Equipment
Ingredients
Roasted Strawberries
- 400 g strawberries, fresh, hulled and halved
- 50 g caster sugar
- 5 g vanilla bean paste
- 10 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Dry Ingredients
- 200 g cake flour
- 8 g baking powder
- 3 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- 50 g caster sugar
- 80 ml vegetable oil
- 120 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 10 ml vanilla extract
Meringue
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- 2 g cream of tartar
- 100 g caster sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 275 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 40 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 23 g
- Sodium
- 231 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 77 mg
- Potassium
- 162 mg
- Calcium
- 80 mg
- Iron
- 1.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 12 mg
- Phosphorus
- 83 mg
- Zinc
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 33 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 24 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.21 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.21 mg
- Niacin
- 1.6 mg
- Folate
- 58 mcg
- Water
- 65 g
- Alcohol
- 1 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent the roasting strawberries from sticking.
In a mixing bowl, toss the halved strawberries with 50g caster sugar, vanilla bean paste, and lemon juice until the fruit is well coated.
Spread the strawberries evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Roast in the preheated oven at 200C/400F for 25 minutes until the juices are thick, dark, and syrupy.
Allow the strawberries to cool for 15 minutes. Transfer exactly half of the roasted strawberries and their syrup into a blender and process until completely smooth.
Transfer the remaining half of the roasted strawberries to a cutting board and roughly chop them into small pieces using a chef knife.
Reduce the oven temperature and preheat to 160C/320F. Line the bases of two 20cm round cake pans with parchment paper.
In a clean mixing bowl, vigorously whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and fine sea salt to aerate and distribute the leavening agents.
In another large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, 50g caster sugar, vegetable oil, whole milk, and vanilla extract until completely smooth and slightly pale.
Add the smooth strawberry puree and the chopped roasted strawberries into the wet egg yolk mixture. Gently fold with a rubber spatula just until combined.
Using an electric mixer with clean, grease-free beaters, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy soft peaks begin to form.
Gradually sprinkle the remaining 100g caster sugar into the egg whites while continuing to whip on medium-high speed. Whip until stiff, glossy peaks are achieved.
Scoop one-third of the stiff meringue into the strawberry yolk batter. Fold this in to lighten the base mixture.
Add the remaining meringue in two additions, carefully folding from the bottom of the bowl upwards to preserve the air bubbles, stopping as soon as no white streaks remain.
Divide the airy cake batter evenly between the two prepared 20cm round cake pans, gently smoothing the tops with your spatula.
Bake in the center of the oven at 160C/320F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cakes reach an internal temperature of 93C/200F.
Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a wire cooling rack. Peel away the parchment paper and cool completely before slicing.
Chef's Notes
- Roasting the strawberries is a non-negotiable step. It draws out their natural moisture and concentrates their flavor, preventing the delicate cake batter from becoming too wet and heavy.
- For the lightest possible crumb, ensure your egg whites are at room temperature before whipping. This allows the proteins to stretch properly and reach their maximum possible volume.
- Cake flour is essential for this recipe. Its lower protein content compared to all-purpose flour minimizes gluten development, which directly results in a tender, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- When folding the meringue into the batter, speed and gentleness are key. Over-folding will crush the microscopic air bubbles you worked so hard to create during whipping.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent the delicate sponge from drying out.
Freezer: 1 month — Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap before freezing.
Reheating: Allow frozen slices to thaw at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Do not microwave.
Troubleshooting
Cake is dense and flat instead of light and airy.
Cause: The meringue was over-mixed and deflated during the folding process, or the egg whites were not whipped to stiff peaks.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked. Ensure gentler folding next time.
Prevention: Whip whites until they hold a firm point. Use a large rubber spatula and a gentle hand when folding, slicing down the middle and pulling up the batter from the bottom.
Strawberries released too much liquid into the batter, making the crumb wet.
Cause: The strawberries were under-roasted and retained too much natural moisture.
Fix: Cannot be fixed.
Prevention: Ensure the strawberries roast until their juices transform into a thick, concentrated syrup.
Egg whites won't reach stiff peaks.
Cause: Trace amounts of fat or egg yolk in the bowl or on the beaters.
Fix: Start over with fresh egg whites in a meticulously clean bowl.
Prevention: Thoroughly wash and dry the mixing bowl and beaters. Separate eggs carefully when cold to avoid breaking the yolks.
Cultural Context
Chiffon and sponge cakes have long been celebrated in European and American baking for their cloud-like textures, relying predominantly on whipped eggs rather than heavy chemical leaveners. Incorporating roasted fruit directly into the batter is a modern culinary technique that elevates the classic vanilla sponge. The roasting process initiates the Maillard reaction, transforming humble strawberries into complex, caramelized flavor pockets that punctuate every bite.
