This vanilla cake is filled with a gorgeous strawberry crème pâtissière, covered with a smooth strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream and finally topped with a white chocolate ganache.
Vanilla Sponge
- 300g margarine
- 300g caster sugar
- 300g self raising flour
- 5 whole eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan oven). Grease three sandwich tins (diameter 8 inches) with butter or margarine then dust with flour.
In a separate bowl, mix all of the ingredients together until it forms a smooth batter. Split the batter evenly between the three tins, level the tops with a spatula then place in the oven to bake for about 25-30 minutes. The cakes should be risen and golden. Test with a skewer or cocktail stick to confirm the cakes are done. Once done, turn out on to a wire rack to cool.
For the strawberry crème pâtissière you will need…
- 375g strawberries
- 3 egg yolks (reserve the whites for the meringue)
- 75g caster sugar
- 45g cornflour
Hull the strawberries then cut them in half (or quarter them if they are quite big). Heat the strawberries gently in a saucepan with a tablespoon of water until they are soft. Then blitz in a food processor until you have a smooth purée. Pass the purée through a sieve (to remove any large lumps or seeds) and pour back into the saucepan.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour.
Heat the strawberry purée until it starts to steam. Pour a small amount into the egg yolk mixture and whisk together. Then pour the egg yolk mixture in to the saucepan with the rest of the purée and whisk together. Turn the heat up to maximum and whisk constantly. Keep moving the whisk at all times otherwise you risk parts of the mix burning on the bottom of the saucepan. Keep whisking until the mixture starts to become thick, then quickly turn out in to a clean bowl. Cover with cling film, with the film touching the surface of the crème pâtissière (this stops it forming a skin on top) and leave to cool.
For the strawberry Swiss meringue buttercream, you will need…
- 4 egg whites
- 200g caster sugar
- 200g unsalted butter (at room temperature and cubed)
- 4 tbsp strawberry jam
Pour the egg whites and the sugar in to a heat proof bowl, then place on top of a saucepan of simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the saucepan). Whisk the egg whites and sugar together over the water. It will start to become thicker and more meringue like. Using a sugar thermometer, check the temperature of the mixture. Keep whisking until the meringue reaches 70℃.
Pour the meringue into a stand mixture and whisk on high until the meringue has cooled down and reached stiff peak stage (can take 5-10 minutes). At this stage, put the mixer on a slow speed and add the butter, one cube at a time. After adding all the butter the mixture may look curdled but keep whisking slowly and it will come back together. Once it has turned in to a light buttercream, add the strawberry jam and fold in.
To construct the cake, I used 2 large piping bags with round nozzles and filled one with the buttercream and one with the crème patissiere.
Place the first cake on a cake board or a cake stand (secure in place with a dollop of the buttercream). Then pipe a ring of the buttercream around the outer edge of the cake. Then starting from the centre of the cake, pipe the crème pâtissière in an even spiral until you reach the buttercream. This outer ring of buttercream will secure the crème pâtissière inside the cake and stop it from leaking out. Place the next cake on top and repeat the process. Then place the final cake on top and spread the remaining buttercream on the top and around the cake.
Using a spatula or scraper, smooth the top and the sides of the cake. Then pop in the fridge to allow the buttercream to firm up.
White Chocolate Ganache
- 200g white chocolate
- 150ml of double cream
Chop up the chocolate and place in a bowl. Heat the cream in a saucepan until it’s steaming, then pour over the chocolate. Leave for a couple of minutes and then gently whisk the two together.
Leave to cool for a few minutes. As it cools, it will thicken, making it easier to drizzle on to the cake. You can check when it is ready to drizzle by taking a small amount of the ganache and slowly pouring it over the back of the cake. If it runs down the side too quickly, leave it a little longer. The ganache is ready when it slowly drips down the side and stops about mid way down the cake.
I use a teaspoon to gently drizzle the ganache over the sides of the cake, then pour the remainder on top and use a spatula to smooth over. Then I decorated with white chocolate studded with raspberry pieces and strawberries.
