Strawberry sponge cake with crème brûlée topping

If cooking is an act of love, making desserts like this strawberry cake with a crème brûlée topping or burnt cream is, without a doubt, the sweetest expression of that love.

One of the things I love most when I make a new cake is seeing the faces at home when they try it. It's very funny to see their eyes light up, and I assure you the sparkle in the eyes of everyone at the table is guaranteed if you make this cake.

Speaking of love, I'm sure the strawberries' feeling for the vanilla cream is pure passion. What a wonderful combination results from this recipe! And to top it off, if you bake it and present it in the Nordic Ware Charlotte pan, when you bring it to the table, no one will be able to resist its charms.

This strawberry cake with vanilla cream topping is delicious, fresh, sweet, aromatic and very tempting for any occasion. A perfect cake to fill the Sunday family table with love, whether to celebrate Mother's Day, the arrival of spring, anniversaries, name days, or simply because you've found the best strawberries at the market.

Ingredients

For the strawberry cake

• 230 g of fresh strawberries, cleaned and stemmed
• 125 g of all-purpose wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder (chemical leavener, e.g., Roya)
• 1.5 g of salt
• 1.25 g of baking soda
• 130 g of white sugar + 36 g (to torch over the cream)
• 110 g of neutral vegetable oil (sunflower or olive)
• 60 g of egg whites at room temperature (equivalent to 2 large eggs)
  
• 60 g of whole milk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 drop of red gel food coloring (optional)
  

For the vanilla cream

• 35 g of white sugar
• 40 g of egg yolks at room temperature (equivalent to 2 large eggs)
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 180 g of heavy cream (35% fat)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla paste

Preparation

For the cake

1. Blend the strawberries with a chopper or a processor until you see a smooth texture, but with some small pieces.
   
2. Put the strawberry purée in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it starts to boil, stirring constantly.
3. Lower the heat and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until it thickens and reduces considerably (this will take you about 10 to 15 minutes).
   
4. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180 °C and grease the Nordic Ware Charlotte Cake Pan.
   
6. In a medium bowl put the flour, the baking powder, the salt and the baking soda and mix well.
7. In the bowl of your KitchenAid stand mixer put the egg whites, the oil and the sugar and beat with the whisk attachment until everything is well combined.
8. Add the milk, the lemon juice and the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
9. Now add the flour and beat again until it is almost incorporated.
10. Finally, gently fold in the strawberry purée. If you add coloring, do it at this step as well.
11. Pour the batter into the Charlotte pan. To settle the batter, place a kitchen towel on the countertop and firmly but gently tap the base of the pan.
12. Place the pan in the oven and bake the batter for about 20 to 25 minutes at 180 °C, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
13. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes on a rack. After 10 minutes, unmold the cake onto the rack and let it cool completely.
    

For the vanilla cream

1. Put the yolks with the sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.
2. In a saucepan put the cream with the vanilla paste. Heat over medium-low until it starts to steam, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour half of the hot cream over the yolks, stirring constantly.
4. Add this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining cream and return it to the heat. Cook over medium-low, stirring all the time, until the custard reaches 85 °C (this will take about 2 to 4 minutes).

Assembly of the strawberry cake with vanilla cream topping

1. As soon as the vanilla cream reaches 85 °C, carefully pour it over the cake (remember the cake must be completely cooled).
2. Spread the cream evenly and place the cake in the refrigerator so the cream chills for at least 1 hour.
3. Before serving the cake, sprinkle the 36 g of sugar and carefully torch it with a blowtorch. Serve immediately. Enjoy!