Gluten-free Fraisier Cake

A gluten-free take on a classic French dessert, a fraisier cake. I’ve swapped the genoise for a chiffon and crème mousseline for a crème diplomat. The result is a super light and fluffy cake with notes of sweet vanilla and fresh strawberries.

I first heard of a fraisier cake many years ago but, for some reason, it always seemed a little intimidating. Recently, I came across this video of a matcha fraisier cake by Soje on Instagram, and she made it seem so effortless. Her cake immediately reminded me of those Japanese strawberry sandwich cakes, and I finally had to try make it.

Traditionally, a fraisier cake is made with a genoise sponge which relies on whole eggs and sugar being whipped together for its rise. I’ve never made a gluten-free genoise, but I’m quite particular with my sponge cakes and didn’t want it to taste too eggy.

Chiffon cake is one of my favourite cakes, because it’s extremely light yet still has some richness and fattiness. The recipe I bake in a tube pan doesn’t work as well in normal round tins. I’ve been experimenting for a long time to perfect a chiffon that works well for layering.

Kassie Mendieta is one of my favourite bakers. Her cakes are always so beautiful with such unique flavour combinations. I adapted her vanilla chiffon cake recipe to be gluten-free, simply replacing the normal flour with white rice and cornflour. Much to my suprise, the cakes turned out quite well – a good rise with a fluffy but buttery texture.

For the filling, I wanted something light, adjacent to a whipped cream. A fraisier cake usually involves a crème mousseline, which is a crème pâtissière with softened butter. Instead, I was inspired by Sylvie from A Baking Journey and settled on a crème diplomat. It’s similar to one of my favourite fillings, a crème legere, but made with gelatin and therefore holds its shape better.

I used a vanilla simple syrup to soak the cake layers, helping them retain their moisture. Traditionally, a fraisier cake features fresh strawberries both inside and around the outside of the cake. However, I wanted to highlight the lightness of the sponge and filling, and felt that fresh strawberries might introduce too much texture. I filled the cake with a strawberry compote instead, which complemented the other elements beautifully.

In terms of assembly, clear acetate is essential. A cake ring can also be helpful, although mine was too large for this 15 cm cake.

The strawberries are halved and arranged around the outside of the first cake layer, then crème diplomat is piped between them. I recommend smoothing the filling into the gaps to ensure there are no air pockets. More crème diplomat is piped to fill the centre, with a small indent made in the middle for the strawberry compote.

The second cake layer is placed on top and soaked with vanilla syrup, before a thin layer of crème diplomat is spread over the surface. From there, you can decorate the top however you like.

I recommend preparing the elements ahead of time. You can make the cake, crème pâtissière and strawberry compote the day before (or some the morning of). The cakes can be wrapped tightly in cling film, placed in a container and refrigerated so their easier to handle. The next day, you can fold the whipped cream into the crème pâtissière and assemble the cake. It should be firm and ready to serve after at least four hours, but I recommend leaving it overnight. However, I wouldn’t keep the assembled cake for more than two days, due to the fresh strawberries and delicate filling.

I hope you enjoy the recipe and have a great week!

Gluten-free Fraisier Cake

Makes a 15cm cake. Chiffon cake adapted from Kassie Mendieta. Crème diplomat adapted from A Baking Journey.

Ingredients

Chiffon Cake

• 110g caster sugar, divided
• 20g neutral oil
• 40g egg yolks (around 3 large egg yolks)
• 50ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 75g egg whites (around 3 large egg whites)
• 40g butter, melted but still warm
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 67g white rice flour
• 27g cornflour

Crème Diplomat

• 1 1/4 tsp gelatin
• 1 1/2 tbsp cold water
• 400ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 3 egg yolks
• 32g caster sugar
• 32g cornflour
• 200ml thickened cream, whipped to stiff peaks

Strawberry Compote

• 125g strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 25g sugar
• 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp water

Vanilla Simple Syrup

• 30g sugar
• 30g water
• 1/4 tsp vanilla

Assembly

• 125g strawberries, hulled and halved

Method

Chiffon Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line the bottom of two 15cm cake tins with parchment rounds, but DO NOT grease the pans. The cake needs to be able to cling to the sides of the tin.
2. In a large bowl, combine 60g of sugar, oil, egg yolks, milk, salt and vanilla. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites. Starting on low speed, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the remaining 50g of sugar as you increase the speed to medium. Beat until medium peaks form.
4. Now, add the melted butter into the wet mixture, and whisk until just combined. Then, sift in the baking powder, white rice flour and cornflour, and whisk until just combined.
5. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the batter using a whisk. Once incorporated, fold in the next 1/3 with a whisk again. Finally, fold in the last third carefully with a spatula until no white steaks remain.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins (around 210g each). Bake for 23-26 minutes, or when golden brown on top and cake lightly springs back when touched.
7. Allow the cakes to cool completely in the tins.
8. If making the cakes ahead, wrap tightly in cling film and refrigerate until ready to assemble. This allows the cakes to firm up so they’re easier to work with.

Crème Diplomat

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the gelatin and water. Set aside to thicken.
2. In a medium saucepan, add the milk and vanilla bean paste. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium-high heat, or until small bubbles form around the edge of the pan.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until slightly pale in colour. Add the cornstarch, then mix until smooth and well incorporated.
4. Temper the egg yolks, by gradually pouring the hot milk over the egg mixture. Once all the milk is added, return the mixture to the stove and place over medium-high heat. Whisk continuously until thickened, then mix for a further 2 minutes to fully activate the cornstarch.
5. Remove from the heat, and add the gelatin. Mix until fully melted and dissolved. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl, and cover with cling film ensuring it touches the surface so a skin doesn’t form. Refrigerate to cool completely, at least 3 hours.
6. Beat the cooled crème pâtissière vigorously with a spatula to loosen the mixture. Mix one third of the whipped cream into the crème pâtissière, then gently fold in the remaining cream a third at a time.
7. Transfer the the crème diplomat into a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle.

Strawberry Compote

1. In a small saucepan, combine the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Once the strawberries a soft, mash them with the back of a fork. Cook the mixture for about 4-5 minutes, or until the berries have released their juices.
2. This is optional, but if the compote remains a bit thin: stir together the cornflour and water to create a slurry. Add this to the strawberry mixture and simmer until thickened.
3. Transfer into a bowl and refrigerate to cool completely.

Sugar Syrup

1. In a small bowl, combine the water, sugar and vanilla. Microwave until the sugar has dissovled, around 1 minute. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

1. Pick strawberry halves that are around the same height to arrange on the outside of the cake. Set aside.
2. Trim and level the chiffon cakes to remove the skin that has formed on top.
3. On a serving plate or cake board, place the first layer of cake down and brush with simple syrup. Wrap a sheet of acetate tightly around the cake and use a bulldog clip to hold it in place.
4. Place the strawberry halves around the edge of the cake, tightly next to each other and with the sliced side facing out.
5. Pipe the crème diplomat between each strawberry, going sligthly higher than the strawberries. Then, smooth it out gently with an offset spatula, ensuring there are no air pockets.
6. Pipe more crème diplomat to fill the centre of the cake, covering the strawberries. Use an offset spatula to create an indent in the middle, and fill with the strawberry compote.
7. Place the second cake layer on top and gently press down. Brush the cake with the remaining simple syrup. Spread a thin layer of crème diplomat on top and decorate as desired.
8. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set, but preferably overnight. Remove the acetate carefully before serving and cut into slices.