This Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake is made with 4 layers sponge Cake, filled with whipped cream, cream cheese and strawberry coulis, topped with a strawberry white chocolate frosting.
The strawberry Bavarian cream, in French crème bavaroise or simply bavarois, is made with strawberries and Crème anglaise (French for “English cream”), thickened with gelatin.
You can serve it just by itself or use it as a filling for cakes, eclairs or other, pastries etc.
Origin
The origin of the cream is not very certain. According to some, it was invented by a French chef named Carême, probably for a Bavarian, client of his.
According to others, it was invented in Switzerland, or possibly Germany and French chefs may have learned the dish through employment by Bavarian royalty.
If you Google it, you will find many other versions as well.
This Strawberry Bavarian Cream was made as a filling for Elia’s Birthday Cake back in March. In fact, this is the second time I made this cake, as I made it last year as well, but I did not manage to post the recipe until now.
The result is a Sweet, rich 4 layers Cake recipe filled with whipped cream, cream cheese and strawberry coulis, topped with a strawberry white chocolate frosting.
STRAWBERRY BAVARIAN CREAM
(Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes)This French strawberry Bavarian cream is delicious and easy to make.
This cream is light in texture and very smooth like a mousse.
Various fruit coulis (purées) can be incorporated in the cream and the cream will have a different colour depending on the fruit used.
Straining the blended Purée is an optional step – some people like to have the texture from seeds while other prefer a smooth filling. I did not strain mine.
It becomes light pink with strawberries or raspberries or darker with blackberries or blueberries, yellow with peaches, banana, mango, etc.
For this reason I added a couple of drops of red food colour to make it a bit darker.
My take on this cream is made with Crème anglaise, cream cheese and whipped cream.
The cream itself can be eaten on its own and makes 8 – 10 servings. The cream sets up in a cold mold and is unmolded for serving or can be served in glasses.
Apart from using it as a filling for cakes, it can fill choux pastry, éclairs, doughnuts or other pastries.
THE SPONGE
(Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes).
The sponge can be made in various ways:
This is the sponge cake recipe, I used to make the cake.
However, you can make a Victorian sponge, a sponge cake without butter, a genoise or a Sockerkaka as the sponge.
STRAWBERRY COULIS
(Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes).
After making the Strawberry coulis, 1/2 cup syrup was reserved to wet the sponges and with the remaining 1 ½ cups. I used 1 cup in the Bavarian cream and 1/2 cup in the white chocolate frosting.
WHIPPED CREAM
(Preparation time: 10 minutes).
I made 600 ml whipped cream. See how to make it here.
Two thirds (400 ml) were combined with the cream cheese and used in the Bavarian cream.
The remaining whipped cream (200 ml) was combined with white chocolate and used for the frosting.
USEFUL TIPS:
The cake is a bit time consuming to make but IT IS MADE WITH LOVE and is worth all the effort.
You can make some of the steps ahead:
Sponge cake: You can make the sponge many days ahead. Wrap it in cling film and freeze. Remove it from the freezer a day before and store it in the fridge to thaw.
If you do not want to freeze it you can make it the previous day.
Strawberries coulis: You can make it 5 – 6 days before and store it in the fridge.
Whipped Cream: You can also make the whipped cream from the previous day and store it in the fridge. You can also combine it with the cream cheese.
Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake
This Strawberry Bavarian Cream Cake is made for my daughter's birthday cake, early March. It is a bit time consuming to make but some stages can be made ahead. The result is a Sweet, rich 4 layers Cake recipe filled with whipped cream, cream cheese and strawberry coulis, topped with a strawberry white chocolate frosting.
Ingredients
Sponge cake
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 250 grams sugar
- 100 grams butter at room temperature
- 250 grams cake flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped cream:
- 600 grams heavy cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
Strawberry coulis:
- 750 grams strawberries for coulis + 120 grams for decoration
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Bavarian cream:
- 5 Gelatin leafs
- Water to cover the gelatin leafs
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 1/4 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup strawberry coulis
- 400 ml whipped cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- 200 grams cream cheese
- 2 drops red food colour
Strawberry frosting:
- 180 grams white chocolate
- 200 ml whipped cream
- ½ cup strawberry puree
- 1 drop red food colour
Decoration:
- 12 Fresh strawberries
Instructions
For the sponge:
- Melt the butter and set aside to cool.
- Sift the flour and corn flour and mix in salt.
- Whisk the egg whites with lemon juice until a stiff meringue forms.
- Beat egg yolks with sugar until light and fluffy Add melted butter gradually and mix.
- Add lemon zest and vanilla and sifted flour.
- Stop the mixer and using a spatula gently fold in the meringue.
- Line a 26 cm spring form baking tin with parchment paper and empty the batter.
- Bake in a preheated oven to 180o C, for about 40 - 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Set aside to cool.
Whipped cream:
- Using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream with icing sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Reserve 1/3 of the whipped cream for the frosting.
- The remaining is used in the Bavarian Cream.
Strawberry Coulis:
- Wash, hull and cut the fruit into small pieces Add the sugar, honey and lemon juice and cook for ten minutes
- Meantime put the gelatine leafs with water to soak.
- Reserve 1/3 cup strawberry syrup to wet the sponge.
- Set aside to cool and using a hand blender puree the strawberries.
Bavarian cream:
- Warm the milk in the microwave for one minute and set aside until lukewarm.
- Whisk the egg yolks with sugar over a brain Marie (water bath), until white and fluffy Slowly mix the in the milk into the yolks
- When the water boils, cook mixing constantly for the eggs to pasteurize, for 5 minutes Remove from the water bath and set aside to cool
- Put 1 cup of the pureed strawberries in the pan and bring to a boil Add the soaked gelatine and mix until the gelatine dissolves.
- Add the egg mixture and mix Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Combine the cream cheese with the whipped cream and whisk until any lumps dissolve
- When the egg mixture cools add the strawberry mixture and the whipped cream mixture and mix to combine.
- Add two drops red food colour and mix.
- Refrigerate until it starts setting, for about two hours.
Assembling the dessert:
- Cut the sponge into four pieces and wet each piece with the reserved strawberry syrup (1 - 2 teaspoons on each piece).
- Place the bottom part of the cut cake in a platter and put the ring around it
- Add 1/3rd of the Bavarian cream and cover with the second piece Continue with the remaining pieces and cream Top with the 4th sponge
- Refrigerate for a few hours until the cream sets. (I left it overnight in the fridge)
Frosting and Decoration :
- Use half of the reserved whipped cream to cover the cake and with the remaining make the chocolate frosting.
- Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler and mix it with the reserved strawberry puree.
- When it cools add the whipped cream and mix
- In half of it add 1 drop of red food coloring so that we have two shades of pink frosting.
- Decorate the cake with the frostings and fresh strawberries.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
Notes
You can make ahead:
Sponge cake: You can make it the previous day or you can make it many days before. Wrap it in cling film and freeze. Remove it from the freezer a day before in the fridge to thaw.
Strawberries coulis: 2 - 3 days before, stored in the fridge.
Whipped Cream: 1 - 2 days before. Store in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Yield 10 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 875Total Fat 50gSaturated Fat 30gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 255mgSodium 333mgCarbohydrates 96gFiber 2gSugar 72gProtein 15g
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