Recipe：Chocolate Strawberry Cake
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Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 2 hours
Cook time: 25 minutes
Ingredients;
Génoise sponge
4 eggs
125 g sugar
125 g flour, sifted
Imbibing Syrup
150 ml water
150 g sugar
1½ tbsp Kirsch
Chocolate Mousseline Cream
160 g milk chocolate
75 g sugar
3 egg yolks
30 g cornstarch (cornflour)
400 ml milk
200 g butter, at room temperature
500 g strawberries, cut in halves
Decoration
powdered (icing) sugar
200 g pink almond paste (refrigerated 1 hour)
strawberry halves (optional)
dark chocolate, melted (optional)
METHODS
Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F). Butter a 20 cm round cake pan.
Génoise sponge: Place the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl; whisk to combine. Stand the bowl over a bain-marie and whisk continuously for 5–8 minutes, or until the mixture becomes light and doubles in volume. Do not allow it to become too hot. Remove from the bain-marie and continue whisking quickly by hand, or with an electric beater on high speed, until cool and the batter falls in a ribbon from the whisk or beater. Gently fold in the sifted flour, adding it in 2 or 3 batches. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan, to come 2⁄3 up the side. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the surface is firm but springy to the touch. Turn out onto a rack and cool.
Kirsch Syrup: Place the water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat, stir until the sugar dissolves then, bring to the boil; cool. Add the Kirsch to the cold syrup.
Chocolate Mousseline Cream: Chop the chocolate and place in a large bowl. Prepare a pastry cream in another bowl: Combine 50 g of the sugar with the egg yolks and the cornstarch; whisk until pale yellow and creamy. Bring the milk and the remaining sugar to the boil. Slowly whisk 1⁄2 of the hot milk-sugar mixture into the egg-yolk mixture and add the remaining milk; return to the saucepan. Stir continuously over medium heat until the mixture is thickened and comes to the boil. Cook for 1 minute and pour over the chopped chocolate and stir until smooth. Cover the surface of the chocolate cream with cling film; cool. Beat the butter until creamy. When the chocolate cream is cold, blend in the creamed butter using an electric mixer; refrigerate the chocolate mousseline cream for 20 minutes.
Line a 22 cm circle mold with strawberry halves. Use a long serrated knife to cut the génoise sponge horizontally in 2 even layers. Place one layer in the bottom of the circle mold and brush with Kirsch syrup. Spread with 1⁄3 of the chocolate mousseline cream. Place the remaining strawberries on the cream and cover with 1⁄2 the remaining mousseline cream. Top with the other sponge layer, brush with syrup and spread with a thin layer of the remaining mousseline cream, saving the rest for decoration, if desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour before removing the circle mold.
Roll out almond paste to 2-3 mm on a work surface sprinkled with powdered sugar. Cut out a 22 cm disc with the circle mold ; place it on top of the filled cake. Decorate with strawberries and melted chocolate.
