Let Me Introduce: French Fraisier Cake with Elderflower

Fraisier cake is a beautiful and absolutely delicious French strawberry cake–a real showstopper in both taste and presentation! The name Fraisier Cake comes from the French word “fraise,” which means strawberry, reflecting the cake’s main ingredient. The classic Fraisier cake consists of light vanilla sponge cakes, fresh strawberries and a silky pastry cream. It’s a unique and beautiful cake, perfect for any special occasion.luscious mousse or pastry cream. It’s such a unique and beautiful cake, perfect for a special occasion.

Today, I’m sharing a recipe that has a twist on the classic French Frasier cake. Instead of pastry cream, I have used elderflower mousse in my cake to make it more refreshing. The floral notes of elderflower matches strawberries perfectly, enhancing their natural sweetness and at the same time adds a fresh flavor that balances the creamy richness of the mousse. I must say, I won’t be going back to making Frasier cakes with pastry cream!

Oh, and did I mention the layer of dark chocolate ganache I added to the top of my cake? This is the ultimate finish to this dazzling cake and perfects the flavor pairings!!

What You Need to Master this Strawberry Sponge Cake

A Fraisier cake can look daunting to make, but it’s actually pretty simple. It consists of three basic elements (okay, four if you count the ganache!):

1. Vanilla sponge cake layers
   The cake has two vanilla cake layers. To make sure you get even, flat cake layers, it’s important to measure your ingredients and follow the instructions for baking meticulously.
2. Fresh strawberries
   These are a must! If you can, use organic produce for the best flavor and try to find similar sized strawberries. Frozen strawberries won’t work for this French strawberry cake. Ça ne va pas marcher!
3. Elderflower mousse
   For the mousse, you will need to get your hands on elderflower cordial. If you don’t happen to have a beautiful elderflower tree in your garden, you should be able to get elderflower cordial at the supermarket (at least in most of Europe, I’m unsure about the rest of the world? Let me know in the comments!). You will also need gelatine to stabilize the mousse, in powder or sheet form.
4. Chocolate ganache
   For the best chocolate ganache, use real chocolate. Chocolate melts and other substitute products just won’t cut it for a really delicious ganache. I love couverture chocolate from Callebaut, so that’s what I always use.

Where to Find Elderflowers

In many countries, elderflowers grow wild in woodlands, along riverbanks or roadsides. Here in Denmark they blossom from May-July where I pick them to make homemade elderflower cordial. If you don’t have access to elderflowers, you can easily use store-bought elderflower cordial instead. It is wonderfully sweet and tangy with a unique floral taste that compliments strawberries perfectly.

 

Tips to Make Your Fraisier Cake Shine

• When it comes to getting the perfect finish on your strawberry and elderflower layer cake, the key is to slice and arrange the strawberries meticulously.
• For that stunning strawberry border, halve your strawberries (try to use ones that are roughly the same size) and place them with the cut side facing out. Gently pour the elderflower mousse over the strawberries, being careful not to move them. As the mousse sets in the fridge, it will hold the strawberries in place, creating a beautifully elegant edge.
• For the best results, use an adjustable cake ring, which you can tighten around the bottom layer of your cake. If you don’t have one, a springform pan works too, though it might not fit as snugly, and this can cause the mousse to leak a bit around the strawberries.
• For the most clean result, consider lining the inside of the ring with cake acetate. This will give your mousse a perfectly smooth and professional finish.

How to Assemble Your Strawberry Cake

1. Place the bottom layer of your cake on your cake stand with the cut side facing up.
2. Tighten a cake ring around the cake layer, preferably with cake acetate lined inside.
3. Arrange the halved strawberries with the cut sides facing out around the edge.
4. Carefully fill the cake with the elderflower mousse, taking care not to move the strawberries. Gently tap the cake to ensure the mousse fills in around the strawberries.
5. Add the top layer of the cake with the cut side facing down and press down lightly.
6. Chill the cake until the mousse is set before gently removing the cake ring. If you’re not using cake acetate, run a sharp knife along the inside of the ring to help release the cake.

Decorating Your French Strawberry Cake

To give your strawberry layer cake a finishing touch, you can add some extra decorations. I spread a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache on top for a beautiful finish, then added halved strawberries, quartered chocolate cigars, and small stars of vanilla buttercream. I think it turned out to be a truly festive and stunning cake!

