Scandinavian Strawberry Cream Cake

Rustic, elegant and bursting with true strawberry and cream flavor, this Scandinavian Strawberry Cream Cake is the perfect way to celebrate summer with true Nordic style.

Rich pastry cream and a luscious strawberry filling sandwiched between two layers of tender vanilla cake and topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries....it's the perfect show-stopping dessert for any summer celebration, gathering or weekend dinner that you have coming up in the next few months.

So what are we waiting for? Let me introduce you to this delicious (and surprisingly easy) homemade Scandinavian Strawberry Cream Cake.

Why This Recipe Works

• The vanilla cake layers contain modest amount of butter and a hint of almond flour, just enough to provide a luxurious mouthfeel and the right amount of richness.
• The simple strawberry filling is roasted in the oven to create a delicious jam-like concoction that tastes deeply of strawberries.
• in addition to the roasted strawberry filling, there is also a layer of rich vanilla pastry cream sandwiched between the cake layers, which provides a luxurious strawberries-and-cream flavor.
• The assembly is beautifully rustic....no fancy decorating techniques or piping bags required!

The Ingredients

There are essentially four components to this cake: The cake layers, the roasted strawberry filling, the pastry cream and the whipped cream and fresh strawberries that finish the cake. A few ingredients that are worth noting:

• Almond Flour. There is a wonderful article here at the King Arthur Flour website which discusses the virtues of including a bit of almond flour in your baked goods. It does, indeed, create a tender and moist final product. You will find it in many of the cakes I bake and for good reason.
• Half and Half. I use half and half (A mixture of whole milk and cream) to make my pastry cream. You can certainly use just milk or just cream, but I really like the balanced richness that comes from a mix of the two. If you don't want to buy half and half in addition to the other dairy products called for in this recipe, you can simply make your own by combining 1 part whole milk with 1 part cream.

How to Make This Recipe

• Begin by roasting the strawberries for the filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss 1 pound of quartered strawberries with ¼ cup of sugar and a pinch of salt in a square baking dish. Stir to combine. Roast for 20 minutes, and then give the strawberries a stir. Roast for 20 minutes more. Remove from the oven and mash the strawberries with a fork or potato masher until they are a jam-like consistency. Set aside to cool.

• While the strawberries are roasting, make the cake layers. Cut out two 9-inch rounds from a piece of parchment paper. Butter two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottom of the cake pans with the parchment rounds. Butter the parchment. Dust the inside of the cake pans with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.

• Whisk the flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until light in texture and pale yellow in color, about 2-3 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium-low and add vanilla.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and add ⅓ of the cooled butter and milk mixture followed by ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Repeat this process two more times ending with final ⅓ of the flour mixture. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and even out the tops using a small offset spatula. Bake for 20 minutes or until cakes are just beginning to brown and a skewer inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean.

• While the cake is baking, make the pastry cream. Whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, half and half and sugar together in a medium saucepan. Add the butter (it will melt once we start the cooking process).  Place pan over medium low heat and whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and thick, about 3-5 minutes.  Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the pastry cream, followed by a layer of plastic wrap (this prevents it from forming a skin).  Refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.

• Once everything has cooled to room temperature, make the whipped cream and assemble the cake. Place the cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high to high speed until the cream starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream can hold medium peaks.

• Place one cake layer on the bottom of a serving plate.  Spread the pastry cream evenly over the top leaving a border around the edge of about ½ inch (you will have some pastry cream leftover). Spoon the roasted strawberry filling over the top of the pastry cream (again, don't feel that you need to use it all. You may have a little leftover). Place the second cake layer on top of the strawberry filling.  Spread whipped cream on the cake and arrange fresh strawberries over the top, finishing with two or three whole strawberries for garnish.  Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

• Don't overmix the cake batter. We want to mix at a low speed and just until everything comes together. This helps our cake to be tender in texture rather than tough.
• Be sure to strain the pastry cream. Pastry cream contains egg yolks, and even if we are stirring it constantly as it cooks (which you SHOULD be), it's quite likely you might have small bits of cooked egg in the final result. Straining the pastry cream removes any unsightly bits of egg and produces a perfectly smooth and luxurious final result.
• Don't over whip the whipped cream. Whipped cream can go from perfectly billowy to curdled in appearance VERY quickly. Keep a close eye on it as it whips. You want it to hold medium peaks and not be overly stiff.
• Keep the cake assembly simple and rustic. Let this cake be easy. I'm a rustic baker by nature and am not much for elaborate decorating techniques. I love the idea of a cake that is open on the sides and piled high with whipped cream and minimally cut fresh berries. Some of the pastry cream or the berry filling may ooze over the sides when you put everything together. That's okay, and in fact it is part of the charm of this simple cake.
• Use a serrated knife to cut the cake. This will create cleaner slices.

