MINI Strawberry cream cake
it’s like having strawberries on a bed of clouds. They’re perfectly pocket-sized, and you can eat a whole one (or two) all by yourself.
IngredientS
Chiffon Cake
2 eggs
Sugar 35g
Milk 25g
Cake flour 35g
Vegetable oil 25g
1 box of strawberries
Mousseline cream
2 egg yolks
Sugar 45g
Milk 200g
Cornstarch 10g
1/2 vanilla bean
Butter (good quality and at room temperature) 60g
Pinch of salt
WHIPPED cream
Heavy cream 100g
Sugar 10g
Steps
Preheat oven to 340ºF.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine and whisk the egg yolks, milk and oil. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until foamy, then gradually add sugar while continuing to whisk, until you get stiff peaks.
Sift cake flour into the egg yolk mixture, and fold until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Scoop the meringue into the egg yolk mixture 1/3 at a time, folding until it’s just combined.
Pour the batter into a parchment-lined baking pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Tap it against the counter to get rid of any bubbles, and bake for around 10 - 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Remove the cake from the oven, and place it on a rack to let cool completely. Cut out cake slices with your box of choice and set aside.
For the mousseline cream, combine milk, vanilla bean and pinch of sugar in a saucepan. Heat until just below boiling and take it off the heat. Cover with lid and let steep.
In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until fluffy. Add in cornstarch and mix until well combined. Pour 1/3 of the milk into the mixture at a time, making sure to whisk constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue to whisk over low-medium heat, until mixture thickens.
Strain custard for a smoother consistency and let cool to room temperature, using cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
In another bowl, whip softened butter until fluffy. Add the custard and whisk until well combined. Transfer to a piping bag.
For the whipped cream, combine sugar and cream in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form.
For the strawberries, cut half of the strawberries into bite-sized pieces, and the other half into halves.
To build the cake, layer the bottom of the box with a slice of chiffon cake. Line strawberry halves along the side of the box, and pipe mousseline cream between the gaps, with a thin layer on top of the chiffon cake. Add the bite-sized strawberry chunks onto the cream, and pipe on a thin layer of whipped cream. Add on a smaller slice of chiffon cake and cover with mousseline cream. Layer on another slice of chiffon cake, and top with whipped cream. Decorate with as many or as little strawberries as you like.