If you are in need of a new recipe idea for your next celebration, use the opportunity to prepare this beautiful and extremely delicious cake.
It features a juicy layer of strawberry puree and another layer of chocolate cream. It not only looks absolutely appealing, but it is super easy to make.
When strawberry season arrives here in Germany, I try to enjoy these heavenly red drops of natural “candy” as often as I can.
Although I have quite a collection of different strawberry recipes, I often don’t get around to baking them, as the fresh berries are just too irresistible. I often just gobble them up as they are before I get around to using them in a cake or some other recipe.
I think this habit has to do with my childhood experience. In Germany, there are lots of farmers who allow families to pick strawberries from their fields.
I remember that when I was a little girl, I enjoyed this very much, and I was so proud when I would fill a large basket with berries that I had gathered myself to take home. Of course, I couldn’t resist putting one after another right into my mouth as I picked them.
As for the strawberry cake, it might be best to prepare the sponge one day in advance, and proceed with the rest of the recipe the next day. For the pureed berries, I use a ready-made product. Here in Germany you can buy small sachets of this product, which mainly consists of starch and a gelling agent (similar to strawberry glaze available in the US).
Editor’s Note: We found the correct Geman glaze on Amazon.
The glaze is then mixed with liquid, in this case the blended fruit, and some sugar. After bringing it to a boil, you spread it on the cake and allow it to set. You might also try mixing cornstarch with some water, then stir the slurry into the fruit, bring it to a boil, and then allow it to cool.
If you find yourself out of oil mid-recipe, no worries: we have this guide to oil substitutions for baking if you get into a pinch, but hopefully you’re well-prepared for this recipe before you get started!
Kitchen equipment required:
- palette knife
- cake ring
- 9- or 10-inch spring form baking pan
- blender
Find plenty of other fruity, tasty cakes here at Foodal: such as our lemon and lime sponge roll, or our gluten-free, lactose free mandarin orange spongecake delight!
On the other hand, if you’re in the market for a much more basic cake recipe, make sure to give our simple two ingredient cake recipe a try.
Hankering for a more chocolatey German cake recipe? Bake our elaborate baumkuchen tart.
And if you do go through the recipe and end up with a deflated cake, no sweat! We’ve got great creative tips on what you can do with a cake that doesn’t rise.
The Recipe
- 4 eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 4/5 cup vegetable oil
- 4/5 cup orange juice
- 300 grams flour just over 1 1/4 cups
- 2 1/4 Tablespoons baking powder
- 4 cups strawberries
- 1 1/2 sachets ready-to-mix fruit tart glaze about three teaspoons or 15 grams
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 4 cups whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (convection 180°C/360°F). Grease the form or line with parchment paper.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.
- Add the oil and orange juice while stirring.
- Mix the flour with the baking powder and stir in quickly.
- Pour the mixture into your baking tin and bake for 40-45 minutes in the lower part of the oven. Let cool on a rack. Ideally, wait for one day to continue.
- Wash the berries, put 4 of them aside for decoration and put the remaining fruits into a blender.
- Cut the sponge two times and put the cake ring around the bottom layer.
- Prepare the glaze with the puréed berries and 2 tbs sugar. Pour onto the layer. Wait for some minutes to become firm and put the next layer on top.
- Whisk half of the cream until stiff and mix with cocoa powder. Pour onto the cake and put the remaining sponge on top. Remove the cake ring.
- Whisk the remaining cream and cover the cake with the help of a palette knife.
- Quarter the fruits you have put aside and decorate
Photos by Nina-Kristin Isensee, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
About Nina-Kristin Isensee
Nina lives in Iserlohn, Germany and holds an MA in Art History (Medieval and Renaissance Studies). She is currently working as a freelance writer in various fields. She enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and baking. Nina tries to cook from scratch every day when she has the time and enjoys trying out new spices and ingredients, as well as surprising her family with new cake creations.
I’ve always loved me some layer cake. Nothing like making a delicious cake with more than one delicious filling that wholly compliments one another. Making a note of that glaze as well. Was not familiar.
That cake sure looks yummy! I love strawberries, and they’ve been on sale here lately, so it would be a good time to try making this. I was also unfamiliar with the glaze @JoanMcWench, and am going to be on the lookout for that, because I can use that in other recipes I make.
That cake looks amazing… silly me {shy look and hand over mouth} …drooling and wishing 🙂 … the page has been bookmarked, am definitely baking this cake someday…for myself, not today though, i wonder, do strawberries run out of season or they are in all year round?!…i’ve seen the ones at the grocer’s shop and i’d rather pass than purchase… reason; they are not fresh! 🙁
Here in Germany, fresh strawberries from the fields are only available from May until the end of July (generally). Within these months I try to get them as often as I can because I also think that they taste best when fresh. I am not sure about the situation of fresh berries where you live but I hope you find some good-looking ones next time! 🙂
Haha, I know what you mean about devouring strawberries before you can use them for anything else. I do it pretty much every time, they’re just too tasty to resist. But this does look like a lovely recipe to use strawberries in, and it appears much more complicated than it is.
