Fraisier Cake (French Strawberry cake)

Fraisier cake or gateau Fraisier is a traditional French strawberry cake made with two layers of Genoise biscuit and generously garnished with fresh strawberries and luscious Diplomat cream. It's a visually stunning masterpiece perfect for birthdays and other special celebrations.

Fraisier cake, or gateau Fraisier

This French strawberry cake is one of the most gorgeous cakes I have ever made. And I made a lot of cakes as a cake lover.

I started experimenting with the Fraisier cake recipe a long time ago by making Fraisier by Yann Couvreur first. His modern presentation, studded with a generous amount of fresh strawberries cut into rings, is stunning.

But later, I went to a classic Frasier cake with diplomat cream (crème diplomate) made of pastry cream and whipped cream with added gelatin, which is much lighter.

What's next, asking you? Maybe individually served mini Fraiser cakes, perfect for St. Valentine's Day. Let's see.

What is Fraisier cake

Fraisier cake, or simply Fraisier, is a classic French strawberry cake made with fresh strawberries, a vanilla mousseline cream or crème mousseline, and a very lightly soaked Genoise sponge. The cake's name, gateau Fraisier, is derived from the French word for strawberry, "fraise," and "gateau," meaning cake.

The raspberry version of a similar French cake made with raspberries is called Framboisier cake (from the French word "framboise," meaning raspberry). A matching blackberry cake is called Mûrier (from the French word "la mûre," meaning blackberry).

Each of these summer strawberry cakes is visually impressive, incredibly tasty, and delicious. As per Chefsimon.com, it is "a pastry of incomparable freshness and delicacy."

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Strawberries - choose good quality fresh strawberries of the same diameter to get a beautiful finish to the cake. The larger the berry, the juicier it is; the smaller the strawberry, the more flavorful it is. Read this guide on types of strawberries and choose those available in your area.
• Large eggs at room temperature.
• Sugar - regular granulated sugar or caster sugar.
• All-purpose flour
• Unsalted butter - high-quality European-style butter with 82% fat content. I always get it on the counter 1 hour before I start.
• Kirsch brings a beautiful flavor. Use dark rum or cognac instead.
• Gelatin sheets with a strength of 200 bloom. To substitute sheet gelatin in the recipe, use 8 g of powdered gelatin and ¼ cup (60 ml) of cold water.
• Cornstarch works as a thickening agent.
• Vanilla pod - the best quality wholesale Madagascar vanilla bean. You can use 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste instead.
• Whole milk 3.2 %
• Heavy cream with at least 30% fat content. It must be cold, right from the fridge.
• Freeze-dried strawberries or powdered sugar for decor.

How to make Fraisier cake step-by-step

Step 1: To make a Genoise sponge, preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan with softened butter, sprinkle with all-purpose flour, and remove excess.

Pro tip: Consult the Genoise cake recipe for step-by-step photographed explanations, helpful tips, and tricks

Step 2: Melt the butter in the microwave oven at 30-second intervals and set aside. Check its temperature: it should be 122-140°F (50-60°C).

Step 3: In the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer, place the room-temperature eggs and sugar. Beat with a hand whisk several times.

Step 4: Place the bowl in a water bath and whisk constantly with a hand whisk until the egg mixture reaches 104°F (40°C). 

Step 5: Remove it from the water bath and bring it to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk at medium-high speed for 10 minutes until the volume has tripled and the mixture reaches the ribbon stage.

Step 6: Sift the flour over the bowl and gently stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add two tablespoons of the cake batter to the melted butter and mix with a spatula. Add the butter mixture back, and mix.

Step 7: Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown. Check for doneness with a toothpick.

Step 8: Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Flip it over on a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes, then flip it back and let it cool completely. 

Step 9: Cut the cake into two layers (a bit over ½ inches or 1.5 cm thick) with the help of a cake leveler or a long serrated knife.

Pro Tip: Remove the crust from the top of the cake to make it a white sponge cake while keeping the bottom intact. The bottom will become the top of your cake. 

Step 10: To make simple syrup with Kirsch, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Remove from the heat, add Kirsch, and let it cool down.

