Strawberry and cream is always a classic combination, which makes this strawberry cream cake the perfect dessert. A light genoise sponge filled with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
If you need a dessert that simple and yet light and refreshing, then this is it. Don't get me wrong - when I say light I don't mean light on calories. I mean not as heavy as a rich chocolate cake would be with chocolate frosting. Whipped cream is not low in fat, and yet it feels light and refreshing. And so, if you need an indulgent yet light and refreshing dessert, this strawberry cake is the answer.
I make this cake every strawberry season. It's my Aadi's favorite. He loves whipped cream. So any whipped cream cake is his favorite. Hence, the two cakes often made in our home are my chocolate cake with whipped cream and this strawberry cream cake.
Table of Content
About this cake
Of course, this cake is a perfect candidate when strawberries are in abundance because it works best with fresh seasonal strawberries. There are three components to this dessert
Cake - I am using a genoise which is a light sponge made with more eggs and less flour but you can also use a vanilla sponge or light and fluffy sponge for this cake. You can even use my eggless vanilla sponge to make this eggless
Whipped cream - The cream is dairy and perishable. Hence, you must keep it refrigerated, like all whipped cream cakes. No matter how wonderful light and fluffy your whipped cream is, it will lose volume during storage, and over time it will be soft and runny. One way you can extend the life of your whipped cream by stabilizing it. Alternatively, you can use other buttercreams as well. See my 30 plus buttercream recipes here
Fruit - Of course, I'm using fresh strawberries but you could use any fresh fruits with this cake. I have tried mixed berries during the berry season and we love it. My favorite combination is blueberry filling, whipped cream, and fresh blueberries
Ingredients and substitutes
- Eggs - Always use large size eggs when baking unless specified. The size of eggs varies significantly these days, so as a guide, one large egg weighs between 50 to 60 grams.
- Whipped cream - And always use fresh whipping cream with a high-fat percentage (no less than 38%) for cakes. You do not want to use half and half or table cream for your cakes as they will not whip. Some non-dairy whipping creams have a longer shelf life. So you will need to read the instructions and shelf life for the brand you use.
- Strawberries - This cake is best made when strawberries are in season. Frozen strawberries just don't look as appetizing on a fresh fruit cake, unless that's the look you are going for. Since frozen fruits, when thawed, look very limp.
And if you choose to use frozen strawberries between layers, perhaps you can use a strawberry filling for the top of the cake. Similar to my Chocolate cherry cake, where I piped a whipped cream border and poured the cherry filling in the middle. - Powdered sugar - Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar. And when looking for powdered sugar always buy one made from cane sugar, not beet sugar. You will find the buttercream made from cane sugar does not have a grainy consistency.
- Vanilla - A good quality vanilla will make a huge difference in anything you make. Premium vanilla can be expensive. That is why I make my own homemade vanilla extract, bean paste or sugar.
- Cream of tartar - Gives a much creamier egg white and it's less likely to separate the protein and the water. It's also flavorless so it does not affect the flavor of your baked goods. The best substitute for cream of tartar is a pinch of salt. While lemon juice and vinegar are also
often used.
Step by step instructions (pin)
Prepare cake layers
- Preheat the oven at 170 C/ 340 F.
- Grease and line 2 x 8-inch round pans with parchment paper.
- Melt butter and set aside to cool.
Tip - warm butter will deflate the eggs. - Sift the flour, cornflour, and salt twice.
Tip- Sifting the cake more than once essential when making genoise. So, don't skip this step - In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, start whipping the eggs with cream of tartar. When the eggs get foamy (about a minute) gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time whisking continuously. Once all the sugar is in - whip the eggs until light and foamy - ribbon stage. (Took me about 3 minutes)
- Next, add the vanilla extract and combine well.
- Then, sift the flour mixture over the whipped eggs and gently fold with a spatula in three editions.
Tips- The flour quantity is very little so sifting will prevent lumps and deflating the eggs - Add a few tablespoons of cake batter to the cooled butter and combine well. Then, add the butter mixture to the remaining cake batter. Gently fold it in.
Tip - melted butter is often where eggs can be deflated so do this carefully. Make sure the butter is cooled.
- Divide the batter equally between the two baking pans.
- Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the top is lightly browned, the top springs back when touched and the cake leaves the sides of the pan.
- Immediately transfer to a cooling rack and invert it to prevent the cake from sinking. Cool completely before decorating.
Filling and frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment add the whipping cream. Start whipping on medium speed, gradually add the sugar. Then turn to high speed and whip to stiff peaks.
Tip - cold whipping cream in a chilled bowl will whip faster. I like to keep my mixer bowl in the fridge for a few minutes before I start whipping. - For the sugar syrup - in a saucepan boil ½ cup water and ¼ cup sugar for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Strawberries - save 8 to 10 pretty strawberries for decoration. Chop the rest into small pieces for the filling (about 1 cup).
