Fraisier
Yetunde Oshodi-Fraudeau, our spirited marketing director, and vibrant other half of Chef Eric Fraudeau, personally tried out this recipe of a beloved classic French dessert—the fraisier. Traditionally savored as petite, individual desserts, Yetunde’s version expands this delicacy into a show-stopping centerpiece, echoing the expansiveness of French culinary history itself. We’ve included instructions for both style of cake, so you can make 8 individual servings or one show stopper!
Individual Fraisier:
The fraisier, a gem in the crown of French pâtisserie, is named after the French word for strawberry, ‘fraise’. It typically features layers of sponge, strawberries, and mousseline cream. A favorite during the strawberry season, its origins trace back to the early 20th century, embodying the elegance and precision of French dessert craftsmanship. You can top the cake with marzipan or jam and if you have a flair for decoration, follow Yetunde’s example and sprinkle some crushed pistachios over the top.
Fraisier Cake
Starting to Bake!
There are moments in the kitchen that seem to stand still, caught between the aromas of melted butter and the rhythmic dance of a whisk against metal. After tying her Cook’n With Class apron, Yetunde started with a ballet of ingredients finding their rhythm. The mixer whirls into life, its beaters clapping through a fluffy cloud of whipped cream, hinting at the lightness it will bring to the layers of sponge and strawberries soon to come.
The oven door closed with a promise, and as the genoise baked, Yetunde prepared the mousseline cream. The kitchen filled with the scent of vanilla and simmering milk, the base of our luscious cream. Each step is a note in the symphony of flavors that will soon meld within the confines of a cake ring lined with strawberries so perfectly cut they could be mistaken for works of art.
The strawberries are not just ingredients but the stars of the show, each half lovingly placed around the edge of the cake tin, their vibrant reds peeking like rubies set in a crown of cream. The assembly is a slow, deliberate process where beauty meets taste.
Finally, the fraisier stands assembled, a testament to the culinary journey undertaken in our humble school kitchen. It’s more than just a cake; it’s a celebration of craftsmanship, a sweet tribute to the joys of baking and sharing. Join us in our next class to not only witness but also partake in the creation of such delightful wonders. Under the guidance of our expert chefs, you’ll find that every slice of Paris is as enchanting as its desserts.
Helpful Tips for Aspiring Bakers:
- Temperature Control: Ensure all ingredients, especially those for the mousseline, are at room temperature to prevent the cream from curdling.
- Uniformity: Cut your strawberries consistently to ensure an even layer and symmetrical appearance.
- Gentle Folding: When combining the flour and melted butter with your egg mixture, fold gently to maintain the airiness crucial for a light, fluffy genoise.
- Imbibing Syrup: Don’t skimp on the syrup! It’s essential for adding moisture and flavor depth to the sponge layers.
Try it out yourself with the full recipe below. And if you have any questions we’re happy to hear from you in the comment section below!
Fraisier
Ingredients
FOR THE GENOISE
- 200 Grams Eggs (about 4) (7.05 oz)
- 125 Grams Flour (sifted) (4.41 oz)
- 125 Grams Sugar (4.41 oz)
FOR THE IMBIBING SYRUP
- 30 Grams Sugar (1.06 oz)
- 25 Grams Water (1.06 oz)
- 10 Grams Strawberry Purée (0.35 oz)
FOR THE MOUSSELINE CREAM
- 500 Grams Milk (17.64 oz)
- 120 Grams Sugar (4.23 oz)
- 50 Grams Corn Starch (1.76 oz)
- 80 Grams Egg Yolks (about 4) (2.82 oz)
- 100 Grams Eggs (about 2) (2.82 oz)
- 1 Vanilla Pod
- 230 Grams Butter (8.11 oz)
OTHER INGREDIENTS
- 700 Grams Fresh Strawberries (some cut in half to line your ring) (26.46 oz)
- Marzipan (thinly rolled out & dyed with red food coloring) OPTION 1
- 150-200 Grams Strawberry Jam OPTION 2 (5.29 - 7.05 oz)
Instructions
Yield:
- 8 small individual cakes (about 7.5 cm or 3 inches) or one large cake 20 cm (8 inches)
FOR THE GENOISE
- Mix the eggs and sugar in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer and heat over a water bath whisking continuously until the mixture reaches about 60°C (140°F) or forms a thick ribbon when the whisk is lifted.
- Transfer the bowl to your stand mixer & whip until cool. The mixture should have almost doubled in size.
- Gently incorporate the sifted flour using a large spatula.
- Fold in the melted butter.
- Spread out evenly on a baking sheet.
- Bake at 180°C (356°F) for about 5 minutes.
IMBIBING SYRUP
- Boil the sugar and water together. Add the purée.
- Reserve.
MOUSSELINE
- Heat the milk and scraped vanilla pod with a pinch of sugar.
- Whisk the rest of the sugar with the yolks and eggs until the color has lightened.
- Add the corn starch little by little and whisk well.
- Once the milk has boiled, pour roughly half into the sugar/corn starch/egg/yolk mixture. Stir well.
- Pour this back into the milk and boil for three minutes, always stirring. If there are lumps, strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove them.
- Film and chill in the refrigerator.
- Once the pastry cream has chilled, soften it by whisking until smooth. Keep aside.
- Soften the butter and whip until almost white.
- Add the pastry cream to the whipped butter and mix well. If these two elements are not the same temperature, the cream might separate. If that happens, just heat up the outside of the bowl while mixing with a blow torch. If you don't have a blow torch, you can also use a hairdryer. Do this until the cream is smooth, but not liquid.
ASSEMBLY
- Cut out circles from the genoise sheet two circles per fraisier (you can choose to make two large circles for a cake or smaller circles for individual fraisiers). Lightly imbibe each one with the syrup.
- Line a metal ring with thick plastic (cake collar acetate sheets also referred to as rhodoid).
- Place one disc of genoise in the bottom of the ring.
- Pipe a small amount of mousseline on the genoise.
- Line strawberries previously cut in half, inside facing out, along the edge of the ring, and fill in the rest of the ring with whole strawberries.
- Fill to cover with mousselin
- Place the second disc of genoise on top and push down. Chill.
- To serve, remove the metal rings.
- Keep the plastic on until eating. Cover with a very thin disc of marzipan (option 1) and fresh strawberries.*If doing this at home and making one large cake, you can also bake your genoise in a circular cake pan for 15-20 minutes and cut your cake in two so you have 2 large circles.
- Be sure that your cake pan is the same size as the cake ring that you will use for your assembly.
- The cake ring makes it easier to keep the form.** You can either use a thinly rolled out disc of marzipan as is the tradition or if preferred, BEFORE removing the metal ring(s): Boil strawberry jam and pass it through a strainer to remove any large pieces.
- Pour what you recuperate over your fraisier(s) and either tilt your fraisier to spread the jam evenly around or with an off-set spatula, delicately spread the jam across the top.
- Now you can remove the ring