administratorI found this wonderful festive dessert recipe on www.lecker.de. I absolutely love strawberry cakes, especially the creamy ones. Making this cake requires some planning because it’s best prepared over two days, but I think it’s totally worth the effort. I made a few small adjustments to the original recipe, mainly reducing the amounts of cream and almonds, which I found excessive.
For the decoration, specifically the marzipan sheep, the recipe yields about 8 sheep, but you can reduce the number if you don’t want a full flock. My cake also features a chocolate fence, which isn’t shown in the photo.
This cake is delicious, creamy, and moderately sweet, composed of several layers: a firm shortcrust base, sponge cake, and a strawberry-cheese filling. The base is quite firm and could technically be skipped, but I think it provides a solid foundation for this moist and heavy cake.
Ingredients
Shortcrust Base
200 g all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
75 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 egg
100 g cold butter
Sponge Cake
3 eggs
3 tbsp cold water
75 g sugar
Pinch of salt
75 g all-purpose flour
25 g potato starch
½ tsp baking powder
Strawberry-Cheese Filling
300 g frozen strawberries (thawed)
500 g unsweetened quark or fromage frais (reduce sugar if using sweetened variety)
6 gelatin sheets
75 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
200 g heavy cream (32–36%)
Additional
~225 g strawberry jam for spreading between layers
Decoration
400 ml heavy cream (32–36%)
1 packet vanilla sugar
1 tbsp sugar
100 g almond flakes (optional: less)
Marzipan Sheep
200 g ready-to-use light marzipan (makes 8–9 sheep)
3–4 tbsp desiccated coconut
Small black candies or a bit of melted chocolate for eyes
A few almond flakes for ears (reduce from total decoration almonds)
Chocolate Fence
~50 g chocolate (dark, milk, or mixed)
Instructions
Shortcrust Base
Quickly knead together flour, salt, sugar, vanilla sugar, egg, and butter cut into small pieces.
Wrap the smooth dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Sponge Cake
Preheat a 26 cm springform pan and line with baking paper.
Separate eggs, placing whites in a mixing bowl with 3 tbsp cold water. Beat until stiff, then gradually add sugar and a pinch of salt.
Reduce mixer speed and add yolks. Turn off the mixer and gently fold in sifted flour, potato starch, and baking powder.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 150°C (fan) or 175°C (conventional) for 18–20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.
Bake Shortcrust Base
Lightly grease the pan used for the sponge cake and line with baking paper.
Roll out the chilled shortcrust dough and line the pan.
Bake at the same temperature for 20–25 minutes. Let cool in the pan.
Strawberry-Cheese Filling and Cake Assembly
Blend the thawed strawberries. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water.
Slice the sponge cake in half to create two layers. Spread ~100 g strawberry jam evenly over the shortcrust base, then place one sponge layer on top.
Mix quark, strawberries, sugar, and vanilla sugar. Whip 200 g heavy cream until stiff.
Squeeze gelatin, dissolve in a small saucepan over medium heat (do not boil!). Remove from heat and stir in 3 tbsp of the cheese mixture. Combine with the remaining cheese mixture and chill for a few minutes until slightly thickened (still pourable).
Gently fold in whipped cream. Spread filling over the cake layers in the pan. Smooth the top.
Spread the remaining jam on the second sponge layer and carefully place it on top, jam side down. Refrigerate for several hours, ideally overnight.
Decoration
Chocolate Fence (optional)
Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave on low heat.
Pipe the chocolate onto parchment paper to form a small fence (~12 cm long, 6 cm high) with one horizontal plank and several vertical slats. Chill 1–1.5 hours.
Toasted Almonds
Toast almond flakes in a dry pan over medium heat until golden, then let cool.
Marzipan Sheep
Form 8 walnut-sized balls and 8 hazelnut-sized balls from marzipan. Stretch the larger balls slightly for the body, shaping a small tail at the end. Lightly brush with water and roll in coconut.
Use smaller balls for the head. Insert almond flakes for ears and brush space between ears with water, sprinkling with coconut for the “wool.” Add eyes using melted chocolate or small candies. Attach heads to bodies using a little melted chocolate or, if preferred, a dab of royal icing.
Final Decoration
Whip 400 ml heavy cream with sugar and vanilla sugar until stiff.
Trim the cake edges, remove the springform ring, and cover the top and sides with whipped cream.
Press almond flakes onto the sides. Place the chocolate fence on top and arrange marzipan sheep as desired.
Tips:
To make it easier to flip the top sponge layer (with jam), leave the parchment paper under it and use it as a base when placing it on top.
If the sheep heads don’t stay in place, secure them with slightly thickened melted chocolate and chill immediately. Avoid toothpicks for safety with children and guests.
This cake is festive, creamy, and perfect for Easter celebrations — a true showstopper!
