Strawberry Forest Cake
“Strawberry Forest” is Yulia Vysotskaya’s signature cake, bringing together three things: fresh strawberries, tender whipped cream, and the lightest, crispest almond layers made with almost no flour. This is not a moist sponge — on the contrary, it absolutely must not be soaked in syrup, because the whole charm lies in the contrast of the crumbly layer against juicy berries and airy cream.
The layers here are more like a thin almond dacquoise: whipped egg whites with nut flour give a delicate, brittle texture. The tall cake with vertically standing strawberries reminded the author of a forest landscape, which is where the name comes from. Vysotskaya made it on her show “Eating at Home,” and the recipe even made it onto the menu of one restaurant.
A Few Pointers
Assemble the cake at the very last moment before serving: the layers quickly soften from the moisture of the berries and cream, losing their signature crispness. The layers can be baked ahead and stored in a dry place, then assemble the dessert right before serving. Bake at a low temperature of 150°C (300°F) so the almonds don’t scorch and the layers stay pale. According to the author, it turns out best specifically with strawberries — wild strawberries or a berry mix give a poorer result.
Serve immediately after assembling, while the layers are still crisp. For individual servings, bake several small layers. The finished cake doesn’t keep — it’s a dessert for “today only.”
Part of European cuisine — 62 more recipes in the section.
You might also like
Ingredients
Instructions
Layers
Melt 200 g of the butter. Grind the almonds to a powder in a blender.Add a pinch of salt and 250 g of the powdered sugar to the egg whites and beat to firm peaks, then add the ground almonds, continuing to beat on low speed.
Pour in the melted butter, add 200 g of the powdered sugar and the sifted flour, and gently fold everything together.
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Cut out 6 large circles (28-30 cm in diameter) from parchment paper, grease them with the remaining butter, and place them on baking sheets.
Spread the batter over the paper in a thin layer (3-5 mm). Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes. As soon as the layers are baked, peel them off the paper.
Cream and assembly
For the cream, whip the heavy cream with 200 g of the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract (or sugar) and cognac and mix everything together.Cut each strawberry lengthwise into 4 pieces.
On each layer, spread a layer of whipped cream, then a layer of strawberries. Finish with a layer of cream.
Decorate the top of the cake with strawberry pieces standing vertically and dust with the remaining powdered sugar.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.