This fresh cream vanilla sponge sheet cake covered with whipped cream and a fresh fruit filling is a fantastic cake to have at any birthday or special occasion. In this post and video below I show you how to make the vanilla sheet cake, fill and stack the layers, crumb coat, final coat and decorate the cake with light creamy whipped cream.
WHAT IS A FRESH CREAM CAKE
A fresh cream cake, is a sponge cake that is covered with fresh cream. My fresh cream cake is a two layered vanilla sponge, filled with strawberry jam, fresh cream, blueberries and raspberries. The whole cake is covered with fresh cream and topped with fresh raspberries.
WHAT IS THE BEST FRESH CREAM FOR CAKE ICING?
The best cream to use to cover a cake is double cream. Double cream has a higher fat content than single and whipping cream which means it holds it’s shape nicely when piped. It doesn’t melt as quick and taste more rich and creamy.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FRESH CREAM AND BUTTERCREAM FROSTING?
The difference between fresh cream and buttercream icing is:
- Fresh cream icing consists of fresh cream cream, icing sugar and sometimes an extract like vanilla
- Buttercream frosting consists of butter, icing sugar and sometimes an extract like vanilla
- Cakes covered with fresh cream frosting has to be refrigerated
- Cakes covered with buttercream icing can be left out at room temperature
- Buttercream frosting keeps it’s piped shape well when piped
- It is easier to colour buttercream icing than fresh cream icing
- Fresh cream icing looses it’s consistency and curdles if agitated or spread too much
HOW TO MAKE FRESH CREAM FROSTING FOR CAKE
It is really easy to make fresh cream icing. You add your cream and icing sugar to a bowl and whisk it until it’s just about to thicken (check my video below to see the right consistency) You stop beating your cream just before it thickens to allow yourself extra time to spread and mess about with the cream. Every time you spread your cream it thickens slightly so having a looser cream will equal the perfect consistency when it is on your cake.
Watch my video below to see what your fresh cream consistency should look like.
HOW TO USE FRESH CREAM FOR ICING
You may think that you can’t decorate a cake with fresh cream or that it is difficult but if you follow my simple step you will be able to decorate a cake with whipped cream frosting.
The secret to icing a cake with fresh cream is the consistency of your cream. Don’t over whip your cream. Whip your cream to soft peaks, so when you spread and pipe your cream all the agitation won’t make it curdle. The more you agitate your cream and move it about the thicker your cream will get and will eventually curdle.
HOW TO MAKE FRESH CREAM CAKE WITH FRESH FRUIT FILLING
It is super easy to make a fresh cream cake filled with fresh fruit at home. There are 5 main steps:
- Baking the cake
- Making the fresh cream icing
- Filling the cake
- Crumb coat
- Decorating the cake with fresh cream frosting
HOW TO BAKE FRESH CREAM CAKE
This fresh cream cake involves 6 steps. If you follow these steps you will be guaranteed with a soft fluffy vanilla sponge.
- Cream your butter until light and fluffy
- Add your sugar and beat again until light and fluffy
- In with your eggs and beat well
- Add your vanilla and Greek yogurt and beat everything together until it is all combined
- Sieve your baking powder, salt and flour then add 1/2 of your mixture to your batter and beat for 10 seconds
- Add 1/2 your milk and beat for 10 seconds
- In with the rest of your flour and beat for 10 seconds
- Finally add your milk and beat until everything is just combined, and try not to overmix your batter
The secret to getting a soft fluffy sponge is scraping down the sides of your bowl each time you add a new ingredient and mix it on.
HOW TO MAKE FRESH CREAM CAKE FILLING
For the filling you need blueberries for sweetness, raspberries for sourness, strawberry jam for sweet and sourness and some fresh cream frosting to carry all the flavours and to add a creamy moisture to the sponge.
You add the strawberry jam first, then a layer of cream. On top of the cream add lines of blueberries and raspberries to make sure each slice of cakes has both berries with each bite. Watch my video above to see how I line my berries up.
HOW TO DECORATE A SQUARE / RECTANGLE FRESH CREAM CAKE
CRUMB COAT SIDES
CRUMB COAT TOP
DECORATING THE SIDES
DECORATING THE TOP
PIPING WITH FRESHCREAM FROSTING
VERSATILITY
This fresh cream cake with a fresh fruit berry filling is great for birthdays, boys and girls, 1st birthdays and any age birthdays. It’s great for anniversaries, to say congratulations and well done or for when you just have a craving for fresh cream cake.
If you love cream cakes than how about my naked carrot cake drip cake or my salted caramel profiterole trifle. How about strawberry pavlova or my no bake meille feuille dessert. Better still have a look through my cake and dessert section for more delicious treats.