Step 11: To make Diplomat cream, soak gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes.

Step 12: For the pastry cream, mix the egg yolks with sugar and cornstarch with a hand whisk until smooth.

Pto tip: Consult the pastry cream recipe for step-by-step photographed explanations, helpful tips, and tricks.

Step 13: Pour the milk with the scraped vanilla seeds into a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly.

Step 14: Transfer the mixture back into the pot and cook over low heat, whisking constantly until the cream thickens. Check the temperature of the cream: it mustn't exceed 179°F (82C)!

Pro tip: If lumps appear, pass the cream through a fine sieve.

Step 15: Add the gelatin sheets and mix with a hand whisk while the cream is hot. Immediately transfer the pastry cream to a clean, shallow dish. Cover it with plastic film in contact and allow it to cool on the kitchen counter - no need to refrigerate.

Step 16: For the whipped cream, whip the cold heavy cream with a stand or electric mixer until soft peaks. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate.

Step 17: To finish the Diplomat cream, place the pastry cream in a large bowl and whisk it several times with a hand whisk to loosen it. Add ⅓ of the whipped cream to the pastry cream and mix with a rubber spatula or hand whisk. Add the rest of the whipped cream and stir to combine to make a smooth Diplomat cream: don't whip it up.

Pro tip: Mix whipped cream with pastry cream at the last moment, just before assembling the cake.

Step 18: To assemble the cake, place a mousse cake ring on the cake board or serving plate, adjust it to 8 inches (20 cm), and line it with an acetate strip.

Step 19: Wash and pat dry strawberries, peel them, and cut about 10-12 berries in half. Reserve a few whole strawberries for garnish, and cut the remaining ones into 1-inch or 2 cm-sized pieces (photo 1).

Step 20: Place the first cake disc (leave the bottom of the cake; this will be the top of the cake). Generously soak it with Kirsch syrup using a pastry or silicone brush. 

Step 21: Arrange the strawberry halves around the edges of the cake, cut sides out, and place them together, leaving no space (photo 2).

Step 22: Transfer some Diplomat cream to a piping bag with a tip for simple assembling. Fill the gaps between the strawberries with cream, leaving the center hollow (photo 3). Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth out the cream if needed.

Step 23: Add the sliced strawberries to the remaining Diplomat cream and stir gently with a spatula without crushing the fresh fruit. Fill the inside of the cake with the cream and slices of freshly cut strawberries.

Step 24: Spread the plain Diplomat cream from the center on top of the cake with an offset spatula. Be sure to cover the surface of the cake without displacing the halved strawberries (photo 4).

Step 25: Place the bottom layer of sponge cake upside down (don't soak it). Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

To serve, unmold the cake and sprinkle the top of the cake with freeze-dried strawberry powder (use a food processor) or powdered sugar. Decorate with fresh strawberries.

Expert tips to make French strawberry cake

1. Be organized by preparing and measuring all the ingredients for making and assembling the cake.
2. Mix whipped cream with pastry cream at the last moment, just before assembling the cake.
3. Respect the cooling and resting time while making Diplomat cream.
4. Be sure to choose strawberries of the same height (2.5 inches or 3-3.5 cm) for a beautiful presentation.
5. Use a springform cake tin instead of a mousse cake ring.
6. Neatly pipe the Diplomat cream between edged strawberries.
7. Keep the cake in the mold (pastry ring) until serving. Decorate the top of the cake at the last minute.

Storage

Store Fraisier cake in a mold covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator until the moment of serving.

The dessert is best eaten on the day of serving, but you can keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Can you freeze Fraisier cake? It is not advisable to freeze Fraisier since strawberries with cream do not stand freezing well.

Recipe FAQ

Love French desserts? Try these next!

• Classic French madeleines
• French chocolate crepes
• French financiers
• French chocolate cake

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was originally published on September 18, 2018. It has been updated and may differ from what was initially published.

For reference, if you have made this recipe previously and want to replicate it, please get in touch with hello@bakinglikeachef.com. I will be happy to send you the old version of the cake.