♥Strawberry Cream Gateau♥ ~ For my Man!!

Ajay turns a year older today..but with the excitement that I have right now,it seems like it is my birthday and not his.Even after trying for so many years,I still cannot seem to make him understand that Birthdays ARE special..I mean,how can you go about it like its just another day??A week before,I started planning the menu for the day,which cake to bake and what to gift and even today morning,he’s asking me,what’s so special..hmm!!

He has a totally namkeen tooth[if there’s a word like that..LOL] and only few sweet things appeal to him.If I gave him the choice I am sure he would ask me to make Biscuit Pudding or Moong Dal Payasam[which I did make,eventually!].So it was upto me to decide what to make.

I know he likes moist cakes,otherwise he wouldn’t finish all of his share when we had a Pineapple Cream Pastry at a pastry shop a while back.But sponge cakes scare the hell out of me.I,however like the moist-on-its-own kind of cakes and not the sugar syrup soaked sponges.But a birthday boy[man?;)] has to have a cake of his choice and I decided to make a simple sponge cake with whipped cream and strawberries..!!


I wasn’t so sure about how the cream would behave so took the easy way out and used whipped cream powder-a first for me.Gave good results and not much of a taste difference.The cake was very light and moist and the flavors of cream and strawberry mixed with chocolate was simply out of this world!!The birthday boy[man] is happy and so am I!!


When Deeba posted this cake,my prayers were answered as to how I wanted my Strawberry cream cake to look like.I am pretty satisfied with the results though my cake is not a match to Deeba’s:).I have longingly looked at the chocolate lace border adorned cakes at Ria’s and Deeba’s and finally can pat myself on my back for achieving near-similar results!!



Happy Birthday Ajay..you are so special to me!!

Strawberry Cream Gateau


The recipe for the basic sponge cake is copyrighted and cannot be produced here.Check out this,this,this and this for similar recipes.Sorry!!


Ingredients


1 8' sponge cake
Soaking syrup(recipe follows)
Cream filling(recipe follows)
Strawberry - 200gms,divided
Chocolate-for the lace border and the garnish


For the filling


Fresh cream - 400 ml
Icing sugar(or powdered sugar) - 1 cup
Strawberries,chopped - 100gms


Whip the cream till soft peaks form.Mix in the icing sugar and whip again till it forms stiff peaks.Reserve half the cream and add chopped strawberries to the rest of the cream.


For the soaking syrup


Water - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp(or use any liquer of your choice)


Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat until it boils.Let it cool and then add vanilla extract.Reserve.


Assembling the cake


Slice sponge into 2-3 layers.[I sliced it into 2]
Place first layer on the serving plate.
Moisten with a little syrup.
Spread 1/3 of the strawberry filling on top.
Repeat with next layer.
Reserve a little cream for piping and spread the remaining cream over the top and the sides.
Pipe a border around the edge and then garnish with strawberries and chocolate shavings.

For the chocolate lace border – Measure the height of the border and the circumference of the cake. Cut out parchment paper to this measure and pipe patterns or drizzle with melted chocolate on it. Wait for it to almost set, where the paper is still flexible and the chocolate is not set hard. Wrap it around the cake and press gently to the frosted sides so that the pattern sticks to the sides.

Chill the gateau well before slicing and serving.