Assemble
- Place one layer of the cake on a serving platter. Generously brush the cake with simple syrup.
- Spread a dollop of whipped cream, spread evenly with a straight-edge spatula, then, generously sprinkle some chopped strawberries and top with another dollop of whipped cream. Spread evenly with a spatula.
Tip - a second dollop of whipped on the strawberries will help prevent them from moving around. This gives a more stable cake. - Place the second cake layer on top of the filling, brush with simple syrup.
- Spread more whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. Spread evenly with an off-set spatula. Dip the spatula in warm water to create a smooth finish.
Tip - do not use hot water, dip the spatula in warm water as hot water will melt the cream - Place leftover whipped cream in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe a border on the bottom and top edge of the cake.
- To finish place eight to ten strawberries on top equally spaced.
- Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, whipping cream is dairy and all dairy is perishable. Hence, any cake with fresh fruits, custard, or whipped cream will have to be kept in the fridge at all times.
Unfortunately, not long enough. A whipped cream cake may last only a few hours. Perhaps 2 hours at room temperature on a cool day or for 3 to 4 hours in the fridge. The only way to keep whipped cream cakes longer is to stabilize it.
Most cakes have a shelf life of 4 to 5 days. In the case of cake with whipped cream, the cake can still be eaten for 4 to 5 days and yet the cream will start becoming liquid after 2 days.
If you want a chocolate version of this cake - use my Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream recipe and just add strawberries in between the layers and on top. And for an eggless option, use my Eggless Chocolate Fudge Cake and layer with strawberries and cream.
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You may also like
- Strawberry cupcakes or Eggless strawberry cupcakes
- Strawberry cheesecakes or Strawberry jello cheesecake
- and Strawberry Panna Cotta or Strawberry panna cotta tart
- Strawberry mille-feuille
- See all strawberry recipes here
Recipe
Strawberry Cream Cake
Print Pin RateDescription
Video
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 Eggs large
- ½ cup (100 g) Sugar
- ¼ cup (60 g) Unsalted butter (4 tbsp) melted
- ¾ cup (90 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Cornflour
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ tsp Salt
- ⅛ tsp Cream of tartar optional
Filling and Frosting
- 1 ½ cup (350 ml) Whipped cream
- 4 tbsp Powdered sugar
Plus
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Simple syrup
- 8 oz (225 g) Strawberries fresh
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven at 170 °C/ 340 °F.
- Grease and line 2 x 8-inch round pans with parchment paper.
- Melt butter and set aside to cool. Tip - warm butter will deflate the eggs.
- Sift the flour, cornflour, and salt twice.Tip- Sifting the cake more than once essential when making genoise. So, don't skip this step
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, start whipping the eggs with cream of tartar. When the eggs get foamy (about a minute) gradually add the sugar one tablespoon at a time whisking continuously. Once all the sugar is in - whip the eggs until light and foamy - ribbon stage (takes me about 3 minutes)
- Next, add the vanilla extract and combine well.
- Then, sift the flour mixture over the whipped eggs and gently fold with a spatula in three editions.Tips- The flour quantity is very little so sifting will prevent lumps and deflating the eggs
- Add a few tablespoons of cake batter to the cooled butter and combine well. Then, add the butter mixture to the remaining cake batter. Gently fold it in. Tip - melted butter is often where eggs can be deflated so do this carefully. Make sure the butter is cooled.
- Divide the batter equally between the two baking pans.
- Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the top is lightly browned, the top springs back when touched and the cake leaves the sides of the pan.
- Immediately transfer to a cooling rack and invert it to prevent the cake from sinking. Cool completely before decorating.
Filling and Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment add the whipping cream. Start whipping on medium speed, gradually add the sugar. Then turn to high speed and whip to stiff peaks. Tip - cold whipping cream in a chilled bowl will whip faster. I like to keep my mixer bowl in the fridge for a few minutes before I start whipping.
- For the sugar syrup - in a saucepan boil ½ cup water and ¼ cup sugar for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Strawberries - save 8 to 10 pretty strawberries for decoration. Chop the rest into small pieces for the filling (about 1 cup).
Assemble
- Place one layer of the cake on a serving platter. Generously brush the cake with simple syrup.
- Spread a dollop of whipped cream, spread evenly with a straight-edge spatula, then, generously sprinkle some chopped strawberries and top with another dollop of whipped cream. Spread evenly with a spatula. Tip - a second dollop of whipped on the strawberries will help prevent them from moving around. This gives a more stable cake.
- Place the second cake layer on top of the filling, brush with simple syrup.
