Basil strawberry cake

And yes, a new strawberry cake! This time, strawberries are combined with basil, with a touch of white balsamic vinegar. Apart from that, it's a classic strawberry cake: a sponge cake, a mousseline cream and of course lots of strawberries!
 
 

 
 Prep time : 1 hour + cooking & rest
 For a 20cm strawberry cake :

 

Basil & white balsamic vinegar strawberries :

 300g strawberries
 15g white balsamic vinegar
 A dozen basil leaves
 20g honey
 
 Cut the strawberries into small pieces and add the chopped basil, honey and vinegar.
 
 

 

 
 Let the mixture macerate for a few hours.
 
 

Sponge cake :

 2 eggs
 60g sugar
 60g flour
 
 Whisk the eggs with the sugar for a few minutes until the mixture is fluffy.
 
 

 
 Then add the sifted flour with a maryse, pour the dough into a circle of 20cm diameter and put the sponge cake in the oven preheated to 180°C for about 15 minutes.
 
 

 

 

 
 The sponge cake should be golden brown and puffy. Leave to cool.
 
 

 
 

Basil mousseline cream :

 1 egg
 60g sugar
 35 cornstarch
 125g whole milk
 120g full cream
 6g basil leaves
 25g butter (1)
 100g softened butter (2)
 
 Heat the milk and cream with the finely chopped basil, then strain the pan and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Then mix the liquid and heat it again.
 
 

 
 Whisk the egg with the sugar and cornstarch.
 
 

 
 Pour half of the liquid over the previous mixture, then pour it back into the pan.
 
 

 
 Thicken the cream over medium heat, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add butter (1). Let the cream come back to room temperature.
 
 

 
 When it has cooled, whip it by adding the butter little by little (2). Whip for several minutes to obtain a smooth, puffy and fluffy cream.
 
 

 
 Proceed immediately to editing.
 
 

Assembly :

 150g strawberries
 150g full liquid cream
 20g powdered sugar
 
 Cut the strawberries in half and place them on the rhodoid-covered edge. Cut the sponge cake in half. Drain the strawberry pieces with basil and white balsamic, keeping the juice.
 
 

 
 Use it to soak the sponge cake. Place the first half of the sponge cake in the center of the strawberries, trimming it a bit if necessary.
 
 

 

 
 Cover with mousseline cream, then add strawberries and basil.
 
 

 

 
 Cover with the cream (keep a little to finish the assembly).
 
 

 
 Place the second half of the sponge cake, also soaked, and finish with the end of the cream.
 
 

 
 Place the strawberry cake in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 
 Then whip the cream with the powdered sugar to obtain a whipped cream.
 
 

 
 Unmould the strawberry cake, pipe the whipped cream over them, decorate with a few basil leaves, and enjoy!