Ingredients:

  • 3 Large Eggs (room temperature)
  • 135g Granulated Sugar (Caster Sugar)
  • 90g Cake Flour (sifted)
  • 28g Unsalted Butter
  • 30ml Whole Milk
  • 5ml Vanilla Extract
  • 60ml Water (for syrup)
  • 15g Granulated Sugar (for syrup)
  • 720ml Heavy Whipping Cream (35% fat minimum, very cold)
  • 60g Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar)
  • 5ml Vanilla Extract (for cream)
  • 900g Fresh Strawberries (hulled and sliced)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides; the batter needs to grip the sides to rise properly.
  2. Sift the cake flour thoroughly at least two times using a fine-mesh sieve. Set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan, gently heat the milk and butter together until the butter is just melted (do not boil). Keep the mixture warm.
  4. Place eggs and sugar in a large, heatproof mixing bowl. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water (bain-marie) and whisk constantly until the mixture is warm to the touch (around 105°F/40°C) and the sugar is dissolved.
  5. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer. Whip on high speed for 7-10 minutes until the mixture is pale, tripled in volume, and forms a thick 'ribbon' when the whisk is lifted (it should hold a visible trail for several seconds before dissolving).
  6. Sift the measured flour over the egg foam in three additions. Use a large rubber spatula to fold gently, cutting through the centre and scraping the sides, turning the bowl after each fold. Stop folding the second you see no dry streaks; do not overmix.
  7. Pour about one cup of the batter into the warm milk/butter mixture and stir quickly to combine (this is the tempering step). Pour the tempered emulsion back into the remaining batter bowl. Fold gently and quickly—5 to 8 folds max—until just combined.
  8. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Tap the pan once gently on the counter to release large air bubbles. Bake for 30–35 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Immediately invert the cake onto a cooling rack and let cool completely (at least 2 hours).
  9. Combine water and sugar in a small pot and heat until sugar dissolves; let cool. Separately, chill your mixing bowl and whisk attachment. Pour the heavy cream into the cold bowl. Whip on medium speed, gradually adding the powdered sugar and vanilla extract, until stiff peaks form.
  10. Once cooled, carefully remove the cake from the pan. Using a long serrated knife, slice the cake horizontally into two even layers. Place the first layer onto your serving plate and brush the top generously with the simple syrup.
  11. Spread a generous layer of whipped cream (about 1/3 of the total amount) over the soaked cake layer. Place sliced strawberries evenly over the cream.
  12. Place the second cake layer on top. Brush with syrup. Apply a thin 'crumb coat' of cream over the entire cake to seal in crumbs and chill for 15 minutes.
  13. Apply the remaining whipped cream for the final, smooth coat using an offset spatula. Arrange whole and sliced strawberries decoratively on the top and around the base.
  14. Refrigerate the finished cake for at least 1 hour before slicing to ensure stability and clean cuts.