Fraisier (French strawberry cake)
This classic French patisserie is a delicious assembly of 2 layers of genoa sponge filled with strawberries and crème mousseline (confectioner's custard with butter). The sponge is soaked in strawberry syrup and the cake is topped with a thin layer of marzipan.
158K 22 4.2
Last modified on: September 18th 2011
Keywords for this recipe:For 1 Fraisier (French strawberry cake), you will need:
- 1
300 g strawberries - 2
100 g caster sugar - 3
350 g Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream) - 4
150 g butter - 5
1 Génoise (Genoa sponge) - 6 500 g strawberries
- 7
150 g Marzipan (almond paste) - 8
30 g apricot glaze (optional) - Total weight: 2,050 grams
Change these quantities to make: 1 Fraisier (French strawberry cake) 2 Fraisiers (French strawberry cake) 3 Fraisiers (French strawberry cake)
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour 43 min. | 1 hour | 2 hours 43 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 1 hour
Begin by preparing the strawberry syrup:
Put 300 g strawberries, cut into pieces, in a bowl which can be used in a bain-marie. Add 100 g caster sugar.
Cover with stretch cooking film to seal the container well and place in a bain-marie over very low heat for one hour.
Put 300 g strawberries, cut into pieces, in a bowl which can be used in a bain-marie. Add 100 g caster sugar.
Cover with stretch cooking film to seal the container well and place in a bain-marie over very low heat for one hour.
Stage 2 - 3 min.
Stage 3 - 30 min.
Prepare 350 g Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream). When it is made and has cooled a little (wait 15 minutes), incorporate 150 g butter very cold and cut into small pieces, beating thoroughly until the butter is well mixed in.
This cream is a "crème mousseline".
This cream is a "crème mousseline".
Stage 4 - 5 min.
Prepare 1 Génoise (Genoa sponge). When cooked and cooled, cut this to the shape of your cake, round or square.
You can see that here I have cut it round using a dessert ring. If you do not have one, you can cut round a small plate laid on the sponge.
You can see that here I have cut it round using a dessert ring. If you do not have one, you can cut round a small plate laid on the sponge.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Split the genoa sponge in two through the middle.
Stage 6 - 2 min.
Place one circle of sponge on the serving plate and place a dessert ring over it.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Soak the the top of this sponge circle with half the strawberry syrup.
Stage 8 - 5 min.
Spread a thin layer of crème mousseline over the sponge.
Stage 9 - 5 min.
Arrange straberries cut in half around the circle with the cut side towards the outside.
Stage 10 - 10 min.
Then fill the circle with whole strawberries, placed upright.
Stage 11 - 5 min.
Spread the remaining crème mousseline over the strawberries; ideally, they should be completely covered.
Tap the plate gently on the worktop to settle the cream.
Tap the plate gently on the worktop to settle the cream.
Stage 12 - 5 min.
Lay the other circle of genoa sponge on a wire rack and soak with the remaining strawberry syrup, using a brush.
Stage 13 - 5 min.
Then turn this over onto the dessert inside the ring.
This is a tricky operation, so I advise you to turn it over smartly onto a baking sheet to (along with the rack), then slide it onto the top of the cake.
Press gently on the top to make sure it is flat and even.
This is a tricky operation, so I advise you to turn it over smartly onto a baking sheet to (along with the rack), then slide it onto the top of the cake.
Press gently on the top to make sure it is flat and even.
Stage 14 - 10 min.
Roll out 150 g Marzipan (almond paste) thinly (see this page on the subject), then use it to cover the top of the strawberry cake and trim off any excess.
Stage 15 - 5 min.
Decorate with a half strawberry and brush with an apricot glaze. This is not essential, but adds an attractive finish and prevents the marzipan from drying out.
Stage 16 - 3 min.
At the last minute, gently remove the cake from the dessert ring. Your "fraisier" is ready to be served and enjoyed.
Remarks
If you do not have a dessert ring, use a circle of strong card, lined with a piece of stretch plastic film, held in place with a paper clip.
For a quicker finish, you can simply sprinkle the top of the cake with icing sugar in place of the marzipan.
For Gaston Lenôtre, a strawberry cake should be made with butter cream rather than mousseline, and he called it a "Bagatelle".
For a quicker finish, you can simply sprinkle the top of the cake with icing sugar in place of the marzipan.
For Gaston Lenôtre, a strawberry cake should be made with butter cream rather than mousseline, and he called it a "Bagatelle".
Keeping
A day or two in the fridge.
Source
Home made, with Catherine as tester. Her portion is shown in the photo.
Nutritional information
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 4,431 Kcal or 18,552 Kj | 94 gr | 617 gr | 292 gr |
| 222 % | 36 % | 58 % | 44 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 216 Kcal or 904 Kj | 5 gr | 30 gr | 14 gr |
| 11 % | 2 % | 3 % | 2 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 1 Fraisier (French strawberry cake) : 10.35 €
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
 | Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream): You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Raisin breads (pains aux raisins), Pains briochés aux raisins, Pear verbena tarts, Millefeuille, Saint Honoré cake, ... All |
 | Strawberries: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Quick Strawberry Millefeuille, Clear strawberry juice, Strawberry feuilleté, Strawberry Charlotte, Eton mess, ... All |
 | Butter: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Almond tuiles, Hazelnut and orange cake, Galette Charentaise, Pan-fried salmon with white cabbage, Dipping bread with cheese, ... All |
 | Marzipan (almond paste): You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Piped petits-fours, Little Christmas biscuits, Arizona cupcakes, How to make marzipan decorations, Agen prune cake, ... All |
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