For cake – this recipe is for a single layer, I double it to make two layers
1¼ cups cake flour (not self rising)
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10” x 2” round cake pan
Make the cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350° F.
Butter cake pan. Line bottom of pan with a round of wax paper or parchment, then butter paper. Dust pan with flour, knocking out excess.
Sift together flour and salt. Set aside.
Beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until tripled in volume and thick enough to form a ribbon that takes 2 seconds to dissolve when beater is lifted, 7 to 8 minutes in standing mixer or 14 to 16 minutes with a handheld.
Resift flour mixture, add one third at a time over batter – folding in gently and thoroughly with a rubber spatula each time. Take _ c of the batter and add to melted butter in a small bowl, stirring to combine, then fold butter mixture back into batter gently & thoroughly.
Pour batter into cake pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean – 30 to 40 minutes.
Transfer cake in pan to a rack, run a think knife between cake and sides of pan. Cool cake about 20 minutes then invert cake onto a platter with a lip and peel off paper (then flip back to right side).
For Pastry Cream filling:
6 egg yolks
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
Combine the egg yolks and 1/3 (one third) of the sugar in a bowl and whisk to a light ribbon consistency. Add the flour and whisk it in thoroughly.
In a pan, heat the milk with the rest of the sugar and the vanilla. As soon as it comes to a boil, pour it onto the egg yolk mixture, stirring as you go.
Mix well, then return the mixture to the pan.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Allow the mixture to bubble, still stirring, for two minutes, then pour into a bowl.
To prevent a skin from forming, dust the surface lightly with confectioners sugar. Once cold, the pastry cream can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.
For icing:
1 dozen ripe strawberries, cleaned and trimmed, cut into quarters
2 pints heavy cream
2 teaspoons superfine or confectioner’s sugar
Toss berries in a bowl with sugar, set aside for about 20 minutes
Whip the cream until peaks form, then add about _ the whipped cream to the bowl of strawberries.
To assemble the cake:
Take layer #1, top with pastry cream filling, add layer #2, do the same. Let it sit in refrigerator about 30 minutes to an hour. Take it out and then ice the sides and top of layer #2 with plain whipped cream (on top of the pastry cream), I use the strawberries and cream mixture for the icing on just the top (they tend to fall off the sides).