TheCookingGerman

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Cocktails
  • Author
  • Instagram

German Strawberry Cake

German Strawberry Cake
German Strawberry Cake
Print

German Strawberry Cake

By Tobias April 28, 2020

Every year when the strawberry season starts, this cake reliably pops up in my head. It's an old German classic and I'm sure my grandma's grandma has made it (one way or another). So when I got some fresh strawberries for the weekend, it was inevitable to make this cake. When you look at it, the recipe seems oddly long and complicated for a simple strawberry cake and you might shy back. You should not.

There are ways to take shortcuts like replacing the homemade pastry cream by a storebought vanilla pudding or even entirely omitting it. The same goes for the shortbread crust. It does improve texture and flavor nicely but when pressed for time, you can reduce this cake to the vanilla cake layer, the strawberries and the glaze and just compensate by eating more whipped cream with that 😉

If you do have extra time on your hands - and during this Corona season most of us do - go for the extra and make everything from scratch. The result is so worth it, you won't regret the extra effort. 

The cake tastes best at room temperature, so take it out of the refrigerator a little bit before you're planning to serve it. 

Ingredients

  • Shortbread Crust
  • All-Purpose Flour - 155g / 5.5oz
  • Granulated Sugar - 70g / 2.5oz
  • Unsalted Butter - 125g / 4.5oz
  • Salt - pinch
  • Vanilla Cake
  • Large Eggs - 3
  • Granulated Sugar - 125g / 4.5oz
  • Pure Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
  • All-Purpose Flour - 125g / 4.5oz
  • Baking Powder - 1 tsp
  • Unsalted Butter - 70g / 2.5oz / 5 tbsp
  • Pastry Cream
  • Whole Milk - 240ml / 1 cup
  • Granulated Sugar - 50g / 4 tbsp
  • Pure Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
  • Egg Yolks - 2
  • Corn Starch - 15g / 2 tbsp
  • Unsalted Butter - 30g / 2 tbsp
  • To Assemble
  • Fresh Strawberries - 1-2 pound
  • Strawberry Preserves - 1 tbsp
  • Lemon Juice - 50ml / 2 fl. oz.
  • Tortenguß (rot) - 1 package
  • Granulated Sugar - 2 tbsp
  • Water - 250ml

Instructions

Make the shortbread crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180° C) and make sure, all ingredients are at room temperature.
  2. Whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a bowl to combine. Mix in the butter and incorporate everything. The mixture will be pretty crumbly. 
  3. Evenly pat the mixture into a 9-inch baking dish. I like to use aluminum ones for this. 
  4. Bake for 9 - 12 minutes until the crust is set and has a light brown color. 
  5. Set aside to cool completely, ideally overnight. 

Make the vanilla cake

  1. Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper but do not grease. 
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature.
  3. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar until very pale and fluffy (ribbon stage). 
  4. Whisk in the vanilla extract. 
  5. Mix flour and baking powder and carefully fold into your egg mixture using a rubber spatula. Make sure you don't have any pockets of flour left.
  6. Pour in the butter on the side of the bowl and fold in. 
  7. Transfer batter to cake pan and bake for 25 - 35 minutes until the cake releases from the sides and a stick inserted in the center comes out clean.  
  8. Set aside to cool completely, ideally overnight.

Make the pastry cream

  1. In a small saucepan, heat half the sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla until hot but not boiling.
  2. In the meantime, whisk egg yolks, the remaining sugar, and corn starch until well combined and smooth. At first, it will look way too dry but just keep whisking and you will end up with a smooth and pale yellow cream. 
  3. When the milk mixture is hot, very slowly whisk it into the egg mixture. 
  4. Return to the saucepan over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens up. 
  5. Take off the heat and whisk in the butter until it's dissolved and the mixture is shiny. 
  6. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming.  
  7. Cool in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. 

Strawberry Cake Layers

Assemble the cake

  1. Use a 9-inch cake ring to make things easier for you.
  2. Place the shortbread crust onto the cake stand, drizzle with lemon juice and spread strawberry preserves evenly across the entire layer. 
  3. Cut off the top crust of the vanilla cake to the desired thickness of your cake layer (I prefer 1 - 1.5 inches) and place it on top of the shortbread crust. 
  4. Optional: drizzle cake with an orange liqueur such as Cointreau.
  5. Whisk pastry cream until smooth and spread over vanilla cake in an even layer. 
  6. Cut strawberries in half and decoratively arrange onto the pastry cream layer. 
  7. Make the jelly topping by combining the package with sugar and water and bring to a boil until the liquid starts to turn clear.
  8. Add lemon juice and evenly distribute over the strawberries.
  9. Chill the entire cake until the glaze has set.
  10. Enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream and a cup of coffee. 

Guten Appetit! 

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
Baking, Dessert, Pastries, SeasonalWith 0 comments April 28, 2020April 28, 2020

You may also like

View Recipe

Not your average Marble Cake

February 20, 2021February 20, 2021
Leave a comment
Baking, Dessert, Pastries
View Recipe

Ultimate Moist Redwine Cake

March 23, 2019February 20, 2021
Comments Off on Ultimate Moist Redwine Cake
Baking, Dessert, Pastries, Snacks
View Recipe

Focaccia!

January 12, 2019January 12, 2019
Leave a comment
Baking

Post navigation

← Savoy Cabbage Lasagna
Not your average Marble Cake →

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Author Tobias

Hey, I'm Tobias and since I was a small kid, watching my mom prepare food for the family, I have been fascinated by food, cooking, and baking. In the past years, a love for classic craft cocktails and good wine came as add-on. And now I'm trying to use my free time to travel all over our planet, connect with friends, and explore the culinary offerings this beautiful world has.

Because good food brings good people together.

Search Recipes

The Cooking German

Food brings people together! So I'm trying to create and recreate some delicious meals to share with new and old friends, and ignite the passion for food in others.

Categories

Appetizer Baking Brunch Cocktails Condiment Dessert Dinner Entrées Lunch Pastries Seasonal Sides Snacks

Instagram

More Information

  • Privacy Policy
© The Cooking German.