Fraisier Cake

Fresh strawberries, creamy vanilla pastry cream and light whipped cream sandwiched between fluffy sponge cake layers. This take on the classic fraisier cake is creamy and refreshing!

As a strawberry lover Fraisier cakes are so beautiful. The ring of strawberries around the cake makes for an elegant and pretty dessert, so I knew I had to share my Fraisier cake recipe!

A slight adaptation from the original cake! My version incorporates a softer and lighter sponge than the traditional genoise and a vanilla pastry cream surrounded by light whipped cream and strawberries. Rather than a layer of marzipan ontop of the cake I use a thin layer of whipped cream as an easy substitute! The resulting cake is creamy, fresh and delicious, not to mention absolutely stunning.

What is a Fraisier Cake?

A fraisier cake is a classic French cake traditionally made from layers of genoise, mousseline cream, strawberries and almond paste (also known as marizipan). The name comes from the French word for strawberries "fraise". The resulting cake is a stunning little cake lined with the halved strawberries.

This cake is a great introduction to baking basics because it incorporates all the building blocks of baking. From a basic sponge cake (genoise) to lightened pastry creme (mousseline cream). If you want to get your head around the basics of French baking this would be it!

Tips on the Sponge Cake

The traditional sponge used in fraisier cakes is a genoise. A genoise is a very basic sponge made from eggs, flour, and sugar. It is then soaked in syrups and alcohol to take on moisture and flavor as the sponge itself is quite dry and flavorless.

I wanted to change the sponge so that it was light and fluffy with more flavor. This sponge cake uses the cooked dough method to create a super soft melt-in-your-mouth cake. I've mentioned this method in my Japanese-style strawberry cake recipe, and it's a game changer.

Keep these tips in mind when making the sponge cake:

Heat the milk, oil, butter and sugar (I) together

Heating all the oils and milk with the sugar allows it to dissolve. I have found that dissolved sugar helps to create a more even sponge!

Whisk the flour well

The flour is added to the milk and oil mixture without sieving. There isn't a need to sieve as it is being incorporated with heavier ingredients. However, it is important that you mix well so there are no clumps of flour. If there are clumps it could result in pockets of flour in your cake.

Incorporate one-third of the meringue first

The meringue should be folded into the batter for a super light sponge cake. By lightening the batter first it makes it easier to fold the remaining meringue without losing too much air. When incorporating the first third of meringue I like to use a whisk and really incorporate it, before folding in the rest of the meringue.

Transfer the lightened batter to the meringue

Most recipes will transfer the remaining meringue to the batter. However, by doing this it is easy to miss heavy bits of batter at the bottom of your bowl. By doing the reverse there's a lower chance of missing batter, resulting in an even sponge cake.

Tips on the Pastry Cream

The pastry cream gives this cake cake by adding extra sweetness and creaminess. The classic pastry cream uses flour to thicken the milk. However, I find that cornstarch has the ability to thicken without becoming too clumpy.

Here are a couple of tips to ensure you have a silky smooth pastry cream:

Heat the mixture on low heat

Low and slow heat is the trick to a super creamy pastry cream. The higher the heat the easier it is for the pastry cream to become lumpy. Constant stirring over low heat will create the best result

Pass the mixture through a sieve

If you find there are a couple of small clumps you can pass your mixture through a fine meshed sieve. This will remove any hidden clumps of flour.

Give the pastry cream a good whisk before piping into your cake

Because pastry cream is thickened with starch it can set into a gelatinous lump once cooled. It is important to give your cream a good whisk before transferring it to a piping bag.

Equipment Needed For Assembly

Cake ring

A cake ring provides the support for the assembly of your cake. If you don't have a cake ring you can also use the ring of a springform pan

Acetate

Acetate is a thin piece of plastic that wraps around the cake. By lining the cake ring with acetate it makes it a lot easier to unmould the cake once set. If you don't have acetate you can line the cake ring with baking paper as well, however the finish won't be as smooth

Spatula

A cake decorating spatula is perfect for smoothening off the top of the cake with whipped cream. This gives you a clean and professional look. If you don't have one a long knife with a flat edge will give you the same effect

Piping bags

Piping bags are not essential when making this recipe, but it will help with the filling of the sponge layers. As the strawberries are lined around the cake ring there are a lot of little gaps between each of the strawberry halves. The piping bag helps to get into the gaps and fill them up!

