Caramel Strawberry Cake

I was in the mood for a lovely, silky cake the other day so I decided to make a caramel and strawberry cake. This combination is exceptionally delicious.

Thin layers of vanilla and cocoa genoise sponge, sweet caramel cream, strawberry flavored cream, and strawberry mousse. It was delicious!

Please find this delicious caramel strawberry cake recipe below!

Sponge:

• 3 eggs
• 100 g sugar
• 80 g almond flour
• 20 g all-purpose flour
• 20 g dark cocoa powder
• a pinch of salt
• 20 g melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel cream:

• 200 g dulce de leche (you can use this recipe for homemade dulce de leche)
• 100 g butter
• 2-3 tbsp milk

Strawberry cream:

• 300 g strawberries
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 5 g gelatin
• 200 ml whipping cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar

Sponge:

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C (360 °F) and line two 20×20 cm (8×8 inches) baking trays with parchment paper.
• Whip the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt until they double in volume and turn light in color. Fold in the almond flour, using upward movements. Add the melted and cooled butter, and the vanilla extract and stir slowly.
• Divide the mixture into two halves. Add flour to one half and cocoa powder to the other. Fold in gently to ensure the sponge remains aerated.
• Pour the mixtures into the two baking trays and smooth them out. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove them from the oven and flip them onto a cooling rack. Cut the white cake into two pieces horizontally. Leave the brown one as it is.

Caramel cream:

• Using a mixer, whip the butter until it turns creamy. Add the dulce de leche (i.e. caramelized condensed milk) and continue mixing until you get a uniform consistency. Incorporate the milk gradually until you get the desired consistency; it should resemble a thickish caramel.

Strawberry cream:

• Wash the strawberries and remove the stems. Purée them with a blender, then put them in a saucepan with the sugar over low heat. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Hydrate the gelatin in 2 tablespoons of water. After 5 minutes, pour the gelatin over the strawberries and stir well. Leave the cream to cool.
• Mix the whipping cream well with the vanilla sugar. Refrigerate until the strawberry cream hardens. Incorporate the whipped cream into half of the strawberry cream. Leave the other half as it is.

Assembly:

• Place a piece of the white cake into the baking tray. Spread half of the caramel cream on top. Place the other white cake on top and spread the strawberry cream over it. Cover the strawberry cream with the brown cake layer. Pour on the rest of the caramel cream and spread it nicely. On top, spread the whipped strawberry cream (mousse). Refrigerate the cake for 3-4 hours, or overnight.
• This caramel and strawberry cake is great even without any decor. If you wish, you can decorate with whipped cream and dried fruit, or caramel strips. It's a delight!