Fraisier - Fancy Strawberry Cake

She’s as delicious as she is pretty.

I’m not going to lie, I couldn’t stop thinking about making this cake once I bought the strawberries. She’s a stunner.

It’s a genoise cake, cream mousseline, which is pastry cream with added butter, a simple-ish syrup and topped with a disc of marzipan.

One can do this with raspberries too for a Framboisier. Oh-la-la.

Fraisier

FOR THE CREAM MOUSSILINE

450 g whole milk

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

115 g granulated sugar

30 g cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 g lare eggs, about 70 g

300 g unsalted butter, room temp

1 tablespoon cherry liquor

FOR THE CAKE

4 eggs, room temperature

125 g granulated sugar

1 The zest of lemon

125 g flour

5 g baking powder

1 g salt

50 g butter, melted

FOR THE SYRUP

1 The juice from lemon

75 g granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cherry liquor

FOR ASSEMBLY

2 quarts strawberries

200 g marzipan

Recipe Steps

MOUSSELINE: Put the vanilla into the milk. Heat through and allow to cool.

In a saucier combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and eggs. Whisk together for a minute.

Put over medium heat and pour in the milk.

Continue to whisk and alternately stir with a rubber spatula. Cook until thickened.

Stir in the butter and liquor.

Put through a strainer and into a shallow container.

Cover with plastic film and refrigerate.

CAKE: Preheat the oven 350 degrees.

Prepare a 9 inch pan with parchment that has been sprayed.

Combine the eggs, sugar and zest in a bowl. Put the bowl over simmering water and whip with a hand held mixer for about 5 minutes. Until very light in color and voluminous.

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

Sprinkle ¾ of the flour mixture over the eggs, and fold in gently, but thoroughly.

Add the remaining flour and quickly after the cooled butter.

Pour into the pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

Bake for 20 minutes.

SYRUP:

Combine the ingredients in a pot simmer until the sugar is melted. Cool

ASSEMBLY:

Size the strawberries, choose 16 or so that are equal in size. Reserve smaller ones for the top, chop the larger strawberries.

Cut the genoise in half. Place on a cake board and make a snug acetate collar.

Lightly brush with syrup.

Line the sliced strawberries, cut side out on the cake layer.

Pipe the mousseline neatly onto the strawberries, against the acetate. Make a layer on the cake.

Place the diced strawberries in the center of the cake.

Top with the remaining mousseline.

Place the second half of the genoise on and brush with remaining syrup.

Roll the marzipan into a thin disk. Lay on top of the cake layer and press down.

Chill.

Decorate with the remaining little strawberries.

Serve the same day.