Strawberry polka dot cake
Celebration sponge cake with creamy strawberry filling
Equipment
- 1 36 x 26 x 2cm (approx) Swiss roll baking tray
- 1 20cm, loose bottom, round cake tin, 8cm deep
- 1 23cm, loose bottom, round cake tin, 8cm deep
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg strawberries cleaned weight (i.e. hulled) are needed for the components below
- plus 7 small whole berries
For the strawberry purée:
- 300 g strawberries chopped
- 15 g caster sugar
- ½ lemon juice
For the sponge:
- 400 g eggs approx. 8 eggs
- 150 g caster sugar
- 200 g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 50 g butter melted
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
To finish:
- 600 g strawberries some quartered and some halved
- 7 small whole strawberries
- 30 g smooth apricot jam
- icing sugar for dusting
For the polka dots:
- 50 g egg approx. 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 25 g caster sugar
- 25 g plain flour
- pink colouring must be heat stable
For the filling:
- 500 g mascarpone
- 55 g icing sugar
- 300 g double cream 48% fat
- 280 g strawberry purée
- 200 g strawberries chopped
Instructions
Make the strawberry purée:
- Slice 300g of the strawberries and put into a medium saucepan with the caster sugar and lemon juice.
- Cook on a medium heat, uncovered for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally, until the fruit has softened and started to break down.
- Remove from the heat and pour into a food processor or small blender and whizz to a purée.
- Strain through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the baking tins:
- Line the Swiss roll baking tray with a single piece of parchment that is approximately 5cm proud of the tray sides. Set aside.
- Line the base and sides of the 20cm and 23cm round baking tins with parchment. Set aside.
- Make the polka dots:
- Whisk the egg and sugar with an electric hand beater to ribbon stage, i.e. it is thick and pale and the mixture leaves a trail when the beater is lifted out. Add a few drops of colouring and whisk again.
- Sieve in the flour, then fold in with a spatula until fully combined.
- Take a couple of tablespoons of the mixture into a small bowl and mix it into the oil then pour it all back into the sabayon mixture and fold in with a spatula until fully combined.
- Put the mixture into a small piping bag and snip a small hole to help control the flow of the mixture as you pipe.
- Pipe small dots of mixture onto the parchment lined baking tray as evenly spaced as possible. Place the tray in the freezer for at least 1 hour until the dots are frozen and firm to touch.
Make the sponge:
- Heat the oven to 180C.
- Place the eggs and sugar in a stand mixer bowl and whisk over a bain-marie to 37C (or body temperature).
- Remove from the heat and continue to whisk on a stand mixer to ribbon stage.
- Sieve the flour into the egg mixture in 5-6 inclusions, folding in each inclusion with a spatula before the next addition. Add the vanilla.
- Put about 3 tablespoons of the sabayon mixture into the melted better and mix thoroughly.
- Now mix this back into the sabayon mixture, folding in with a spatula until fully combined.
- Remove the Swiss roll tray from the freezer and carefully pour half the mixture (approximately 370g) over the frozen polka dots and spread evenly with a palette knife.
- Carefully pour the other half of the mixture into the prepared round 20cm cake tin.
- Bake the Swiss roll sponge for approximately 15 mins and the round cake tin approximately 25 mins, or until lightly golden and the sponge springs back when pressed gently.
- Prepare a cooling rack lined with parchment paper; this will be helpful to support the sponge when manoeuvring it to a cutting board later.
- When the Swiss roll sponge is baked, remove from the oven and invert it onto the parchment lined cooling rack, removing the parchment lining that will now be on top.
- When the round cake is baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 mins then demould onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Make the filling:
- In a bowl, beat the mascarpone, icing sugar and strawberry purée until smooth.
- Whisk the cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the mascarpone.
- Chop 200g of the remaining strawberries into small pieces and fold into the cream mixture.
- Put the filling in the fridge until required.
Assemble the cake:
- Trim the Swiss roll sponge into 2 rectangle pieces approx. 9 x 36cm strips lengthwise. Keep the offcuts as these may be needed.
- Gently place these against the sides of the 23cm tin with the polka dots facing outwards. Trim the short end of sponge as required but be sure that the two sponge ends butt up as tightly as possible. You may need to cut extra pieces of the sponge offcuts if the ends don’t meet.
- Now cut the round cake horizontally into three equal pieces.
- Using the bottom layer of sponge for the base, place it into the base of the 23cm tin. It should fit snugly against the sponge sides. If needed, use a small palette knife to work it into place.
- Reserve 150g of the mascarpone filling in a small bowl, cover and chill.
- Take half the remaining filling (approx. 500g) and spread it on top of the sponge base layer. Spread evenly.
- Place the second layer of sponge on top and press down gently to level it.
- Add the remaining filling, smoothing it flat.
- Place the remaining piece of sponge on top, pressing down gently to level.
- Cover the cake with cling film and chill for 24-48 hours to fully set.
Complete the decoration:
- When ready to complete the cake, carefully remove the cake from the tin, discarding the cling film and parchment paper. Slide it onto a serving plate.
- Slice the remaining strawberries, in quarters and halves.
- Spread the remaining mascarpone filling over the top of the cake and decorate with the cut strawberries and the 7 whole ones.
Make the glaze:
- Bring to the boil the apricot jam with 1 tbsp of water in a saucepan or in the microwave. It must be the consistency of a thick sauce so if it’s too thick, add a little more water. If the jam is not smooth, press it through a fine sieve.
- Gently brush the strawberries with a moderate amount of glaze.
- Dust with icing sugar.
- Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Get ahead
The cake components can be made over a couple of days and once assembled, kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Leave the final decoration of the strawberries on top when ready to serve.
Freezing
The cake is not suitable for freezing