Headnote

This is a small, precise celebration of softness and contrast: tender vanilla sponge, lightly sweetened cream, ripe strawberry, and the clean bitterness of chocolate sprinkles. The cake must remain delicate, the cream poised, and the fruit bright. Each element is restrained so the whole slice reads as composed rather than ornate.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Layer cake

Cuisine or origin: Classic European-style confection

Course type: Dessert

Yield: 1 slice

Serving size: 118 g

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 18 minutes

Total time: 38 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

1 small mixing bowl

1 medium mixing bowl

1 whisk

1 spatula

1 fine sieve

1 small cake ring or square mold, about 8 cm wide

1 baking tray

Baking paper

1 offset spatula or small palette knife

Ingredients

Vanilla sponge

24 g wheat flour, sifted

18 g sugar

1 g baking powder

18 g egg, beaten

8 g milk

6 g butter, melted and cooled

4 g vegetable oil

1 g vanilla extract

Whipped cream

22 g heavy cream

2 g sugar

Fruit and finish

18 g strawberry, hulled and thinly sliced

2 g chocolate sprinkle

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C. Line a small baking tray with baking paper and set the cake ring or mold on it. The mold should be ready before the batter is mixed.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, sugar, and vanilla extract for 2 to 3 minutes until pale, slightly thickened, and smooth. The mixture should fall from the whisk in a ribbon that briefly holds its shape.

3. Sift in the flour and baking powder. Fold gently for 10 to 15 seconds until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated.

4. Add the milk, melted butter, and vegetable oil. Fold just until the batter is uniform and glossy, with no streaks of fat or flour remaining.

5. Transfer the batter into the prepared mold and level the surface. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until the sponge is lightly golden, springs back when pressed, and a skewer inserted into the center emerges clean.

6. Cool the sponge in the mold for 5 minutes, then unmold and cool completely on a rack. Once cool, slice horizontally into 2 even layers.

7. Whip the heavy cream and sugar to soft peaks, about 1 to 2 minutes by hand or briefly with a mixer. The cream should hold a gentle shape and remain supple, not stiff.

8. Place one sponge layer on the serving plate. Spread half the whipped cream evenly over it, then arrange the sliced strawberry in a neat layer. Set the second sponge layer on top and cover the surface with the remaining cream in a thin, smooth finish.

9. Scatter the chocolate sprinkle evenly over the top. Chill the assembled slice for 5 minutes only, just long enough to settle the cream without dulling the sponge.

Plating and serving

Serve as a single, clean slice with the strawberry visible in profile. The cream should form a light cap, the chocolate sprinkle a fine dark contrast, and the sponge should remain tender and distinct in layers.

Professional notes

The sponge must be mixed minimally after the flour is added; overworking will tighten the crumb.

Whip the cream only to soft peaks so it spreads cleanly and eats with elegance.

Slice the strawberry thinly and evenly so the fruit layers without collapsing the cake.