- Spread more whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake. Spread evenly with an off-set spatula. Dip the spatula in warm water to create a smooth finish.Tip - do not use hot water, dip the spatula in warm water as hot water will melt the cream
- Place leftover whipped cream in a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe a border on the bottom and top edge of the cake.
- To finish place eight to ten strawberries on top equally spaced.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Troubleshooting
- Flat genoise -If the eggs get deflated either because they were over whipped or because the fat was not folded in properly the eggs will deflate. This results in a flat genoise.
- Rubbery genoise -If you look at the video, I show you the right method to add the melted butter. A little batter must be added to the melted butter first. Then you fold that mixture to the rest of the whipped eggs. If not the butter will sink at the bottom of the pan giving you a rubbery genoise.
- Dry, tasteless genoise - yes, some classic genoise can be dry and tasteless but not this one. This one has sugar, eggs, butter. If the eggs are whipped to a ribbon stage they don't become dry. The butter adds richness and moisture to the cake.
- How to stabilize whipped cream - There are many ways to stabilize whipped cream from simple powdered sugar, pudding mixes, or gelatine. This cake used powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch and works as a stabilizing agent. This cake will last a day or more in the fridge. A Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream stabilized with gelatine may last for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. I have explained with a video tutorial everything you need to know on how to stabilize whipped cream with 5 different methods.
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
Delaney C
I wish this made a note about how long to whip the eggs and sugar until they're "ribbon stage". I kept whipping but was afraid I'd add too much air to the eggs, causing the cake to deflate later. I usually read what the recipe blogger writes ahead of the recipe to get extra guidance on directions, but these said pretty much the exact same thing as the recipe directions below, so it was not extra guidance on directions at all. It also tasted a little eggy.
Veena Azmanov
Whipping eggs with sugar depends on the size of the eggs, the thickness of the sugar as well as the mixer you use. If I use a hand mixer it takes about 4 minutes but in my stand mixer it usually less a little less than 3 minutes.
Cakes will be less eggy if fresh eggs are used. You can also remove the eye of the egg to make baked goods less eggy.
I do try as much as I can to give a detailed recipe with lots of tips across the recipe as well as FAQ and Troubleshooting.
In fact, I add progress pictures as well as a video, so my visitors can make the recipe as successfully as possible.
Sorry, it wasn't detailed enough for you.
Karen
No measurement for the Baking Powder. No mention of when to add the sugar. A waste of time and food.
Veena Azmanov
Hey Keren. Sorry about that. But, there is no leavening in this recipe, no baking powder or baking soda. The sugar is whipped with the eggs. Thanks
Anusha
The recipe doesnt even make one cake! And misleading recipe where the method doesnt include half the ingredients mentioned.
Veena Azmanov
Anusha. the recipe does make 2 cakes as you can see in the video. The bulk of the batter is whipped eggs. Most novice bakers don't succeed in making this cake because they end up deflating the whipped eggs.
If the eggs are deflated of course there will be no batter to bake (not even one cake). Please see the video below.
As for the ingredients - I just checked the list and the method. Can you please be specific as to what is missing?
Thanks
Stella
I did everything right like followed the recipe but theres not even enough batter to cover 1cm of the cake pan the video instructions are also very dofferent from the recipe you wrote down. the cake completely colapsed. do not recommend.
Veena Azmanov
Hey Stella. Sorry, this did not work for you.
The cake is a classic Genoise cake which is not the easiest to make.
The main component of the cake is the whipped eggs. That's what the cake is all about.. very little flour.
If the beaten eggs get deflated which I think happened in your case there will be no batter left to bake the cake.
I have re-checked the recipe again and the video and written recipe are the same.
Thank you for the feedback
Marisa F. Stewart
What a beautiful cake. It is so feminine looking and the inside looks so light and moist. If my daughter sees this cake I know she'll request it for her birthday. The touch of red strawberries really sets it off.
Veena Azmanov
It really is light and fluffy Marisa. You must try it. Thanks
Lois Christensen
This looks like the perfect dessert for Spring or Easter. Lovely presentation and instructions to help even the novice baker!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Lois. Glad you find my instructions useful.
Keri
Love your recipes! I tried making it with the corn flour and the texture came out a bit grainy (perhaps I didn’t use the correct type of corn flour). Am I able to substitute the corn flour with all AP flour or is there a reason it needs to be corn flour?
Veena Azmanov
Keri cornflour/cornstarch is like flour consistency and it dissolved in water. Cornmeal is grainy and cannot be used for this. Flour makes this very starchy so cornflour works perfectly. You can also use tapioca starch or arrowroot.
Arlene Mobley
Wow, that frosting looks so like and fluffy.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Arlene.
Sha
Hi veena, how much Baking powder to be added..It seems thats missing in the ingredients list.
Thanks
Veena Azmanov
Hey Sha. There is no baking powder in this recipe. The eggs are the leavening in this recipe. Thanks