If there’s one cake that describes summer, it’s a Fraisier cake. This soft and fluffy cake with silky and delicious cream combined with juicy strawberries is to die for. This time, I added some zingy flavours and incorporated yuzu juice to brighten the dessert. It’s simply the perfect way to celebrate summer to the fullest.
I love summer. I love the long and bright evenings. I love the warm breeze and sunshine. I love all the delicious fruits, berries and summer veggie produce as well. It’s the perfect time of the year when it just seems like everything is good. Or at least I remember summer was supposed to be like this, because, this year in London, we aren’t so blessed. We’ve ended up with a bit of a never-ending autumn.
So, to bring at least a little bit of sunshine to my home, I decided to make the summeriest desert I could think of. And of course, this has to be the most beautiful Fraisier cake. Every single bite of this beautiful treat screams ‘summer’. However, as always with me, the classic recipe needs some spin… and this time I incorporated zingy flavours into my bake. I added a touch of yuzu juice together with limoncello and it worked magically.
So, if you’re like me, someone who lives for the summer months, try out this recipe. I promise it’s the ultimate summer celebration on a plate. Go on, give it a go.
Fraisier Cake with Yuzu Juice: Recipe Parts
This Fraisier cake is made from three parts that create the most cohesive and stunning-looking dessert. It’s not too complicated to make, however, I’d advise preparing this dessert a day in advance before you plan on eating it.
- Sponge – Genoise sponge is a go-to choice when it comes to baking Fraisier cake. It has a light and airy texture that goes well with the silky Mousseline cream. Take your time whipping the eggs with the sugar, as this will give the needed rise to your sponge.
- Filling – I used a mousseline cream for this Fraisier cake. I know there are loads of discussions about which cream you should use – but the main choices are a simple cream patisserie, diplomat or mousseline. I think the last one creates a perfect silky texture for your cake which is just irresistible.
- Syrup – well I must admit the syrup I used for this cake can bring some questions. Yuzu juice and limoncello are not ingredients you’d normally use for this cake. However, the zinginess and freshness from these citrus flavours elevate the whole Fraisier cake. Sometimes even classic recipes need some improvement!
Fraisier Cake with Yuzu Juice: Recipe Tips
To make this cake you’ll need to dedicate a couple of hours from your day. While it does take a bit of time, it’s not too complicated. Just follow the recipe and these tips and you’ll be fine.
- For the best sponge, use room-temperature eggs. This will create better volume during whipping.
- Ensure the pastry cream is fully cooled before incorporating the butter into your mousseline. Warm pastry cream can lead to a runny result. Add softened butter gradually while mixing to achieve a smooth and velvety texture.
- Brush the syrup with limoncello and yuzu juice on the genoise layers evenly for moistness and flavour. Don’t oversaturate, as it could make the cake too wet.
- Ensure the genoise layers are cooled before assembly to prevent the mousseline cream from melting.
- Place a cake ring or acetate strip around the cake during assembly for a neat and professional appearance.
- Allow the cake to chill in the fridge for at least a few hours or longer. This helps the flavours elevate and come together, and the cake sets properly.
If you’re looking for other summery treats, check out these recipes:
Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream
Peach and Mango Cream Dessert
Tropical Trifle with Mango and Passionfruit
Lemon Swiss Roll with Citrus Curd
No-Bake Mango Cheesecake
Recipe
Ingredients
Genoise Sponge:
4 eggs
70g caster sugar
35g melted butter
100g plain flour
50ml yuzu juice (I used this one)
Filling:
200ml double cream
200ml milk
100g caster sugar
3 eggs
50g cornstarch
30g plain flour
Vanilla extract
200g soft unsalted butter
400g strawberries
Syrup:
50ml limoncello
50ml yuzu juice
Method
Make the sponge:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a round cake pan with baking paper.
- Break the eggs into a double boiler over gently simmering water (put the pan with water on the heat, with a bowl on top of it).
- Add the sugar and beat everything together with a mixer. Check the temperature of the eggs and make sure they never exceed 120 degrees.
- Beat the eggs until they turn into a very fluffy and pale mixture.
- Remove the eggs from the heat and whisk until the mix cools down.
- Sift the flour into the eggs and very gently fold in.
- Add the melted butter together with yuzu juice and fold into the mixture.
- Pour the sponge mix into the lined cake pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden and risen.
Make the cream:
- Add the double cream, milk and sugar into a saucepan. Gently bring the mixture to a boil.
- In a large bowl whisk the eggs together with cornstarch and flour.
- Take the milk mixture off the heat and very slowly, always whisking, pour this mixture into the eggs (this way you’ll avoid scrambled eggs).
- Pour the cream back into a saucepan, add the vanilla extract and heat it for 5 minutes (always stirring) until it starts firming.
- Pour the cream through a sieve to remove any lumps.
- While the cream is warm, add 50g of soft butter and stir into the custard using a whisk until the butter has completely melted.
- When the mixture is cooled to room temperature, add the remaining butter (always whisking with a mixer at medium speed).
- Mix for 5-10 minutes until you get a very smooth cream.
Make the syrup:
- Combine both ingredients.
Arrange the cake:
- Cut the sponge in half and let it cool down.
- Prepare the pan (the same as you baked the sponge): line the sides with a cake collar (I used this one).
- Place one layer of the Genoise sponge cake at the bottom of the pan, cut side up, and brush with half of the yuzu syrup.
- Slice the large strawberries in half and arrange them in the pan, pressing gently into the collar. The strawberry tips should point upwards with the cut side pressing against the collar.
- Fill the centre of the cake with a cream filling, smoothing with a spatula.
- Place the second layer of Genoise sponge cake on top, cut side down.
- Press down gently on the cake to compact it slightly. Brush the remaining syrup.
- Refrigerate the Fraisier cake for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight to allow the flavours to merge and the cake to set.
- Just before serving, dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar and decorate the top with small strawberries and mint leaves.
