Fraisier Cake

Instructions

FIRST DAY

Make the sponge cake.

1. Preheat oven to 355ºF/180ºC.
2. Grease a 7,85 inch/20 cm diameter removable pan with butter, sprinkle with flour and turn to remove the excess. Set aside.
3. Sift the flour, set aside.
4. In the bowl of the KitchenAid or a stand mixer, add the eggs along with the sugar and salt. Beat, increasing progressively the speed without reaching the maximum, until reaching the rippon stage* (see in NOTES).
5. Add the flour little by little as we integrate with enveloping movements helping us with a spatula.
6. Incorporate the butter and integrate again with enveloping and soft movements.
7. Pour the mixture into the pan, tap gently to settle the batter and place in the oven.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven, let it rest for 15 minutes and unmold.
10. Let it cool completely on a rack.
11. Once it has cooled completely, wrap with film and refrigerate until the next day.

Make the syrup.

1. Add all the ingredients in a saucepan except Kirsch. Place at medium heat and let it boil. The sugar must be completely dissolved.
2. Once it comes to the boil, turn off the heat and let it cool completely.
3. Put the syrup in a bottle with the help of a funnel, add the Kirsch, close and shake to mix well.
4. Set aside at room temperature.

SECOND DAY

Make whipped cream.

• Before we get ready to whip the cream we must make sure of two things:
• Cream must be cold 24 hours before used it.
• The bowl in which we are going to make whipped cream must be cold. I recommend to use one aluminium bowl and freeze 20 minutes before beat it.
• If you want to know how to make whipped cream, you can do it in this video.

1. Pour heavy cream into freeze bowl and beat with an electric mixer into low speed.
2. Once cream is becoming to form stiff peaks, add sugar little by little stirring the whole time. Increase speed gradually but without reaches high one. Ideally use medium speed.
3. Before finish to beat the cream, add vanilla extract along  and beat until get a perfect whipping cream. Be sure not to over-beat, otherwise cream will become lumpy and butter-like.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until used it.

Make pastry cream.

1. Here you can see how to prepare the pastry cream.
2. Once you have it ready, reserve it at room temperature until the moment of its use if you make the galettes the same day.
3. In case you make it one day in advance, once it has cooled completely, place in the fridge until the next day.

Make Italian merengue.

1. In a medium saucepan pour the water together with the sugar and, without stirring, place at medium heat.
2. Leave until it reaches a temperature of 250ºF (121ºC), the ideal would be to help us with a digital thermometer.
3. While the syrup is cooking, whisk the egg whites together with the 45 g of sugar until obtaining a meringue that forms soft peaks.
4. Once it reaches 250ºF (121ºC)  remove from the heat and begin to integrate on the egg whites in a fine and continuous thread. We will do it at the same time that we beat the meringue to a medium speed. The final appearance will be a firm and very shiny meringue.
5. Set aside.

Make mousseline.

1. Add the butter in the KitchenAid bowl and beat with the flat beater at medium-high speed. We must obtain a spongy butter, white and very aired. It will take about 10-12 minutes.
2. Stop the KA and with the help of a silicone spatula scrap the butter from the walls of the bowl.
3. Add half of the meringue and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes.
4. Stop, add the rest of the meringue and mix again at medium speed until fully integrated.
5. Remove the film from the cream and soften with the help of a whisk.
6. Add the pastry cream to the mixture of butter and meringue.
7. Beat at medium high speed until a smooth and creamy consistency is obtained. It will take about 4-5 minutes.
8. Transfer the mousseline to a piping bag.
9. Set aside.

Assemble the cake.

1. With the help of a cake cutter, cut the sponge cake in 2 equal parts.
2. With a serrated knife, subtly cut the edges of the sponge cake to remove the most golden tonality.
3. Wash the strawberries and dry with kitchen paper.
4. Cut some of the strawberries in half, removing the part of the stem making a straight cut.
5. Place some mousseline cream on the base of the Push-Pan mould to adhere to the cake disc.
6. Place a little more on the disc and have one of the sponge cakes. Press lightly.
7. Place a sheet of acetate inside the mould surrounding the sponge cake. This will help us to remove the cake in a cleaner way.
8. Moisten the cake with half the syrup.
9. Place a row of strawberries around the cake. The ideal is to cut as we place, so we will not cut too many strawberries.
10. Cover around the strawberries with the mousseline and form a spiral at the base.
11. Place whole strawberries, previously washed and with the part of the stem cut, inside the cake and on the mousseline spiral.
12. Cover all the holes with the rest of the mousseline.
13. With the help of a spatula, smooth out the holes, making sure that all the holes are filled.
14. Place the other sponge cake, press lightly and moisten with the rest of the syrup.
15. Arrange a very thin layer of whipped cream on top of the sponge cake. Smooth with the help of a cake straightener.
16. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. At this point we can leave it refrigerated even until the next day.

Finish decorating.

1. Put Chantilly in a piping bag with an 18mm Saint Honore tip.
2. Decorate the surface the way I show you in the video.
3. Place some very finely laminated strawberries in the center.
4. Sprinkle the sides with ruby powder and decorate with some strawberry leaves.
5. Serve.
   

Notes

• The ribbon stage is obtained by beating the eggs together with the sugar for several minutes. The mixture takes on a whitish colour and the texture becomes very thick to the point of lifting the whisk and being able to form a cord or ribbon over the mixture without deforming it. Hence the name.
• I have decided the process in 2 days to make it easier and bearable. But if you wish, you can do the whole process in just one day.
  
• If we refrigerate the sponge cake overnight, we help the flavors ripen as well as facilitating the process of cutting the sponge cake. It crumbles less.
• To make the syrup you can use the liquor you want.
  
• It is important to moisten cakes, otherwise they may be dry. Don't be afraid to be generous, the result will be a very juicy cake.
• If you do not have acetate you can use baking paper instead. The good thing about acetate is that it helps to unmold cakes very well, as well as being very clean when it comes to working.
  
• VERY IMPORTANT: We cannot freeze the cake because the strawberry freezes very badly... It loses a lot of water in the thawing process and this could ruin the final result.
• You can make the top decoration completely to your liking.
• We can keep it refrigerated for 2-4 days. Cover it with a bell or inside an airtight container to prevent the cream from drying out.
  

Archivado en

• Breakfast
• Chantilly
• Mousseline
• Strawberry