Genoise Sponge Cake

1. Preheat oven at 170°C/340°F.

2. In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, vanilla and honey. Give it a quick mix.

3. Prepare a hot water bath. Place the mixing bowl into the hot water bath. This hot water bath is to give the egg mixture some temperature for easy whipping up the mixture and volume increased. With an electric mixer, mix until it reaches 37°- 40°C or body temperature.

4. Remove the mixing bowl from the hot water bath.

5. Meanwhile, place the butter and milk into the hot water bath for melting.

6. Immediately continue mixing the egg batter with an electric mixer on high speed. This will take about 3 minutes until ribbon forms. After 3 min, lift up your mixer to check the consistency. The batter volume will double and thicken. A ribbon is formed, you can draw a circle with your paddle, the batter is good. Continue mixing on low speed for 1 minute to release air bubbles.

7. Sift the flour into the batter. Gently fold with a spatula until all the flour disappears. Occasionally scrape the bowl as there is lots of hidden flour.

8. Scoop two scoops of batter into the melted butter mixture and mix well. Then pour the butter mixture into the batter. In a circular motion, mix until well combined. Be cautious, make sure you don’t see the melted butter in the batter.

9. Lift up the bowl up high while transferring the batter into the prepared pan to release air bubbles. I am using 6-inch round pan. Tap the pan few times on the table.

10. Bake in preheated oven at 170°C/340°F for 25 min or until inserted skewer comes out clean.

11. Let cake cool completely before slicing.

12. Slice the cake into 3 sheets.

Strawberry Sauce

1. Chopped the strawberries.

2. In a pot, add the berries, sugar and lemon juice.

3. Cook it over a low heat until it become a thick sauce.

4. Use a mash to mash the berries.

5. Once the sauce is thickened, remove the pot from the heat.

6. Strain the sauce. Let the sauce cool. Set aside until needed.

Whipped Cream Frosting

1. In a mixing bowl, add the cream and sugar.

2. Mix until the cream is thickened.

3. Transfer about half the cream into another bowl. Use a weighing scale to be precise. Cover the cream and refrigerate until it is needed for use. This cream is for covering the cake and piping the deco.

4. Continue mixing the other half until stiff. This half is for the fillings.

5. Transfer this cream into a piping bag.

6. For the other half of the cream, use a whisk instead of using an electric mixer because the thickened cream will soon reach the smooth consistency within a minute or two. Use your whisk to pick up the cream, the cream will be smooth with a small tail falling back, that will be the consistency we want for covering the cake.

Assemble the Cake

1. Place a layer of genoise.

2. Brush with sugar syrup.

3. Spread half of the strawberry sauce on the layer.

4. Pipe a layer of whipped cream.

5. Place about 10 pieces of strawberry halves. Cover with a layer of cream.

6. Repeat no. 1 to 5.

7. Cover a thin layer of the same frosting. Refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes.

8. Cover the cake with the smooth and soft frosting that was whisked.

9. With the same frosting, pipe some dollops around the cake top.

10. Place the strawberry halves around (refer to the video)

11. Place the chopped strawberries around the rim of the cake.

12. Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes before cutting it.