Wild strawberries cake

SUNDAY’S KITCHEN celebrates Domenica’s birthday with this simple and delicious cake. A delicate Pan di Spagna (sponge cake) filled with crema pasticcera (pastry cream) and wild strawberries.

Preparation time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS (one 9 x 3 inch round cake pan / approx 10 – 12 servings)

Pan di Spagna (sponge cake) ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 3/4 cup (6.35 oz) sugar
• 1 cup (5.3 oz) flour 00
• 1/2 oz (16 g) active dry yeast (better if Pane degli Angeli)
• pinch of fine sea salt

Crema pasticcera (pastry cream) ingredients

• 1 pint (2 cups – 17 fl oz) fresh whole milk
• the yolk of 3 very fresh eggs
• 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) sugar
• 1/3 cup (1.75 oz) flour 00
• 1 oz (30 g) corn starch
• 2 pieces lemon rind (about 1 inch wide – 2 inches long)

Filling ingredients

• 2.5-lb (40 oz) fresh wild strawberries
• 1/2 cup (about 4 fl oz) freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
• 1/4 cup (about 2 fl oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp Alchermes liquor or another type of liquor (optional)

First prepare the pastry cream (click to view recipe).

While the pastry cream is cooling down, prepare the sponge cake (click to view recipe).

Wash the strawberries and combine half of them with 1/2 cup of orange juice, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 2 tbsp of sugar. (Save the other half for the garnish)

Once the sponge cake is completely cold, cut it horizontally into 3 layers.

Remove the juice from strawberries and combine it with 3 tbsp of liquor (optional).

Place sponge cake base onto a serving dish. Pour some of the juice mixture over the cake, spread a layer of (cooled) pastry cream and top with some (seasoned) strawberries.

place the second layer of cake on top and repeat the same process.

Place the top layer and using a rubber spatula coat the whole cake with the remaining pastry cream.

Garnish the cake with remaining half of strawberries. Store cake in the fridge until serving time.

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