The core of this Strawberry Cake can be traced back to France in the 18th century and the birth of Chantilly cream itself. The Castle of Chantilly, situated in the northern region of France, lent its name to a delectable combination of whipped cream and vanilla. The castle was built in the 18th century, and the adjacent village was named after it. In 1671, a renowned cook named François Vatel, who worked in the castle's kitchens, faced a crisis when the banquet he had organised for the Duke of Condé and Louis XIV, the house's owner, ran out of food supplies earlier than anticipated.
Fortunately, a large shipment of cream was on its way, albeit with a significant delay. To address the shortage of cream, the chef mixed the scant amount available with various flavours, unintentionally creating a novel dish that excited the guests' taste buds. Over time, the recipe evolved, becoming more intricate and sophisticated, eventually becoming an official recipe with the addition of vanilla and egg whites, and later, sugar, after a century.
It was in New Orleans that the addition of strawberries and a light sponge became the Strawberry Cake we know today. Now it’s often made with a chiffon cake, which is lighter and airier than the traditional sponge cake. The cake is also commonly frosted with cream cheese or buttercream frosting instead of whipped cream. However, the core elements of the dessert remain the same: layers of strawberries and light, fluffy cake.
Ingredients
Chantilly Cake:
- 2 ½ cups Cake Flour, or All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp. Baking Powder
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 1 cup Granulated Cane Sugar
- 5 large Egg Whites, room temperature
- ¾ cup Whole Milk
- ¾ cup melted Butter
- 2 tsp. Almond Extract
Strawberry Filling:
- 1 cup Fresh Strawberries, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Sugar
Strawberry Buttercream:
- 1 cup butter
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar
- 3 tbsp. Cream
- ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
- ⅛ tsp. Salt
- ½ cup Strawberry puree
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180 C and line or grease 3 cake pans.
- To make the cake batter beat the egg whites with ¼ cup of sugar until it forms stiff peaks.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar.
- Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the olive oil, milk and almond extract then fold the ingredients together.
- Fold in half the egg whites at a time to form a smooth batter.
- Divide the mixture between the baking pans and bake for 30 minutes.
- To make the strawberry filling chop the strawberries, macerate them in sugar and set them aside for half an hour.
- For the buttercream, beat softened butter and then add half the sugar, the strawberry puree, vanilla extract and salt.
- Combine and then gradually beat in the remaining sugar until light and aerated.
- Layer the cake with some buttercream, add some strawberry filling to the centre and repeat on each layer.
- Finish with a frosting of buttercream and decorate with fresh strawberries.
