1 h - A classic from French Pâtisserie. Le Fraisier is perfect for summer, fresh, fruity, and delicious! Bon appétit!
Ingredients:
For the Génoise (the biscuit):
3 eggs
100 grams of sugar (1/2 cup)
100 grams of flour (7/8 cups)
30 grams of molten butter
For the Mousseline (a delicious cream):
2 vanilla beans (use 1tsp of vanilla extract if you need to replace one of them!)
30 grams of corn starch (1/4 cup)
80 grams of sugar (3/8 cup)
250 grams of whole milk (I didn't have whole milk and use a mix of 150 grams of 2% milk and 100 grams of heavy cream!)
100 grams of heavy cream
4 egg yolks
120 grams of butter (softened, very softened!)
(optional, but recommended!) 15 grams of kirsch
The Rest:
500 grams of strawberries (use nice, and organic, strawberries or else your cake will not taste good!)
some almond paste
The Syrup:
50 grams of water
50 grams of sugar (1/4 cup)
(optional, but recommended!) 50 grams of kirsch
Tools:
You are going to need a "pastry circle" of a diameter of 20 cm rectangle of 15*20 cm
The Video:
The Step by Step Recipe:
1. The Génoise biscuit:
PREHEAT YOUR OVEN to 160°C or 320°F
Whisk the eggs and the sugar on high speed for 5 real minutes (you want to be at least using a hand mixer, whisking this by hand is close to impossible!)
The thick and white mixture is called "la masse"
Take two large spoons of it and incorporate it with the molten butter, place this in the fridge for 3-5 minutes (until hardened)
While the butter/2 spoons of "masse" mixture is in the fridge, add the flour (sift if possible) in the rest of the "masse"
Slowly incorporate the flour (make the same movement as when you incorporate beaten egg whites in a chocolate cake, you don't want to break the air bubbles formed by whisking "la masse"!)
Once the flour is incorporated, take your butter/"masse" mixture out of the fridge and incorporate it (delicately!) to the flour/"masse"
Once everything is nice and incorporate, pour your dough in the pastry circle or rectangle (previously, cover the bottom of the circle/rectangle with a sheet of aluminium foil!)
Cook for 25 minutes (at 160°C or 320°F)
2. The Crème Mousseline:
To make your mousseline, you are going to start by making a crème pâtissière. To do so:
Place a plate in your freezer
Combine the milk, the heavy cream, and the vanilla seeds (+ the empty beans to infuse) in a large saucepan and bring them to a boil (be careful not to burn the milk!)
Whisk the egg yolks, the sugar, and the corn starch in a large bowl
Once the milk is hot, pour it on the eggs/sugar/corn starch (strain the large pieces of vanilla beans) and stir very quickly to keep the eggs from cooking in the hot milk
Pour the liquid mixture back in the saucepan and put it on medium-high heat
Stir continuously (never stop, this is very important!), the heat will thicken your cream
Keep stirring until it becomes very thick
Pour the thick cream in your cold plate (the one you placed in the freezer!), cover with a plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 45 minutes (until completely cooled)
You are now going to make a Mousseline out of your Crème Pâtissière:
Once your crème is cooled, whisk your soften butter on high speed for 5 minutes (once again, use a hand mixer)
Once the butter is whisked (it will be of a lighter color) Add the crème slowly by little will continuing to whisk
Place your crème in the fridge (you will use it soon)
3. Building the cake
Prepare your syrup by combining the water, the sugar, and the (optional) kirsch in a saucepan (just let the sugar melt in the water)
Cut your génoise in two (lenghtwise)
Soak your two pieces of génoise in syrup
In the circle/rectangle you baked your génoise in:
Cover the side of the mold with some parchment paper
Start by placing a layer of soaked génoise
Add the strawberries (cut them in half and place the cut half along the side of the circle/rectangle)
Add the rest of the strawberries (cut in smaller pieces) in the middle of your cake
Add the mousseline and spread it
Add the other piece of génoise
Add a layer of almond paste
Reserve your Fraisier in the fridge until 30 minutes before eating it
Bon appétit!
Passionately yours,
Anton
Chef,
To be fully honest (and as you may have guessed) the picture is not mine. It is from Hervé Cusine, another food blogger. Here is a link to his Fraisier recipe (we don't have the same recipe, but I am sure that his is delicious as well!)
I ,sadly, didn't manage to take a nice picture of my cake.
Best,
Anton
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