INGREDIENTS

Sponge cake

Flour 60g
Sugar 60g
Eggs 2pcs

Mousseline cream

Milk 420g
Eggs yolks 4pcs
Corn starch 60g
Caster sugar 125g
Lemongrass 1 stick
Butter 190g (90g+100g)
Vanilla bean 1 pc
Strawberries 500g
Sugar syrup
Marzipan

METHOD

Step 1: sponge cake

• In a pastry mixer bowl mix eggs and sugar
• Using the whisk attachment, whist on high speed until tripled in volume.
• Using a plastic spatula fold in sifted four delicately so as to not incorporate more air in the mixture.
• Pour into an 8 inch greased baking tin and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.
• Unmold from tin and let cool completely.

Step 2: mousseline cream

• In a saucepan pour milk add lemon grass stick and vanilla bean (split vanilla bean in two grate vanilla seeds add all with the milk).
• Bring the milk to a boil.
• In a separate bowl whisk egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Pour ¾ of the boiled milk to the egg mixture and mix well (remove vanilla bean and lemon grass stick).
• Pour in the mixture to the remaining ¼ milk in the saucepan and cook until thick. Remove from the fire and let cool for 20 minutes and add 90g of butter.
• Cover with plastic wrap in contact with the cream to avoid a layer from forming and cool completely.
• After the cream has cooled whisk it to loosen and add the other 100g room temperature butter, mix
  well.

Step 3: assembly

• Cut the sponge cake into two.
• Wash strawberries and cut vertically into two or three depending on the size.
• Using a 10 inch cake ring and acetate roll (to be placed in the inside of the ring) using a larger ring will allow you to place strawberries around the 8 inch sponge cake.
• Place the one half of the sponge cake into the cake ring and moist it with some syrup.Place the cut strawberries all around the sponge.
  Pipe some of the mousseline cream all around the strawberries and some on top of the sponge cake.
• With the remainder of the strawberries place them in the center of the cream, cover with some cream and place the second half of the sponge and apply some syrup on it.
• Pipe in the rest of the cream adding some strawberries same as the middle layer and smoothen the top.

Step 4: finishing.

• Combine marzipan with red food colour.
• Roll it out and cut the same size as the cake ring.
• Cover your strawberry cake with the cut out marzipan and decorate as desired by adding some strawberries on top as well.

Samuel Ayany