll be serving the cake on.
Layering
Line the base with one of the baked sponge circles and spread it with half of the strawberry jam. Arrange the halved strawberries cut-side against the cake ring. If they keep slipping, add just a few at a time and secure them in place with cream.
Mind the cream application
Keep going until the strawberries line the whole circumference of the cake. Make sure the cream fills the gaps between the strawberries too – press it in with a spoon (or use the piping bag mentioned earlier).
Chill to set
Use some of the remaining strawberries for decoration, and finely chop the rest to sprinkle over the finished cream layer. Put the cake in the fridge. The first cream layer will set, giving the second layer a firm base to sit on.
Pink cream
Heat half of the cream for the pink layer to 45°C. Mix two tablespoons of cold water into the powdered gelatine, stir, and let it bloom. Add it to the warm cream and stir thoroughly, watching out for lumps.
Whip it together
Whip the other half of the cream together with the mascarpone and food colouring. Add the gelatine cream to this whipped mixture. Sweeten with sugar to taste, then whip again until smooth.
Spread over the cream and top with the sponge
Spread the pink cream over the white layer, making sure the strawberries are fully covered. Carefully place the second baked sponge on top and brush its surface with the remaining half of the jam. Leave in the fridge overnight so the creams set properly and the flavours meld.
Roll out the marzipan
The next day, colour the marzipan with food colouring. Roll it out and cut a circle 26 cm in diameter. Remove the cling-film-wrapped ring from the cake and carefully place the marzipan disc on top.
Decorating
Decorate however you like. I dusted the top with icing sugar through a lace doily and added a few strawberries. I served it with strawberry sparkling wine – and the day felt even more special.
