Mary Berry's Fraisier

Source: Happy Foodie, GBBO Masterclass S4E2 33min, Meghna's Kitchen, Laws of Baking

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 125g caster sugar
• 125g all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder (optional)
• Finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed medium lemons
• 50g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled until soft

For the crème mousseline:

• 600ml milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split open
• 4 large free-range eggs, plus:
• 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
• 180g caster sugar
• 1 Tbsp kirsch
• 100g cornflour
• 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed

For the syrup:

• 75g caster sugar
• Juice of 2 medium lemons, strained

For the marzipan

• 202g almond flour
• 180g powdered sugar
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp food grade rose water (optional)
• 1 pasteurized egg white

To assemble:

• About 1 1/3 pounds (600g) medium strawberries, 2-3 pints
• 200gmarzipan
• 200g dark chocolate, melted

Equipment

• 9-inch springclip cake tin or loosebased, deep round cake tin, greased and the base lined with baking paper
• a strip of acetate or parchment paper to fit inside the tin
• a large piping bag fitted with a 2cm tube 

Instructions

Sponge

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. To make the sponge, put the eggs, sugar and lemon zest into a  bowl of a stand mixer and set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk for approximately 5 minutes, until the mixture is warm to the touch, between 110°-120°F. 
2. Transfer to the stand mixer and with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg mixture initially on low for one minute then progress to medium high for about ten minutes until it has more than doubled in volume and become very thick, pale and mousse like. To check that the mixture is at the right stage, lift the beaters from the bowl – the mixture that falls off should leave a distinct ribbon-like trail on the surface that will hold its shape. 
3. Sift two-thirds of the flour onto the mixture, then gently fold in with a spatula. Add the remaining flour and fold in gently to retain as much air as possible, but make sure all the flour is incorporated.
4. Gently fold in the melted butter.
5. Pour into the tin and bake for 25–30 minutes until pale golden brown and the sides of the cake shrink away from the tin.
6. Cool the sponge in the tin for 5 minutes, to allow it to firm up a bit, then run an offset spatula around the edges and carefully turn out upside down onto a wire rack (the sponge is delicate).
7. Leave to cool while you wash the tin.

Crème mousseline

1. To make the crème mousseline, bring the milk and vanilla pod just to the boil in a wide saucepan. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the corn starch and sugar, then add in and whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, kirsch and in a bowl just until smooth and creamy. 
3. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk, then pour through milk a sieve onto the egg mixture, whisking well. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, set over medium heat and stir constantly until the mixture boils and thickens; this will take about 4 minutes. It’s important to keep stirring to avoid the custard going lumpy.
4. Keep stirring for a minute over the heat to make sure the mixture will be thick enough to pipe, but take care that it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the butter.
5. Allow to cool slightly, then pour into a shallow dish or bowl. Press saran wrap onto the surface, to prevent a skin from forming, then chill for at least 1 hour until cold and set firm.

Syrup

1. To make the syrup, put the sugar, lemon juice and 70ml water into a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has completely dissolved, then boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

Marzipan

1. Add almond flour and powered sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to mix
2. Add the extract and pulse to combine
3. Add the egg white and process until till it forms a dough
4. If too sticky, add more powdered sugar and almond flour
5. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in fridge for up to a month
6. Roll out the marzipan between two sheets of parchment paper and use the 9-inch round cake bottom to cut out a 9" disc. Keep chilled until needed.

Cake assembly

1. When ready to assemble the cake, take off the parchment paper from the bottom of the cooled sponge. Place your hand flat on top of the cake and use a serrated knife to slice, turning the cake until it reaches the center to slice in half horizontally to make 2 thin, even discs
2. Grease the tin and place the strip of acetate/parchment paper around the inside of the tin so it will fit snugly between the side of the tin and the sponge (or line the tin with clingfilm or parchment-lined foil).
3. Set one sponge disc, cut side up, in the tin and brush liberally with half the syrup. With the back of a spoon, gently squash the edges of the cake down so that they are pushed directly against the sides of the tin.
4. Choose 12 strawberries of the same height, slice off the top and cut them vertically in half. Arrange pointed end up on top of the sponge layer, cut side against the acetate, making sure the berries are fitting very snugly next to each other and pressed up against the lined edge.
5. Whip cold pastry cream until smooth
6. Spoon about two-thirds of the crème mousseline into the piping bag to start off with. Pipe a spiral over the sponge base in the tin to cover completely; pipe between the strawberries to fill all the gaps.  
7. Set 3–5 strawberries aside for the decoration, then quarter or dice the rest. Spread these over the crème so it makes the filling about 2.5cm higher.
8. Add the remaining crème mousseline to the piping bag when there is space. Pipe another spiral of crème on top of the berries and smooth level with a palette knife.
9. Set the other disc of sponge on top, cut side up, and brush with the rest of the syrup.
10. Gently press the top sponge layer down onto the crème so the assembled cake is firmly pressed against the acetate all round. Lay the marzipan disc on top, then chill well until set, at least 1 hour (no more than 24 hours due to the fresh strawberry filling).
11. Make some decorations from the melted chocolate. To serve, remove the acetate-wrapped cake from the tin, then gently remove the acetate. Set the cake on a plate and finish with the reserved strawberries and chocolate decorations.