Recipe

Fraisier Cake with Elderflower Mousse

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This beautiful French strawberry cake has amazing flavor of strawberries and elderflower. Made with vanilla sponge cake, fresh strawberries and gelatine-based elderflower mousse, this one is a real crowd-pleaser!

Difficulty: Advanced

Yield: 12 servings

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• Cake acetate
• Adjustable cake ring (or use spring pan)
• 2 Ø26 (10 inch) spring form pans (or 1 for longer prep time)

Ingredients

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Vanilla Sponge Layers:

• 5 eggs
• 250 g sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 200 g flour

Elderflower Mousse with Strawberries:

• 12 large strawberries (approx)
• 4 sheets gelatin
• 3.5 dl elderflower cordial
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 5 dl heavy cream

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

• 100 g quality dark chocolate
• 1 dl heavy cream

Vanilla Buttercream (for decoration):

• 10 g butter (softened)
• 1.5 dl powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp milk

Additional Toppings:

• 6 strawberries (rinsed and sliced)
• 4 chocolate cigars (cut into pieces)

Jeg er i køkkenet,hold skærmen tændt.

Instructions

Vanilla Sponge Layers:

• It's ideal to bake the sponge layers the day before assembling the cake.
• In a large mixing bowl (or stand mixer), whisk eggs and sugar for 10 minutes until thick and pale. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Gradually fold flour into the egg mixture, stirring gently until fully incorporated.
  5 eggs, 250 g sugar, 3 tsp vanilla, 200 g flour
• Grease two Ø26 cm (10 inch) springform pans*. Divide the batter evenly between them–use a scale for precision. Bake one at a time at 200 °C (392 °F) for 10–11 minutes, until the edges slightly pull away from the pan and the top turns light golden.
• Let the cakes cool completely in the pans on a wire rack. If you want a clean look, trim the golden edges (optional). Wrap the cake layers in plastic wrap until assembling the cake.

Elderflower Mousse with Strawberries:

• Rinse the strawberries, remove stems, and cut them in half. Make sure they have a flat base and similar height.
  12 large strawberries
• Place one sponge cake layer bottom up on your serving dish. Fasten an adjustable cake ring around it (or the ring from your springform pan).
• Arrange the halved strawberries flat side out around the inner edge of the cake ring, placing them closely together.
• Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 10 minutes.
  4 sheets gelatin
• In a small saucepan, heat elderflower cordial and lemon juice until boiling. Let it simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
  3.5 dl elderflower cordial, 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Squeeze out excess water from the gelatin and stir it into the hot elderflower mixture until fully dissolved. Let cool for 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whip the heavy cream into soft peaks. Gradually fold the elderflower mixture into the whipped cream using a spatula until fully combined.
  5 dl heavy cream
• Pour the mousse over the cake layer and strawberries, ensuring it fills the gaps and taking care not to move the strawberries. Gently shake or tap the cake ring to even out the surface.
• Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes. Then place the second sponge layer on top flat side up. Cover and chill the cake for at least 6 hours (or overnight).

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

• Chop the dark chocolate and place it in a bowl.
  100 g quality dark chocolate
• In a small saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium-high heat until just below boiling. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy. Use an immersion blender if you have any lumps.
  1 dl heavy cream
• Let the ganache cool for 2 minutes, then spread it evenly over the cake. Use a spatula to smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before decorating.

Vanilla Buttercream:

• Beat butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk with a hand mixer until thick and creamy. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle.
  10 g butter, 1.5 dl powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp vanilla, 2 tbsp milk

Final Decorations:

• Arrange sliced strawberries and chocolate cigar pieces on top.
  6 strawberries, 4 chocolate cigars
• Pipe small buttercream stars around the edges.

Notes

*You can also bake the sponge in 1 springform pan and slice it in half after cooling. Adjust the baking time accordingly. However, using two pans gives more flat layers. 

Storage: Store the Fraisier cake in the fridge until serving. If chilling for a long time, keep the cake ring on to maintain its shape.

Lactose-free version: Use lactose-free heavy cream and milk. Check that your chocolate is dairy-free.

Dairy-free version: Substitute heavy cream with ALPRO Soy Cream and substitute milk with soy milk. Check chocolate ingredients to ensure it is dairy-free.

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