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.
172 K 4.2/5 (22 reviews)
2 hours 45 min.
Average
3 Fraisiers (French strawberry cake)
8 IngredientsLast modified on: September 18th 2011
For 3 Fraisiers (French strawberry cake), you will need:
- 1
900 g strawberries - 2
300 g caster sugar - 3
1 kg 50 g Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream) - 4
450 g butter - 5
3 Génoises (Genoa sponge) - 6 1 kg 500 g strawberries
- 7
450 g Marzipan (almond paste) - 8
90 g apricot glaze (optional) - Total weight: 6,150 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 45 min.
Cooking: 1 hour
All in all: 2 hours 45 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 1 hour
Begin by preparing the strawberry syrup:
Put 900 g strawberries, cut into pieces, in a bowl which can be used in a bain-marie. Add 300 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 900 g strawberries, cut into pieces, in a bowl which can be used in a bain-marie. Add 300 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 1 kg 50 g Confectioner's custard (Crème pâtissière, or French pastry cream). When it is made and has cooled a little (wait 15 minutes), incorporate 450 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 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.
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 450 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
| 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 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 3 Fraisiers (French strawberry cake) : 31.10 €
- Per Fraisier (French strawberry cake) : 10.40 €
Change currency: 
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: Strawberry Verveine Tart , Chinois, St Tropez tart, Pistachio cream, Strawberries with mint and cream, ... See them all 19
Strawberries
Like these other recipes: You should not soak strawberries in water, Pear and strawberry verrine with tiramisu cream, Strawberries with mint and cream, Strawberry brunoise in a dessert-wine sabayon, Eton mess, ... See them all 19
Butter
Like these other recipes: Corsican tarts, Grandma Solange's biscuits, Boulangère tart tatin with vine nectarines, Marchand de vin sauce, Fish petals, vegetables julienne, and beurre blanc, ... See them all 450
Marzipan (almond paste)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Piped petits-fours, Provençal colombier for Pentecost, Agen prune cake, How to make marzipan decorations, Arizona cupcakes, ... See them all 6
Other recipes you may also like
Preserved tomatoes
Softer than dried tomatoes, they can be used as a kind of chutney in pasta dishes for instance, or simply served to accompany an aperitif.February 21th 2011338 K4.8 5 hours 6 min.
How to cook rice in rice-cooker
Cooking rice in a specially adapted "rice-cooker" is practical and quick: you don't have to watch it during cooking, it's fast (15 minutes) and the rice-cooker switches automatically to "keep warm".February 21th 2011915 K 24.9 20 min.
How to prepare sorrel
Here is how to clean and cut fresh leaves to use in a recipe, by removing stalks and central vein, to retain only the very best of the sorrel.October 6th 2010426 K3.3 35 min.
Poaching syrup
Less sweet than normal sugar syrup, poaching syrup is specially for slow cooking fruits to be used in other recipes.September 2nd 2012288 K5 15 min.
Praline
Praline is a preparation of caramelized nuts (in this case almonds), with a very characteristic flavour. Either crushed or as a paste, it is used to fill or flavour all manner of things like creams, chocolates, biscuits, etc.August 3rd 2012261 K3.5 55 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-12-08)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.