Traditional Strawberry Mousseline Cake

Light soaked sponge, smooth mousseline cream with visible vanilla specks, and perfectly lined fresh strawberries. A balance between rich cream and bright fruit acidity.

• Prep time: 60 min
• Cook time: 20 min
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: 810
• Protein: 16 g
• Carbs: 89 g
• Fat: 41 g

Ingredients

• 5.3 piece Egg ( whole )
• 166.7 g White sugar ( divided )
• 83.3 g Wheat flour ( sifted )
• 333.3 ml Whole milk
• 33.3 g Corn starch
• 133.3 g Minimum butter sweet ( room temperature )
• 0.7 piece Vanilla bean ( scraped )
• 333.3 g Strawberry ( hulled )
• 66.7 ml Mineral water
• 1.3 tbsp Rum optional
• 100 g Marzipan ( thinly rolled out )

Instructions

1. Genoise base

   Whisk eggs and sugar over a bain-marie until the mixture triples in volume and forms a thick ribbon. Gently fold in the sifted flour using a spatula.

2. Baking the biscuit

   Spread the batter on a baking sheet. Bake at 180°C. The biscuit should be light golden, soft to the touch, and not sticky.

3. Base pastry cream

   Whisk eggs with sugar until pale, then add cornstarch. Pour the boiling vanilla milk over it, then return to the heat. Whisk until the cream thickens and heavily coats the spoon.

4. Mousseline transformation

   Once the cream has cooled but not set, incorporate the softened butter by whisking vigorously. The cream should become light, airy, and glossy.

5. Syrup and assembly

   Soak the biscuit with rum syrup. Line a ring with halved strawberries, cut side facing out. Fill with mousseline cream and strawberry pieces, then smooth the top.

6. Almond paste finish

   Roll out the almond paste thinly. Cut a disk to the size of the cake and place it gently on top to traditionally cover the fraisier. Refrigerate.

Chef's tips

• The butter and the pastry cream must be at the same temperature to successfully emulsify the mousseline.
• Do not overwork the batter after adding the flour to keep the air in the eggs.

Storage

Store in the refrigerator and consume within 24 hours. Strawberries release juice after being cut.