Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake
Strawberry Bavarian cream cake also known as strawberry Bavarois cake is a perfect entertaining dessert that’s very impressive & luxurious. It’s made with pastry cream, gelatin, and whipped cream. And then, topped with a strawberry glaze that sets like jello.

Why make this dessert
- This is a fairly simple and easy recipe compared to most other time-consuming desserts. Fewer steps and so much more impressive. You can even take it with you to family and friends.
- Making pastry cream can be intimidating due to the process of tempering the eggs. But, I am using a simple process that does not need tempering of egg yolks. And that is why this is my fool-proof method.
- It needs a few hours of chilling time, so it must be made ahead of time, which makes it perfect for entertaining.
- The quick process and timeline for this dessert is:
- Step 1 – Prepare cookie crust – (10 mins)
- Step 2 – Soak gelatin and strawberry puree (10 mins)
- and Step 3 – Pastry cream – preparing + cooling – 40 minutes
- Step 3 – Whip and fold the whipping cream – 5 minutes
- and Step 4 – make the strawberry topping – 10 mins
- Step 5 – Chill the cake – 4 hours

Ingredients and substitutes
- Digestive Biscuits / Graham Crackers – Graham crackers are very commonly used for crusts but any digestive biscuits that you like to eat would work just fine.
- Milk – You definitely want to use whole milk, not low fat. The dessert needs to have some body to set. And low-fat milk will be very delicate and not as flavorful as regular full-fat milk.
- Sugar – I usually prefer to use castor sugar because it dissolves quickly in desserts like these. But regular granulated sugar works just as well.
- Cream – Again, you wanna use a full fat 35 to 38% whipping cream, which will add taste and body to your Bavarian cream.
- Gelatin – This helps set the Bavarian cream and gives it the right texture.
- Strawberries – You can use frozen or fresh strawberries for this dessert. However, do not use dried strawberries as they do not blend well.

Step by step instructions
Cookie crust
- Crush the graham crackers in a food processor. Add sugar and the melted butter and stir to combine.
Pro tip – You can also place them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. - Pour crumbs into the prepared 9 or 8-inch springform pan. Use the back of your spoon or measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly to form a crust.
Pro tip – Pressing down firmly will ensure a good base for the cake and it won’t fall apart when you cut slices. - Place in the fridge while you continue with the rest of the recipe.

Bavarian cream
- Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve to remove fiber. Set aside for later.
- In a small bowl, soak gelatin in 2 tbsp water – set aside to bloom for 5 min.
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine egg yolks, sugar, salt, and cornstarch with a whisk. Scrape the vanilla bean and add it in (or add vanilla bean paste).
Pro tip – The mixture will appear dry at first but it will cream as you continue to combine. - Gently pour 1/2 cup whipping cream over whisking constantly to prevent lumps, followed by the milk.
Pro tip – Make sure to scrape the sides of the pan to get any dry cornstarch pockets.

Stovetop
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. The custard is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pro tip – It is important not to rush this process as we want the cornstarch to be cooked. Otherwise, the mixture will thicken but taste starchy. - Once the custard is ready, remove from heat and add the soaked gelatin. Combine until all the gelatin is dissolved. Add the strawberry puree and combine well.
Pro tip – The heat in the pastry cream is enough to dissolve the gelatin so no need to place it on heat.

- Strain the custard into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic touches the top surface to prevent skin. Chill on the counter until room temperature.
Pro tip – Straining will remove any undissolved gelatin or curdled egg giving a smooth velvety finish to the Bavarian cream. - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the remaining whipping cream to soft peaks. Gently fold it into the cooled pastry cream as shown in the video.
Pro tip – The pastry cream must be cool to room temperature. If warm it will melt the whipped cream and you will lose volume. - Pour over the chilled cookie crust. Let chill in the fridge for an hour.

Strawberry glaze
- Cook the chopped strawberries, sugar, and half the water in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
Pro tip – Very high heat will evaporate all the liquid without helping the sugar dissolve, so be patient and cook gently. - Combine the cornstarch with the remaining water and add it to the saucepan. Continue to cook stirring constantly.
Pro tip – It is important that the cornstarch comes to a boil and the mixture will go from opaque to transparent glossy.

- Once the mixture is transparent and glossy, take it off the heat. Pour it through a strainer and use a flat spatula to press down as much of the fruit as possible.
Pro tip – Straining will remove the skin and fruit fiber giving us a smooth sauce consistency. - Let cool for a few minutes until barely warm. Then, pour the glaze over the Bavarian cake. Let chill for at least another 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Garnish with strawberries and serve.