FRESH CREAM CAKE FAQ
There are so many questions when making a cake using fresh cream here are some of the frequently asked:
DOES FRESH CREAM CAKE MELT?
A cake covered with fresh cream will not melt. If you whip your cream to the right consistency it will hold it’s shape. Your cream may start to run if it is left outside under direct sunlight when it is hot.
HOW LONG WILL FRESH CREAM CAKE WITH A FRESH FRUIT FILLING LAST IN THE FRIDGE?
I say eat your fresh cream cake within 3 days. No matter where I buy my fresh cream from it always says on the pot to eat within 3 days of opening. I use this as my guide and never eat it after 3 days.
CAN YOU FREEZE FRESH CREAM CAKE?
I have never frozen a fresh cream cake. I have had y fresh cream cake near the back of the fridge where it got really cold and hardened. As the cake came back up to room temperature the cream didn’t taste as creamy because the ice that formed in the cream melted and made the cream watery and loose. So I wouldn’t recommend freezing a fresh cream cake.
WHERE DO YOU STORE A FRESH CREAM CAKE?
Always store your fresh cream cake in the fridge. When you want to eat a slice, cut up what you are going to eat and leave it on a plate to come to room temperature for about an hour. This allows the sponge to soften and the cream to be soft.
Ingredients
Cake
- 250 g Unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 400 g Caster sugar
- 2 Eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 110 g Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 300 g Plain flour
- 250 ml Whole milk (room temperature)
Cream
- 1000 ml Double cream
- 4 Tbsp Icing sugar
Filling
- Strawberry jam (a big dollop)
- 200 g Fresh raspberries
- 200 g Fresh blueberries
Topping
- 4 Raspberries (best looking ones)
Equipmet
- 1 42cm x 28cm Sheet pan
- Baking paper
- Baking paper
- Handheld whisk or a stand mixer
- 2 Large bowls
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Cake board
- 1 Bench scraper
- 1 Small and large offset spatula
- 1 Piping bag
- 1 piping tip (number 47)
- 1 piping (number 21)
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat your oven to 180' and grease and line your baking tray
- Cream your butter until light and fluffy
- Add your sugar and beat again until light and fluffy. Scrape down the side of your bowl to make sure everything is incorporated
- Add your first egg and beat it in well. Scrape down the side of your bowl and add in your second egg. Beat it in to your mixture and then scrape down the side of your bowl
- Add your vanilla and Greek yogurt and beat everything together until it is all combined and scrape down the side of your bowl
- Sieve your baking powder, salt and flour then add 1/2 of your mixture to your batter and beat for 10 seconds, then scrape down the side of your
- Add 1/2 your milk and beat for 10 seconds then scrape down the side of your bowl
- Add the rest of your flour and beat for 10 seconds the scrape down the side of your bowl
- Finally add your milk and beat until everything is just combined, and try not to overmix your batter
- Now for the last time, scrape down the sides of your bowl (I bet you love that )
- Now add your mixture to your greased and lined baking tray and bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remember to rotate your tray half way through so your cake bakes evenly
- When your 20 minutes are up, check your cake is cooked by poking it with a skewer on different parts of your cake and if it comes out clean it is cooked. Then take your cake out of the tray and leave it to cool on a cooling rack
CREAM
- Add your cream and icing sugar to a bowl and whisk it until it's just about to thicken (check my video below to see the right consistency)
ASSEMBLE CAKE
- Cut all 4 edge off of your cake they are even and then cut it in half
- Put one half of your cake on a cake board and add a big dollop of strawberry jam on top and spread it out evenly
- Add a big dollop of cream on top of your jam and spread it out evenly
- Add your raspberries and blueberries on top alternating between the two until your whole cake is covered
- Add your other cake layer on top
CREAM CRUMBCOAT
- Now add a generous amount of cream to all the sides of your cake, and with a bench scraper scrape the excess away, wiping it off into a clean bowl so your bench scraper is clean with each swipe. Continue doing this on all 4 sides until your sides are evenly covered
- Add a big dollop of cream to the top of your cake and spread it out so it is covering your cake. The with your largest offset spatula smooth out your cream as best you can
- Put your cake in the fridge for an hour to set
CREAM DECORATIONS
- Add cream to the sides of your cake and repeat what you did with your crumb coat, but this time try and get it as even as you can (watch my video below to see how to do it)
- Do the same to the top of your cake with even more cream and smooth it out evenly
- Give your sides a final check because the top can drop down the sides, then fill in any gaps and make sure every side and edge is smooth and straight
- Add the rest of your cream to a piping bag with a 47 piping tip and pipe around your cakes top and bottom edges. Make sure to leave your 4 top corners empty and then with your 21 piping tip pipe a beautiful base in each corner
- Add a raspberry to each base
- Enjoy
VIDEO
Nutrition
Leave a Reply