Strawberry and Cream Layer Cake Recipe (2024)

Absolutely delicious. I halved the entire recipe (incl. that of the sponge cake) and only made one tier since we aren’t big on desserts. I reduced the sugar in both the cake and the syrup since most American desserts are far too sweet. The cake deflated a bit, but it was moist, light, and delicate. The syrup took a little bit longer to produce given the reduced sugar—but it was beautifully intense in flavor! Beautiful result, only wish the icing was lighter. Clearly inspired by Asian bakeries.

It turned out wonderful! I had sponge fails before but this one turned out great. Used Mascarpone (love) and added a tbsp sugar to the cream-mix. Cake is not overly sweet, so I wouldn't cut sugar. To the syrup i added 2 tsp balsamic vinegar and 2 grinds of pepper. I have no ambitions for the clarity of the syrup, so i just boiled the sugar and strawberries for a couple of minutes and didn't strain it. I make a variation of this cake every strawberry season, and am saving this recipe for the next

Success! Besides my cake deflating a bit, even after resting it upside down, this turned out great. Highly recommend watching the accompanying video before starting.

After an unsuccessful attempt at splitting my sponge, just wanted to say this makes a very lovely trifle.

It’s delicious. But steaming the strawberries and sugar to extract clear juice is a bridge too far. I did it. Never again. Just hit the berries with sugar and a few pushes with a potato masher. Let them sit on the counter while the cake cools. You’ll have plenty of sauce and no spent unusable berries.

Here's the video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4nvGZTC9RE

Skip cooking the strawberries, and brushing on syrup. Add sugar to whipped topping instead.Split cake. Place first half, cut side up, on a serving platter. Apply a thin layer of whipped topping, a single layer of sliced fresh strawberries, and another skim of whipped topping. Place other half, cut side up, on top. Spread a generous layer of whipped topping, and cover with sliced strawberries, lightly fanned. Served at a party and was gone in minutes.

My mother made this for my birthday cake when I was growing up but she put banana slices in the middle... strawberries, bananas, & cream yum, yum.

I made this today. I felt the sour cream taste isn’t up my alley so I also thought of doing just whipped cream next time as well. I think this recipe is great still- but the sour taste is more suitable for others. I recommend her sponge cake recipe though; it turned out great and this was my first time making a cake from scratch. Thanks.

Those used to an overly sweet taste are not going to appreciate this recipe. If the frosting was sweet, the cake wouldn’t have the subtle taste that it does and it would be close to inedible, especially given the sweet syrup.

Lovely cake--delicious, light, and simple! I added a tablespoon and half to the cream mixture for a little extra added sweetness. I originally saw this recipe and the video on how to make it on Instagram--I recommend watching the video first if you've never made a genoise sponge cake. https://youtu.be/N4nvGZTC9RE

I must have done something wrong because my cake was SO deflated in the middle (after cooling it upside down) that halving it would have been impossible. The cream was also pretty sour (I used creme fraiche), which I thought may be fine considering the sweetness of the strawberries but it ended up just kinda gross. Granted maybe it was a lot of “me problems”... I LOVE Claire but probably wouldn’t make this again.

Instead of making the syrup, I thinned some strawberry jam and spread that on the layers. It worked perfectly. I added 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla to my cream/sour cream filling. It was delicious but if you’re serving on a warm day, make sure the assembled cake can stay refrigerated. The cream layers get loose quickly.

This dessert is incredibly delicious. First off I would like to point out: this is not an overly sweet cake, so don't reduce the amount of sugar. It could throw everything off and you won't be happy with the results. Secondly, this is not a strawberry shortcake so don't try and replace the whipped cream with whipped topping. Huge mistake, in my opinion. I used sour cream and heavy cream. With the strawberry syrup, you don't notice the tanginess at all, it has just the right balance.

Omg! This is probably the most delicious cake I've ever made, and I bake a lot. Just follow the directions, and watch the video. Thank you Claire! It's a very elegant cake. I will make this forever.

