Fraisier à la Japonaise
Japanese fraisier is a much lighter take on the traditional French fraisier. It is composed of a couple layers of genoise, whipped cream, and of course, strawberries, whereas the French version is filled with a mousseline cream (pastry cream + butter). Check out this recipe from the 2015 issue of Fou de Pâtisserie.Adapted and translated from Fou de Pâtisserie
Ingredients
Genoise
- 4 eggs, yolks separated from the whites
- 120 g sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 120 g flour, sifted
- a pinch of salt
- 20 g melted butter
Soaking syrup
- 50 g sugar
- 5 cl water
- 5 tbsp rum (or more, according to taste)
Decoration
- 250 g strawberries
- 30 g powdered sugar
- 25 cl whipping cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Genoise
- Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F). Butter and lightly flour an 18 cm round cake pan.Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Add the sugar while continuing to beat the egg whites until the mixture becomes a bright meringue. Slowly pour the egg yolks in a steady stream while still beating the mixture. Pour in the milk and vanilla extract. Then gently mix in the flour with a spatula. To finish, incorporate the cooled, melted butter. Pour the batter into the cake pan and tap the bottom against the counter a few times to force the air bubbles to the surface. Bake for about 25 minutes. Once done, remove from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Cut the cake in two and trim the edges
Soaking Syrup
- Put the sugar and water into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the rum to the syrup once cooled.
Decoration
- 1/2 tspn vanilla extractWhip the cream until stiff peaks form. Incorporate the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.Rinse and dry the strawberries. Set aside a few to top the cake. Cut the rest into thin slices (about 4 slices per strawberry).
Assembly
- Place one slice of the genoise on a round serving dish and soak with the syrup using a pastry brush. Cover with a thin layer of the whipped cream and top with the sliced strawberries. Add a generous layer of whipped cream and top with the other half of the genoise. Soak the second layer with the syrup. Then, cover with the remaining whipped cream.
Notes
The recipe indicates to decorate the cake by covering the top with inverted whole strawberries. I only decorated mine with a couple of strawberries that I had cut into the shape of flowers and lined the bottom with a layer of red decorative sugar. Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.