more Bavarian cream recipes
Frequently asked questions
A Bavarian cream will keep in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days.
A custard is made mainly of milk, eggs, and sugar. Bavarian cream is a custard-based dessert. It uses heavy whipping cream in addition to custard. A Bavarian cream also uses gelatin to set as compared to cornstarch in a custard
Today I have topped this one with a strawberry glaze but I also shared a classic bavarian cream with three different toppings, blueberry, strawberry, and chocolate sauce. But you don’t need to make all three.
Other toppings to consider of course would be caramel sauce, butterscotch sauce, lemon curd, orange curd, and other fruit fillings such as raspberry, blackberry, cherry
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Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake
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Ingredients
Cookie crust
- 7 oz (200 g) Graham crackers (about 8 to 10 crackers)
- ¼ cup (60 g) Unsalted butter (melted)
Pastry Cream
- 4 Egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) Whole milk
- 1½ cup (350 ml) Whipping cream (divided (38%))
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste ((or 1 vanilla bean scrappings))
- 2 tbsp Gelatin (see notes above for substitutes)
- 1 cups (150 g) Strawberries
Strawberry Glaze
- 2 cup (288 g) Strawberries
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 tbsp (24 g) White sugar
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Water
Instructions
Cookie crust
- Crush the graham crackers in a food processor. Add sugar and the melted butter and stir to combine.Pro tip – You can also place them in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them.
- Pour crumbs into the prepared 9 or 8-inch springform pan. Use the back of your spoon or measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly to form a crust. Pro tip – Pressing down firmly will ensure a good base for the cake and it won't fall apart when you cut slices.
- Place in the fridge while you continue with the rest of the recipe.
Bavarian cream
- Place strawberries in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve to remove fiber. Set aside for later.
- In a small bowl, soak gelatin in 2 tbsp water – set aside to bloom for 5 min.
- In a hevy bottom saucepan, combine egg yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch with a whisk. Scrape the vanilla bean and add it in (or add vanilla bean paste).Pro tip – The mixture will appear dry at first but it will cream as you continue to combine.
- Gently pour 1/2 cup whipping cream over whisking constantly to prevent lumps, followed by the milk. Pro tip – Make sure to scrape the sides of the pan to get any dry cornstarch pockets.
- Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. The custard is done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pro tip – It is important not to rush this process as we want the cornstarch to be cooked. Otherwise, the mixture will thicken but taste starchy.
- Once the custard is ready, remove from heat and add the soaked gelatin. Combine until all the gelatin is dissolved. Add the strawberry puree and combine well. Pro tip – The heat in the pastry cream is enough to dissolve the gelatin so no need to place it on heat.
- Strain the custard into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic touches the top surface to prevent skin. Chill on the counter until room temperature. Pro tip – Straining will remove any undissolved gelatin or curdled egg giving a smooth velvety finish to the Bavarian cream.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the remainig whipping cream to soft peaks. Gently fold it into the cooled pastry cream as shown in the video. Pro tip – The pastry cream must be cool to room temperature. If warm it will melt the whipped cream and you will lose volume.
- Pour over the chilled cookie crust. Let chill in the fridge for an hour.
Strawberry glaze
- Cook the chopped strawberries, sugar, and half the water in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Pro tip – Very high heat will evaporate all the liquid without helping the sugar dissolve, so be patience and cook gently.
- Combine the cornstarch with the remaining water and add it to the saucepan. Continue to cook stirring constantly. Pro tip – It is important that the cornstarch comes to a boil and the mixture will go from opaque to transparent glossy.
- Once the mixture is transparent and glossy, take it off the heat. Pour it through a strainer and use a flat spatula to press down as much of the fruit as possible.Pro tip – Straining will remove the skin and fruit fiber giving us a smooth sauce consistency.
- Let cool for a few minutes until barely warm. Then, pour the glaze over the Bavarian cake. Let chill for at least another 3 to 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Garnish with strawberries and serve.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Use large room temperature eggs. The color of your eggs will determine the color of your pastry cream so organic deep orange makes a wonderful light golden pastry cream.
- Make sure to combine the egg mixture in the saucepan thoroughly so you have not dry lumps. Otherwise, the pastry cream will be lumpy.
- I like to start stirring with a spatula then move to a whisk to prevent lumps
- Keep the heat on low so the eggs do not curdle.
- The mixture must cook until it thickens properly otherwise the cornstarch won’t cook and it will taste starchy.
- I am using gelatin powder but you can also use three gelatin sheets soaked in cold water.
- Use high-fat whipping cream otherwise, the bavarian cream will not set and be quite soft.
- While you need only 4 hours of chilling time for the bavarian cream to set, it is delicious when thoroughly chilled so chill preferably overnight.
- I have given you three different options for the topping, blueberry, strawberry, and chocolate sauce. But you don’t need to make all three. In fact, you can serve a classic vanilla bavarian cream without any fruit sauce or chocolate sauce. I like a swirl of more freshly whipped cream.
- Other toppings to consider of course would be caramel sauce, butterscotch sauce, lemon curd, orange curd, and other fruit fillings such as raspberry, blackberry, cherry
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Can I use this as a filling for cake? Sounds fabulous and I would like to use it in a chocolate cake. Thank you.
Yes, Jackie, you can use it as a cake filling too. Just make sure to use a frosting dam around the edges so the filling does not ooze out. You can read more about that here – How to fill a cake correctly.
Hello,
I would like to know if I could use other fruits for this recipe, like mangoes or maybe raspberry or blueberry?
Thank you.
Novi
Yes, Novi You can replace the strawberry puree with an equal amount of other fruit purees. Thanks
What is the size of the pan you used for this recipe?
You can use a 7 or 8 -inch round pan. Thanks Charlie
Thank you so much for your response!
Hey Veena,
Made your bavarian cream cake and came out soo delicious and it tasted soo good. Thank you for sharing amazing recipe. It was a total hit.
Thank you so much, Rad. Happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback.
My mom used to make similar cake when we were kids and it was always a hit. Delicious!
I’m sure it was. This is always a hit here too.