Fraisier (French strawberry cake)

Step by step recipe

Stage 1 - 1 hour

Begin by preparing the strawberry syrup:

Put 2 lb + 14.6 oz strawberries, cut into pieces, in a bowl which can be used in a bain-marie. Add 10.6 oz 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.

At the end of this time, you will have a delicious strawberry syrup. Strain through a sieve.

The pieces of strawberry left will not have much flavour, so you can either eat them or throw them away.

Note: French chefs call this "clarified strawberries", rather than a syrup.

Set aside.

Stage 3 - 30 min.

Prepare 2 lb + 5.0 oz confectioner's custard (crème pâtissière, or french pastry cream). When it is made and has cooled a little (wait 15 minutes), incorporate 1 lb + 0.4 oz butter very cold and cut into small pieces, beating thoroughly until the butter is well mixed in.

This cream is a "crème mousseline".

Stage 4 - 5 min.

Prepare 3 génoises (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.

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.

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.

Stage 14 - 10 min.

Roll out 15.8 oz 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.

	Proteins (gr)	Carbohydrates (gr)	Fats (gr)	Energy value (in k-calories)	Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe	1,400 RDI=540 %	7,130 RDI=670 %	2,910 RDI=440 %	43,040 RDI=2,150 %	180,180 RDI: 2,150 %
Per 100 g	20 RDI=9 %	120 RDI=10 %	50 RDI=7 %	700 RDI=40 %	2,930 RDI: 40 %

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