When the season gives you fresh strawberries, do not miss the chance to turn them into delicious cakes. This time we will pair them with the famous Greek sweet mahlab bread (known as “tsoureki”), strawberry jam and a wonderful chocolate cream.
Hands on: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients
8 -10 slices “tsoureki” 5cm thick (Greek sweet mahlab bread)
4 tablespoons strawberry jam
250 gr (8,8 oz) fresh strawberries (cut in four)
For the syrup
100 gr (3,5 oz) sugar
100 gr (3,5 oz) water
30 gr (1,0 oz) strawberry liqueur or brandy
For the chocolate cream
500 gr (17,6 oz or 1,1 lb) heavy cream
400 gr (14,1 oz) chocolate couverture, in pieces
For the decoration
Fresh strawberries
Chocolate eggs
Icing sugar
How to do it
Prepare the syrup. In a pot place the water and the sugar and let it boil for 2 minutes (high heat). Remove from heat, let it cool. Then add the liqueur (or brandy). Stir well.
Take a cake pan (26cm diameter with removable bottom) and place at the bottom the “tsoureki” slices, so that they cover the whole bottom surface of the pan.
With a pastry brush, spread the syrup onto the tsoureki layer.
Then take a spoon and spread the strawberry jam on the “tsoureki” surface.
Then add the fresh strawberries. Spread them on the whole surface and press them down using your hands.
Place your cake into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
In the mean time, prepare your chocolate cream.
Place the chocolate couverture (cut in small pieces) in a big bowl.
In a pot, add the heavy cream and bring to boil.
Then add it (hot as it is) in the couverture bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel for 1-2 minutes.
Take a spoon and stir well until the chocolate is fully melted.
Set aside and let it cool for 15 minutes.
Then add it slowly in the cake pan.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Decorate with fresh strawberries, chocolate eggs, icing sugar, a red ribbon around the perimeter or whatever you like.
Tips
If you keep spoon sweets at home, drain 500gr and mix their syrup with 30gr brandy/or cognac. Spread this over your sweet bread (tsoureki) and skip the syrup process.
The heavy cream when added in to the chocolate couverture bowl should be real hot; otherwise the chocolate will not melt.
Find out how to freeze fresh strawberries to have all year long HERE.