Editorial: Kockums JernverkPublished: 2026-11-06

Swedish strawberry cream cake

Name: Swedish strawberry cream cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Cuisine: Swedish
Ingredients: 4 eggs; 170 g caster sugar; 60 g plain flour; 75 g potato flour or cornflour; 1 tsp baking powder; Butter and dried breadcrumbs for the tin; 250 ml milk; 2 egg yolks; 2 tbsp caster sugar; 1½ tbsp cornflour; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 750 g strawberries; 1 tbsp caster sugar for the strawberries; 600 ml double cream; 1 tbsp icing sugar

Serves 12 · 3 hours 30 minutes · Palette knife

A classic Swedish layer cake with a light sponge, vanilla custard, whipped cream and plenty of strawberries. A long palette knife gives smooth cream all round.

A Swedish strawberry cake is a light sponge split into three layers, filled with crushed strawberries, vanilla custard and whipped cream, then covered in cream and halved strawberries. The sponge and custard must be completely cold before filling, and the cake is best after an hour in the fridge.

Strawberry cream cake with piped cream around the sides and halved strawberries on top on a glass cake stand, with a stainless palette knife on a checked tea towel in front

Ingredients

Serves 12

Sponge

4 eggs
170 g caster sugar
60 g plain flour
75 g potato flour or cornflour
1 tsp baking powder
Butter and dried breadcrumbs for the tin

Vanilla custard

250 ml milk
2 egg yolks
2 tbsp caster sugar
1½ tbsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling and topping

750 g strawberries
1 tbsp caster sugar for the strawberries
600 ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar

Method

Heat the oven to 175 °C. Butter a 24 cm springform tin and dust it with breadcrumbs. Whisk the eggs and sugar until very thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Mix the flours and baking powder, sift over the eggs and fold in gently.
Pour into the tin and bake low in the oven for 35–40 minutes, until golden and springy. Do not open the oven for the first 25 minutes. Leave to cool completely, at least an hour.
For the custard, whisk the milk, egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a saucepan. Heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and just starts to bubble, but do not let it boil for long. Stir in the vanilla, press cling film onto the surface and leave to cool.
Rinse and hull the strawberries. Crush 200 g with 1 tbsp sugar, slice 150 g and halve the rest for the top. Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks.
Slice the sponge into three layers with a long knife. Put the bottom layer on a cake plate, spread over the crushed strawberries and then the custard with the palette knife. Add the next layer, spread with cream and scatter over the sliced strawberries. Top with the last layer.
Spread cream over the top and around the sides with the palette knife. Hold the knife still at a slight angle against the side and turn the plate to smooth it. Finally, draw the knife across the top towards the centre for a sharp edge.
Pipe the rest of the cream around the sides and cover the top with halved strawberries. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Why it works

The long, thin, flexible blade of the palette knife spans the whole cake, so you can smooth the cream in one sweep instead of many small ones. The stainless blade can be dipped in hot water and wiped between strokes for an even smoother finish.

FAQ

How far ahead can I make a strawberry cream cake?

Bake the sponge and make the custard the day before. Fill and decorate the cake on the day, ideally a few hours before serving, so the cream stays fresh.

Why did my sponge sink?

Usually because the oven door was opened too early or the sponge was underbaked. Leave it undisturbed for the first 25 minutes and check it springs back before taking it out.