FAQs

Rustic yet elegant and bursting with true strawberry and cream flavor, this easy cake is the perfect way to celebrate summer with true Nordic style. Looking for more Scandinavian-inspired recipes for strawberries? Give these a try:

Scandinavian Strawberry Cream Cake

A show-stopping Nordic celebration cake filled with roasted strawberries and pastry cream and topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.  Perfect for any summer occasion!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cake, Dessert

Cuisine: Nordic, Scandinavian

Keyword: easy strawberry cake, strawberry cake recipe, strawberry cream cake recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 10 servings (one 9-inch layer cake)

Calories: 448kcal

Author: Kristi

Ingredients

For the Roasted Strawberry Filling:

• ▢ 1 pound strawberries quartered
• ▢ ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ Pinch of fine salt

For the Cake Layers:

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ ¼ cup milk
• ▢ 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fine salt
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Pastry Cream Filling:

• ▢ 2 egg yolks
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 cup half and half
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ Pinch of fine salt

For the Whipped Cream:

• ▢ 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To Assemble the Cake:

• ▢ Roasted Strawberry Filling
• ▢ Cake Layers
• ▢ Pastry Cream Filling
• ▢ Whipped Cream
• ▢ 2 cups strawberries halved if small or quartered if large

Instructions

• Make the Roasted Strawberry Filling: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Combine strawberries, sugar and salt in an 8 inch square baking dish.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir briefly.  Return to the oven and roast for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.  Mash mixture with the back of a fork until it is a jam-like texture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Filling should be completely cool before assembling the cake.  (Filling can be made up to a week in advance).  
• Make the Cake Layers:  Warm butter in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave until the butter is melted.  Add milk. Stir and set aside to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees if you have not already done so to make the Roasted Strawberry Filling.  Butter two 9 inch cake rounds. Place a 9 inch circle of parchment paper on the bottom of each pan.  Butter the parchment paper. Flour the inside of the pans. Set aside.
• Whisk flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until fully combined.  Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs and sugar together on medium-high speed until light in texture and pale yellow in color, about 2-3 minutes.  Reduce speed to medium-low and add vanilla.
• Reduce mixer speed to low and add ⅓ of the cooled butter and milk mixture followed by ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Repeat this process two more times ending with final ⅓ of the flour mixture.
• Divide the cake batter equally between the prepared pans.  Using a small off-set spatula, spread batter out evenly to the edges of the pan.  Bake until golden brown and a tester poked into the center of each cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Set cakes aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the Pastry Cream Filling.  Whisk the egg yolks, cornstarch, half and half and sugar together in a medium saucepan. Add the butter.  Place the pan over medium low heat and whisk constantly until mixture is smooth and thick, about 3-5 minutes.  Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl. Stir in vanilla. Place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the pastry cream, followed by a layer of plastic wrap (this prevents the custard from forming a skin).  Refrigerate until you are ready to use. Pastry cream should be completely cool before assembling the cake. (Pastry Cream Filling can be made up to 2 days in advance.)
• When you are ready to assemble the cake, make the Whipped Cream.  Place cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high to high speed until the cream starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whip until the cream can hold medium peaks.
• Assemble the cake.  Place one cake layer on the bottom of a serving plate.  Spread Pastry Cream Filling evenly over the top leaving a border around the edge of about ½ inch (you will have some leftover).  Spoon the Roasted Strawberry Filling over the top of the pastry cream (again, you may have some leftover). Place the second cake layer on top of the strawberry filling.  Spread whipped cream on the cake and arrange fresh strawberries over the top, finishing with two or three whole strawberries for garnish.  Serve immediately.

Notes

Using a serrated knife will help create clean cake slices.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 910IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 1mg