I know, right? I’m going to have to buy extra strawberries if I want to use some to make anything. Strawberries just don’t last very long around here. I have to have a few as soon as I can get them washed, and then my husband usually comes along to “help” as well.
This cake would be worth it though. It looks pretty and sounds tasty. I can think of lots of variations for this as well. Definitely a keeper!
I absolutely love this recipe and I can’t wait to try it this summer with the fresh strawberries here in the USA. Having a few friends who live in Iserlohn, where Nina-Kristin Isensee lives and visited there myself, I can definitely see how the beautiful summer weather could make people crave a fresh summer treat.
I really like that the cake involves both sweet and fruit elements. I feel like the strawberries will cut through the sweetness of the chocolate, frosting, and the cake itself. I also love the simple decoration that the strawberries on top provide (Along with a little bit of portion control :p)!
That strawberry cake looks so delicious and tasty. I want to go out in the kitchen and whip it up right about now. Maybe I’ll make it on a nice weekend day like Sunday and serve some as dessert to my relatives. I won’t indulge too much due to having to watch the sugar but that does not mean I will not get down in some of this fruity sensation.
This cake sound absolutely scrumptious. Thank you for your wonderful food blog. I will be sure to try out your recipe for my daughters 18th birthday. I know she will love it as she (as well as the whole family) absolutely LOVE strawberries. I will let you know how everyone enjoyed it.
The photos made me droll in my mouth, recently. The cake looks absolutely delicious and I’m definitely gonna give it a go as soon as possible. Good recipe, pretty easy to follow and the results will surely be wonderful.
Scrumptious indeed, fionakzn!
Hello, this cake looks awesome! I was wondering, do you took this pictures? The pictures are very good. I would like to make this, but I’m not sure if I’m going to find the glaze in here. How shoudl I do the glaze with cornstarch? Every time I use cornstarch I mess it up, it would be really helpful if you could give me precise directions in how to do the glaze. Also, any advice to divide the sponge?
Thank you 🙂 , these are my personal photos, yes.
To divide the sponge properly it’s important that it has cooled down completely. It is best to prepare it one day in advance. Personally, I have a bread knife with a long blade so I can cut the sponge quite well with just a few cuts. Another idea would be to grab a small string from a sewing box for example, tighten it between your hands and gently pull it through the sponge. These would be two ideas that I have tried myself and which worked out for this cake.
For the glaze: After blending the berries, give them into a small saucepan. Take out 2-3 tablespoons purée (maybe plus a teaspoon water) and mix with 1-1 1/2 heaped tablespoons of starch and stir until smooth. Heat up the berries and slowly stir in the liquid starch-mix. Bring to boil and then take off the stove and leave to cool.
This might take a bit longer than the other way but it will thicken too. Just make sure to mix the starch with some purée (water) first and stir it in without lumps. This way it should work out 🙂
Oh wow! This recipe is amazing! I saw a similar recipe to this one before, but never tried it. I guess I was just scared of messing up the recipe and having to start from scratch all over again. Your recipe process is just so much more appealing, and looks so much easier. It kind of gives me the confidence that I lack in my cooking skills to actually give it a try. Your results look even better as well. I wish I could reach inside the monitor and grab a slice. LOL. Thank you much!
Thank you! I’m glad to hear that you like my recipe and photos. I’m sure you are able to achieve an equal appealing look 🙂 I hope you have success preparing the cake whenever you try it, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts.
This looks absolutely delicious! I haven’t baked much but I did try a strawberry based cake a few years ago. I didn’t quite get it right. This looks much simpler. The only challenge for me will probably be finding the glaze you’ve mentioned. Will probably just have someone bring it over the next time someone’s visiting from Germany or the US!!
Thank you. I hope this one will be a success for you if you should try it. You might make a decent version without the glaze. Some comments above, I suggested using regular cornstarch. It could also work properly with another thickening agent like gelatine or agar-agar. You just would have to adapt the amount to the fruit puree. But, if you have the patience to wait 😉 – you can look forward to making it with the original ingredients. Either way – enjoy!
I like the idea of making strawberry puree with starch and a gelling agent. I always make strawberry cakes, but as I made the puree without starch and gelling agent, it was too watery. I am already impatient to try to make it. I will try to cover the cake with strawberry puree in a thin slice, and see what will happen 😀
Great idea, you could really do that – and I think it will look fascinating with a red layer around!
Without some help of starch or else, it is really difficult to keep the puree “in shape”, that’s right. I keep my fingers crossed and I hope it works out for you, so that your fruity cake will be a success.
“Although I have quite a collection of different strawberry recipes, I often don’t get around to baking them, as the fresh berries are just too irresistible. I often just gobble them up as they are before I get around to using them in a cake or some other recipe.”
Same! Ahahahahahaha, it’s really hard to resist the temptation of eating them 😛 But this recipe looks tasty, too~ I’ll have to resist the temptation >_< Or I'll just buy a whole lot of strawberries so I could eat and, at the same time, bake them 😛
Right? I’m relieved that I’m not the only one with this habit 😉 Just some minutes ago, I finished my small bowl of strawberries that I actually wanted to keep for some baked goodies this afternoon. Well, resistance is pointless 😉
True true! It’s gotta be one of the hardest things to do! ;P