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Fresh Fruit Cake

Fresh fruit cake on a serving plate with fresh berries in the background.
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5 from 2 reviews

This fresh fruit cake, or fruit cream cake, is made with soft Genoise sponge layers, light Chantilly cream, and juicy fresh fruit on top. It is an easy, elegant dessert for any special occasion.

Ingredients

Scale

For Genoise cake:

  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tablespoons (120 g) granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup + 4 1/2 tablespoons (120 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 sachet (9 g) vanilla sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For syrup:

  • 1/3 cup (100 ml) water
  • 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For Chantilly cream:

  • 2 cups (475 g) cold heavy cream, 30% fat
  • 4 tablespoons (60 g) powdered sugar

For filling and decoration:

  • 1 1/2 lb (660 g) fresh fruits  (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, oranges, kiwis, grapes)
  • 2.5 oz. (70 g) toasted flaked almonds

Instructions

  1. To make Genoise cake, heat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Butter and flour the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch (20 cm) round pan (or springform pan). Melt the butter in the microwave and let it cool.
  2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and granulated sugar a few times. Bring the bowl over a water bath (bain-marie) filled with hot water, and whisk the egg mixture until foamy. Warm it to 104°F (40°C): check with a cooking thermometer. If unavailable, the mixture should be warm to the touch.
  3. Bring the bowl to the counter and beat the mixture with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment for 10 minutes, until it reaches the ribbon stage. Sift half the flour over the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula from the bottom to the top. Add the remaining flour and gently mix. Mix a few spoonfuls of the batter with the warm melted butter, then add it to the main mixture. Gently mix the batter, making sure it does not deflate. 
  4. Pour the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake on the middle oven rack for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown. Check the cake for doneness with a toothpick: it should come out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. Remove it from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes. Then turn the pan onto a cooling rack to let the cake slide off. Let the cake cool completely. 
  5. To make sugar syrup, pour water with sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla extract, mix, and reserve at room temperature.
  6. To make Chantilly cream, place the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, or a large bowl, in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour the cold heavy cream into the bowl. Start whisking at low speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar, increasing the mixer speed to medium, then to high. Continue to medium-to-firm peaks.
  7. To assemble the cake, wash and dry the fruits well. Cut strawberries into 4-6 pieces, peel, and slice kiwis thinly. Peel oranges and divide them into segments. Then peel the skin off each segment. Leave some fruit for the decoration.
  8. Adjust a mousse cake mold to an 8-inch (20 cm) diameter and line it with an acetate strip. Place it on a serving platter or a cake board. Cut the sponge cake into three layers with a sharp knife (serrated preferred) or a cake leveler. Place the bottom sponge layer on a serving platter or cake board, and generously soak it with the syrup using a silicone or pastry brush.
  9. Cover the sponge cake disc with 1/4 of the Chantilly cream and arrange the fruit pieces on top. Place the second cake disc on top and gently press it down to ensure it adheres. Soak it, and fill it with another 1/4 of cream and some fruit. Cover with the top layer and press it down slightly to finish the cake.
  10. Cover the mold with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Keep the bowl with the cream covered with plastic film in the refrigerator.
  11. Once ready to decorate, take the cake and the cream out of the fridge. Remove the ring and the acetate collar. Apply the remaining cream on top and around the cake. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh fruit and sprinkle with icing sugar. 

Notes

  1. Don't skip soaking the sponge cake; it helps keep it moist.
  2. Avoid over-whipping the cream. Stop the mixer at medium-stiff peaks for easy application. It takes 1-3 seconds to go from medium to stiff peaks, and over-whisking the cream can ruin it.
  3. If desired, make some extra cream and place it into a piping bag fitted with a tip of your choice. Then, pipe some patterns around the edge of the cake.
  4. Respect the chilling time: let the cake firm up for a couple of hours. However, if necessary, you can serve the cake right after decorating.
  5. Ensure the fresh fruit is washed and dried thoroughly before using. Watery fruits tend to bleed into the cream frosting and become mushy more quickly.
  6. Recalculate ingredient amounts for cake pans of different sizes with this simple cake pan size converter.
  7. Make-ahead option: Make the Genoise sponge cake 1-2 days in advance and store it, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature. Then finish the cake. 

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/fresh-fruit-cake-recipe/