Fraisier Cake with Strawberries

Make the sponge cake. We'll make it using a slightly unconventional method. Bring eggs to room temperature (to speed this up, you can place them in a bowl of hot water). Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the hot water, and beat thoroughly with a hand mixer, gradually adding the sugar, for at least 7–10 minutes or longer. The resulting mixture should be very light, thick, and fall from the beaters in a wide, thick ribbon (see photo).

Combine the flour, ground almonds, and baking powder in a separate bowl. I used store-bought almond flour; alternatively, you can use blanched almonds that you've finely ground and sifted. If you'd prefer not to add ground almonds for any reason, simply leave them out and make a plain white sponge. Gently fold the dry mixture into the beaten egg mixture in stages, folding from the bottom up and being careful not to deflate it.

Line the bottom of your pan (I used a 22 cm pan) with parchment paper, tucking it under the bottom. Do not grease the sides — the sponge will rise by gripping the walls of the pan. Pour in the batter.

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for approximately 15–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Make the crème anglaise. Heat the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until hot. Whisk the egg yolks together with the sugar and vanilla sugar. Then slowly pour the hot milk into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over the lowest heat possible, stirring continuously — especially along the bottom — until it thickens slightly (it's ready when you can draw a clear line through the cream on the back of a spatula). Be very careful not to overheat the cream or the egg yolks will curdle. Let the finished cream cool completely (!).

Bloom the gelatin in 50 ml of orange juice and let it sit for 10 minutes, or for the time indicated on the package. Then heat until hot so the gelatin fully dissolves (I do this in the microwave). Let cool.

Whip the heavy cream until very stiff peaks form.

Add the crème anglaise in stages and beat to combine. Then pour in the gelatin in a thin stream (pour it directly onto the beaters while continuing to mix).

Assemble the cake. For the soaking syrup, combine the orange juice, water, and sugar; stir well until the sugar dissolves. Slice the sponge cake into two layers. Line the pan with a fresh sheet of parchment paper; line the sides as well if you wish. Place the first layer in the pan and evenly brush it with half of the soaking syrup.

Arrange strawberry halves cut-side out around the sides of the pan, pressing them against the edges.

Carefully pour in the mousse. Refrigerate for about an hour to allow the mousse to begin setting.

Place the second sponge layer on top and brush it with the remaining soaking syrup.

For the top layer, blend the strawberries with the sugar until smooth.

Strain through a sieve to remove the seeds. Bloom the gelatin in 2–3 tablespoons of water and let it swell. Then heat until hot so the gelatin fully dissolves (I do this in the microwave). Let cool. Stir the gelatin into the strawberry purée, mixing actively. Refrigerate until the mixture thickens slightly — just barely.

Pour the strawberry layer over the top of the cake. Refrigerate until fully set and the flavors have melded — a few hours or overnight.

Remove the cake from the pan and decorate as you like.

A look at the cross-section.

The Fraisier cake turned out wonderfully delicious — light, delicate, melt-in-your-mouth, with a subtle strawberry accent! My guests demolished it in the blink of an eye)) So incredibly good!