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Cocoa, Custard, and Strawberry Cake

17/11/2023

I’ll describe the recipe for the cocoa cake with cream and strawberries, adding an Italian touch to make it even more delicious. Here are the ingredients and the preparation:

Ingredients

For the cocoa base:

  • 200 g of all-purpose flour
  • 50 g of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 180 g of sugar
  • 80 g of melted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 packet of baking powder
  • 1 pinch of salt

For the cream:

  • 500 ml of whole milk
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 150 g of sugar
  • 40 g of all-purpose flour or cornstarch for creams
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon

To assemble the cake:

  • 500 g of fresh strawberries
  • Icing sugar to taste

For the syrup:

  • Water to taste
  • Sugar to taste
  • A splash of orange liqueur or alchermes (optional)

Preparation

For the cocoa base:

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (fan) or 160 °C (conventional).
  2. Whisk the eggs with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture.
  3. Add the cooled, melted butter, then the sifted flour with cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
  4. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured pan, then bake for about 30-35 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

For the cream:

  1. Heat the milk with the lemon zest until it’s about to boil, then remove the zest.
  2. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with sugar until frothy, then add the sifted flour.
  3. Gradually incorporate the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly.
  4. Transfer everything back into the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until you obtain a thick cream.
  5. Cover with cling film in contact with the cream and let it cool down.

To assemble the cake:

  1. Once the cocoa base is cold, cut it horizontally to get two layers.
  2. Drizzle the layers lightly with the mixture of water, sugar, and liqueur.
  3. Wash the strawberries and slice them, leaving some whole for decoration.
  4. Spread the cream on one layer of the base and place the strawberry slices on top.
  5. Cover with the second disk and dust with icing sugar.
  6. Decorate with the whole strawberries you set aside.

And voilà, your cocoa cake with cream and strawberries is ready! If you want to add an extra Italian note, you could serve it with a drizzle of classic or strawberry balsamic cream, which will highlight the sweet taste of the fruit with an intriguing contrast.

Curiosity

The cake with cocoa, cream, and strawberries is a delicious variation of the classic Genoise cake, enhanced with the intense flavor of cocoa and the freshness of strawberries. It’s a dessert particularly appreciated in spring and summer when strawberries reach their full maturity and sweetness.

Cocoa, Custard, and Strawberry Cake