This cake was delicious! Tasted great - and was very moist. The video was super helpful and made it much less daunting for me as a novice baker. I used non dairy heavy cream and lactaid sour cream - I bet it would have tasted even better without these substitutes, but it was still great.

Has anyone ever made this successfully with cherries? ( maybe even frozen ones?)

Amazing! Made it for my husband birthday! It’s his favorite combination! To add a touch of crunch to the recipe, I added coarsely crushed meringue between the layers. And also smashed the cooked strawberries and put it together, making a layer of sponge cake, syrup, whipped cream, fresh strawberries, smash cooked strawberries and crunch meringues. This pie was the hit of the birthday lunch!

This came out really well. I echo the recommendation to watch the video, especially if you've had previous "sponge fails." I was better able to recognize the correct stage of egg white whipping, plus how the yolk mixture should look. And I wasn't anxious about removing the cake from the ungreased 9 inch springform because I'd seen how hers came out. We used mascarpone in the whipped topping, and it was not particularly sweet, but really good with the berries and syrup.

This is the best cake I’ve ever tasted. Thank you so much for these amazing recipes!

Was excited to try Claire’s recipe because I have had sponge failures with some of the British recipes for Victoria Sponge. My sponge came out perfectly, and I thought the strawberry syrup really added to the overall flavor of the cake (vs just using strawberries). However- the 50:50 premix of cream and sour cream never reached any degree of “stiffness” In my stand mixer, nor did it set up after an hour in the fridge! I think the should have been whipped separately a then combined

I am a big fan of Claire's, and this recipe did not disappoint, I have made it twice in one week already. Why I love it:Minimal ingredients, and you can do all of the components ahead of time, and put it all together right before you want to serve it. Eating it day-old is even better! It doesn't get soggy at allNotes:- If you are using mascarpone then it is an expensive cake to make- I make 1.5 the amount of cream, I think this is a ratio

I thought this was amazing with no alterations. I love sweet desserts and found this to be perfectly sweet even with no sugar in the cream. It was delicate and delicious! My whole family loved it!

I’m not a sweet tooth, but I think the whipped cream needed sugar. I also had to adjust the amount of strawberries. I think mine were not as juicy, so I needed more to get the same amount of syrup. My sponge cake did not rise as much as hers, but that was probably my fault. I didn’t fold enough to get an even mix.

DELICIOUS. Hate idea of wasting strawberries so I puréed cooked ones into the syrup - was a jam consistency so I spread on cake. Next time I would strain it, brush the cake with syrup, then puree cooked strawberries to mix into fresh ones for filling (not top). Used 1c heavy cream, 1c mascarpone added 3T crème fraiche. I would increase cream mixture to 1.5X. I like unsweetened whipped cream but knew my family would not, so I added sugar to cream and to the fresh strawberries. HUGE HIT!!!!

Okay, somebody tell me why my heavy cream and sour cream together didn't whip properly. I followed directions and had not one but TWO fails to get it to stiffen up. It was a delicious but soupy cake.

Ab fab! I made to celebrate my son's June birthday, when strawberries are in season here in ON. Gorgeous with just-picked, sun ripened strawberries. Could probably serve 8 but there were no leftovers with six of us at the table. Will revisit this recipe again in June for that birthday and throughout strawberry season, just because.

For those of you who are unhappy with this recipe, I recommend one in "Simply Sensational Desserts" by Francois Payard. And for those of you having trouble splitting the cake into two layers, visit your kitchen supply store. What you're looking for is a tool shaped like a harp with a wire that can be adjusted to various heights. You set the height of the wire and then saw through the cake. Both Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma carry this product.

Second time I made this sponge, I accidentally added all 1/2 cup of sugar to the egg yolks and whipped the whites with just tartar and kosher salt. At 4 minutes, the whites were foamy and soft. I folded them in just the same and the cake turned out similarly spongey and equally as tasty.

Has anyone tried making the sponge & syrup in advance and then assembling, together with the whipped topping, the next day? pros/cons?