This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
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.
191 K 4.2/5 (22 reviews)
2 hours 45 min.
Average
10.35 €
1 Fraisier (French strawberry cake)
8 IngredientsLast modified on: September 18th 2011
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
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 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
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 470 RDI=180 % | 2,380 RDI=220 % | 970 RDI=150 % | 14,350 RDI=720 % | 60,060 RDI: 720 % |
| 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 1 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: Strawberries with mint and cream, Pear verbena tarts, St Tropez tart, Peach and green tea tart, Frangipane, ... See them all 19
Strawberries
Like these other recipes: Strawberry feuilleté, Strawberry and kiwi fruit salad, Chouquettes, Strawberry mousse with mascarpone, Quick Strawberry Millefeuille, ... See them all 19
Marzipan (almond paste)
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Provençal colombier for Pentecost, Piped petits-fours, How to make marzipan decorations, Little Christmas biscuits, Agen prune cake, ... See them all 6
Butter
Like these other recipes: The total turnip, Rosemary steamed fish, Creamy polenta with green asparagus, Breton style shellfish and vegetable soup, How to butter a dish or a mould easily , ... See them all 484
Other recipes you may also like
Bouquet garni
Used very frequently in French cuisine, a secret of French chefs, it adds flavour to a lot of recipes, and it's easy to prepare. The basic principle is to make a small bundle of herbs, bind them in green leek leaves and to tie it up, so that the whole thing can be removed and discarded easily after cooking. March 21th 2017435 K3.5 15 min.
Clarified butter
This is a way of melting butter to eliminate all the impurities. The clarified butter can then be heated without spoiling, and is more digestible. It is ideal for cooking at high temperatures where small black specks would spoil the appearance, or for emulsified sauces like béarnaise or mousseline. June 21th 2017482 K4.2 2 hours 15 min.
Almond cream
Light and delicious, it is used in a lot of desserts like tarts, cakes and pies (epiphany galette). August 31th 2025489 K 25 20 min.
Coconut paste
Similar to marzipan or walnut paste, coconut paste can be used in a variety of cake or sweet recipes, but you can enjoy munching it just as it is. October 13th 2010309 K 14.2 15 min.
Oxtail Parmentier
Rather like the classic hachis Parmentier, but using oxtail stewed very slowly in red wine and herbs. October 13th 2010326 K4.7 5 hours 50 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-01-04)
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.