Total Time: 4 hours
Yield: one 8'' cake
Tools: mixer or hand mixer with whisk attachment. 8'' round cake pan.
Ingredients:
1 recipe Perfect Génoise batter
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 pint kiwis, peeled and sliced
1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
Frosting Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
strawberries and kiwis for decor
NOTE: the original recipe calls for two pints of strawberries. I wanted to be extra so I did a pint of strawberries and a pint of kiwis. To see the original recipe, use the slideshow below. The following steps are my translation. I suggest reading the original recipe as well though!
1. Make the Génoise batter.
"Perfect Génoise: Makes enough batter for one 8-inch round cake. The génoise is to the French baker what the sponge cake is to the American baker: a vital basic cake and a building block for fanciful confections."
Génoise Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2. Melt the butter and set aside. Sift the cake flour and then resift (in a sifter or sieve) and add 1 tablespoon on the sugar and the salt. Sift onto a piece of waxed paper or flimsy cutting board and set aside.
3. Put the eggs and the remaining sugar into a mixer or bowl and begin mixing on medium speed. Whisk about 4-5 minutes until the eggs have tripled in volume. Should be airy and pale, like a softly whipped cream. Pour in the vanilla during the last moments of whipping.
4. Detach bowl from mixer. Slowly add in 1/3 of the sifted flour blend. Carefully fold in. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour, and then the final third. Be gentle so you don't knock out too much air from the eggs. (I suggest watching a batter folding video on the internet if you're unfamiliar with how to properly fold your batter!)
5. Take 1 cup of the batter out and gently mix it with the butter. Folding it together. Then take that buttered batter and slowly fold it back into the batter bowl. So everything is mix in one bowl.
6. Prepare the cake pan. Grease the bottom and sides of the cake pan. I used Crisco. Then dust the pan with flour. Then line the bottom with fitted parchment paper.
7. Gently pour in the batter and bake for 25-28 minutes. Remove & let cool for one hour.
8. Prep your berries! Cut up your strawberries and kiwis and and put them in a bowl with the sugar. I did 1/4 cup. Let the sugar and fruit mix sit for 2 hours at room temperature.
9. Using a fork or your fingers finely cut up the fruit and sugar. Let them stand for 1 hour more in the fridge.
10. Make the cream frosting! Using a mixer or hand mixer with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together until the mixture forms soft peaks.
11. Finish the cake! Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut the cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place the bottom layer cup side up on a cardboard round or the plate or stand that you'll be serving the cake from.
12. Strain your berries and kiwis. You don't want your fruit mix to be too wet. Place half of the berry mix onto the cake third. Spread it around evenly. Then put 1/4 of the cream frosting on top of the fruit.
13. Place the second of the cake layers on the berry & cream layers. Put on the rest of the berries and kiwis and another 1/4 of the cream frosting. Top with the last third layer of cake.
14. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the sides and the top. I did mine real quick but some piping would have been stunning.
15. Top with additional cuts of strawberries and kiwis. Chill at least 30 minutes before serving.
16. Enjoy!
This cake is heavenly and not too difficult to make. I don't have much to say about it because honestly I just want to go eat another slice before bed. So that's that. Go make this cake!
