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French Strawberry Cake

French strawberry cake with a delicate yellow sponge baked to a clean toothpick finish, then layered with pale pink pastry cream and jewel-like whole strawberries. Chill for at least 1 hour so the pastry cream sets into neat, elegant slices.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
resting 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Calories: 410
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

All-purpose flour
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
Baking powder
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder
Salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Eggs
  • 4 large eggs, separated
Granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
Vegetable oil
  • 0.25 cup vegetable oil
Water
  • 0.25 cup water
Vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whole strawberries
  • 2 cup whole strawberries
Pastry cream
  • 1 cup pastry cream
Powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp powdered sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 9-inch round cake pan

Method
 

Bake the yellow sponge
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan and place a 9-inch round cake pan nearby for quick setup.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly distributed. The mixture should look uniform with no visible lumps.
  3. Beat the egg yolks with granulated sugar until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. The ribbon should fall back slowly and hold its shape briefly.
  4. Add vegetable oil, water, and vanilla extract to the yolk mixture. Mix just until smooth and glossy.
  5. Fold the flour mixture into the yolk mixture. Stop when you no longer see dry streaks to keep the batter light.
  6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. The peaks should stand straight when you lift the whisk.
  7. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Keep a light hand so the batter stays airy.
  8. Pour the batter into the 9-inch round cake pan. Tap once on the counter to release large air bubbles.
  9. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F, until a toothpick comes out clean. The top should look lightly golden and spring back when touched.
  10. Cool completely before slicing. The cake must be fully cool so the layers and pastry cream don’t slide.
Layer and chill
  1. Slice the cake into two layers. Use a level, even cut so the stacks stay stable.
  2. Spread half the pastry cream on the bottom layer. The cream layer should cover evenly to the edges.
  3. Arrange half the whole strawberries on top of the pastry cream. Place them as jewel-like whole pieces for a decorative surface.
  4. Add the top cake layer on top of the strawberries. Press gently just enough to adhere.
  5. Spread the remaining pastry cream over the top layer. Smooth it into an even layer for clean slices.
  6. Arrange the remaining whole strawberries on top in a decorative pattern. Tuck them slightly into the cream so they stay put.
  7. Dust the cake with powdered sugar. The surface should show a light, even snowfall.
  8. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving. Chill until set so the layers hold together.

Notes

Pro tip: make sure the sponge is fully cooled before assembling; warm cake will melt the pastry cream and blur the layers. Refrigerate the assembled cake for up to 2 days for best texture; freezing is not recommended because the strawberries and pastry cream can weep and soften.