Chocolate Strawberry Whipped Cream Cake

This is a showpiece cake built from a single thin chocolate sponge, cut into four rectangles and stacked with a stabilized strawberry whipped cream between each layer. The result is a skyscraper dessert that slices into clean, striped wedges when you cut through it.

The sponge uses the hot-water method: beaten eggs aerate the batter, and a little warm water thins the cocoa so it blooms. Baked flat in a jelly roll pan for just 10 to 13 minutes, it comes out pliable and tender. Inverting it hot onto a powdered-sugar-dusted towel is what keeps the cake from sticking to itself later.

The filling is whipped cream stabilized with a touch of unflavored gelatin, folded with chopped fresh strawberries and strawberry syrup. Gelatin is the trick that keeps the filling from weeping between layers overnight, so you can make this a day ahead without regret.

Pro Tips

• Sift the cocoa with the flour. Cocoa lumps don’t break up in sponge batter the way they do in heavier cakes.
• Peel the wax paper while the cake is still warm. Cold sponge tears when you try to release it.
• Bloom the gelatin in cold water first, then warm it gently before adding to the cream. Lumps of undissolved gelatin ruin the silky texture.
• Chill assembled layers for at least an hour before glazing so everything sets cleanly.

Variations

• Swap strawberries for raspberries or pitted cherries.
• Use a chocolate ganache instead of royal glaze for deeper chocolate flavor.
• Fold a tablespoon of framboise or kirsch into the whipped cream for an adult version.