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

📖 Recipe

Fraisier Cake

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Fresh strawberries, creamy vanilla pastry cream and light whipped cream sandwiched between fluffy sponge cake layers. This take on the classic fraisier cake is creamy and refreshing!

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 60 minutes
• Cook Time: 75 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Yield: 7 inch cake 1x
• Category: Cake
• Method: Intermediate
• Cuisine: French

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

Sponge

• 15g Unsalted butter (1 tbsp)
• 30g Vegetable oil (2 tablespoon 1 tsp)
• 40g Milk (2 tablespoon 2 tsp)
• 30g White sugar (I) (2 tablespoon 1 tsp)
• 70g Plain flour (½ cup 2 tsp)
• 3 Eggs
• 60g White sugar (II) (½ cup 1 tsp)

Vanilla Pastry Cream

• 200g Milk (¾ cup 4 tsp)
• 100g White sugar (½ cup)
• 16g Cornstarch or cornflour ( 2 tbsp)
• 1 Egg yolk
• ½ tsp Vanilla paste
• 20g Unsalted butter (1 ½ tbsp)

Stabilised Whipped Cream

• 450g Thickened/Heavy cream (2 cups)
• ¼ tsp Gelatine
• 1 tbs Cold water
• 50g White sugar (¼ cup)

Assembly

• 500g Fresh strawberries, evenly sized (17 oz)

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Instructions

Sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan forced
2. Line the bottom of a 8-inch cake tin
3. In a medium sized bowl whisk the egg yolks
4. In a small saucepan heat the milk, oil, butter and sugar (I) over low heat until melted
5. While whisking pour the milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk until smooth
6. Sift the flour into the egg yolk mixture and mix until combined
7. In another bowl whip the egg whites with sugar (II) until stiff peaks
8. In three additions fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture, being careful not to deflate the bubbles
9. Transfer the batter to the cake tin
10. Place the cake tin in a water bath (a tray/tin of boiling water) and bake for 60 minutes
11. Turn the oven off and leave in the oven for 15 minutes
12. Once cooled run a knife around the edge of the cake tin and invert the pan
13. Wrap in cling wrap and place in the fridge until assembly

See Also This Recipe:  Double Chocolate Muffins

Vanilla Pastry Cream

1. Heat milk in a small saucepan over low heat until steaming
2. Combine egg yolk, sugar, cornstarch and vanilla in a medium sized bowl and whisk
3. Add the heated milk to the egg mixture and whisk
4. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and heat on low heat while stirring constantly
5. Continue to stir until thickened 
6. Remove from heat and stir in butter
7. Transfer to a small bowl and cover with cling wrap, pressing the cling wrap to the surface of the pastry cream
8. Chill
9. Once chilled, whisk to smoothen it out and transfer to a piping bag

Stabilised Whipped Cream

1. Combine gelatine and water in a small bowl and set aside to bloom for 5 minutes
2. Combine the cream and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk until soft peaks
3. Heat the gelatine mix in the microwave for 20 seconds, or until just melted
4. Add a spoonful of cream to the melted gelatine and mix until smooth and well combined
5. With the stand mixer on medium speed add the gelatine-cream mix and whisk until medium-stiff peaks are reached
6. Fill a piping bag and set side until it's ready to be used

Assembly

1. Remove the top caramelised layer of the sponge cake, then slice the cake into two thin layers
2. Trim the cake layers into 7-inch circles with the help of the cake ring
3. Line the cake ring with a strip of acetate (or baking paper if you don't have any)
4. Place a sheet of cake at the bottom of the ring and line the sides with halved strawberries, cut side facing the wall of the cake ring
5. Fill the gaps between the strawberries with whipped cream 
6. Pipe the pastry cream in the centre
7. Arrange whole strawberries flat bottom down on top of the pastry cream until the base of the cake is covered 
8. Fill in the remaining gaps with whipped cream (make sure to leave some cream for the top of the cake) then top with the remaining cake layer 
9. Pipe on the remaining whipped cream and smooth it off with a spatula 
10. Decorate with remaining strawberries 
11. Place in the fridge to set for 3-4 hours, or overnight
12. Once set remove from the cake ring  and carefully remove the acetate strip (or baking paper) before serving

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