Raspberry Cake (French Framboisier)

A "Framboisier" is a traditional and classic French Dessert made in summer with fresh raspberries. Its name simply comes from the French word "Framboises" which means "Raspberries". A similar cake can be made with Strawberries instead, called Fraisier (for the French word "Fraises" meaning "Strawberries"). Though you could very well make this all year round with other fruits such as blueberries or pineapple. This classic French recipe is decadent, beautiful to look at and most of all very easy to make. You will need a stainless steel cake ring to get that nice clean finish on the genoise sponge. Most of them are adjustable: as this recipe is for 4 people I recommend adjusting the diameter to 18.5 cm.

Génoise (Sponge Cake):
2 eggs
sugar (60 g)
flour (30 g)
cornstarch (30 g)

Crème Mousseline:
milk (300 mL )
cornstarch (30 g)
sugar (70 g)
butter, room temperature (70 g)
1 egg
1 vanilla pod, split halfway, seeds scraped

Kirsch Syrup:
sugar (30 g
water (30 g)
Kirsch (10 mL)

Framboisier:
raspberries, preferably the same size (200 g)
icing sugar (15 g)

Preheat the oven to 415°F (210°C/190°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

For the Génoise (Sponge Cake):
Start the génoise sponge cake by beating the eggs with the sugar using an electric mixer until you obtain a very smooth and pale mixture. Sift the flour and cornstarch (this will rule out lumps and help you achieve a light and fluffy cake). Combine gently - I find that using a silicone spatula works best for this step. Spread into the ungreased cake ring on a sheet of parchment paper. Cook in the oven for 10 mins then remove and leave to cool. Do not be tempted to open the oven before the 10 minutes are up or you will disturb the rise of the cake.

For the Crème Mousseline:
Moving on to the mousseline cream, which is similar to pastry cream (crème pâtissière) except you’re using whole eggs to obtain a buttercream. Begin by boiling the milk with the vanilla pods and seeds. In a bowl, vigorously mix the eggs with the sugar by hand for a couple of minutes until creamy, foamy and pale. In pastry making this is called blanching. Add the cornstarch and mix until combined. Gently pour the hot milk over the mixture (don’t stop whisking) then tip everything back into the pot and cook for one minute. Once you have a thick, yellowy mixture that starts to bubble you may turn the heat off. Add some of the butter (20 g) and combine. Leave to cool. Once the mixture has cooled completely: whip the remaining butter (50 g) with a mixer and add the emulsified cream.

For the Kirsch Syrup:
Make the kirsch syrup by boiling the water and sugar. Add the kirch when the syrup has cooled.

Assemble the Framboisier:
Using a sharp knife, loosen the sides of the cake and unmould at once. Split the cake into two even layers: gently place one hand on top of the cake and with your other hand, score the side of the cake with a long serrated knife, exactly halfway up the height of the cake. Score all around the side, cutting about 2 cm into the cake; rotate the cake some more, cutting deeper and deeper inside the cake until your cake is split into two separate layers. Place one half at the bottom of the (cleaned) cake ring and brush the kirsch syrup on both layers. Arrange your raspberries around the circumference of the cake circle, pressing down lightly and making sure they are stacked closely together. Add half the mousseline cream and spread it all the way to the edge. Be careful to push the cream well against the ring to fill in all the cracks between the raspberries. Add the remaining raspberries in the middle and top with the rest of the mousseline cream. Carefully place the other half of your sponge cake. Decorate with icing sugar using a sieve or flour sifter. I learned a nice technique at the Atelier Gourmand: take a strawberry, leaving the top on. Use a sharp knife to cut straight lines across the bottom before fanning them out and pressing down lightly on your cake.

Chill for at least a couple of hours before serving.

Makes 4 servings.