Iconic recipes with strawberries: from pavlova to fraisier for a trip around the world's desserts
There are desserts that don't need a passport to whet your appetite. All it takes is a strawberry, a little cream, a soft cream or a well-made sponge cake to understand why this fruit appears in some of the world's most famous sweet recipes. From the French fraisier to the Brazilian pavê, passing through the pavlova, the shortcake or the Victoria sponge, each country has its own way of bringing strawberries to the table.
Here are some of these recipes, explained step by step, so that you can prepare your own sweet strawberry journey at home.
The world's most famous desserts with strawberries
Strawberries have that virtue. The traditional strawberries with cream are a delight; but beyond this classic of ours, there is a whole map of desserts in which strawberries change their accent without losing their charm. In France it is delicately arranged between layers of cream and sponge cake. In the United States it is served with a tender, almost rustic dough that calls for macerated strawberries and cream in spoonfuls. In Brazil, where strawberries are called morangos, it appears in cold and creamy desserts that are usually shared with the family.
Each country has its own version of strawberry cake. Sometimes with pastry elegance, sometimes with the spirit of a family snack, and sometimes with the joy of desserts that do not pretend to be discreet. These are some of the most famous strawberry desserts in the world, all different, all recognizable, and all with a good reason to end up on the table.
Fraisier - France
The fraisier is one of those French desserts that seem designed to be admired for a few seconds before putting the spoon in. Its name comes from fraise, French for strawberry, and leaves little room for doubt: here the fruit is not an ornament, it is the protagonist.
The classic version combines layers of light sponge cake, mousseline cream (a variant of pastry cream enriched with butter) and precisely placed strawberries, often visible around the edge of the cake. The result is an elegant cake, clean cut and delicate flavor, where everything has its place: the softness of the cream, the lightness of the sponge cake and the freshness of the fruit.
It is one of the great strawberry tarts of French pastry making, perfect for those who enjoy desserts with a pastry-like desserts, but also with a recognizable and not at all fussy taste.
What could be better than a homemade fraisier to showcase your strawberries?! Today, we invite you to recreate this classic of French pastry at home! Step by step, follow all the stages of making this wonderful dessert with our written and video...
Strawberry Pavlova - Australia and New Zealand
Few sweet disputes have given as much play as that of the pavlova. Australia and New Zealand claim its origin, and both defend with enthusiasm that this dessert was born in their territory as a tribute to the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Given the choice of sides, perhaps the wisest thing to do is what anyone would do when faced with a good pavlova: serve yourself a slice and leave the discussion for later.
Strawberry pavlova combines a base of baked meringue, whipped cream and fresh fruit. Its charm lies in the contrast: a light and crumbly surface, a more tender interior and a creamy topping that nicely receives the soft acidity of the strawberries.
It is an eye-catching dessert, but not heavy; elegant, but with a casual touch. One of those that arrive at the table and make everyone ask "who brought that so pretty".
Named after Anna Pavlova, considered as the best ballet dancer of the history, this New Zealand dessert will enchant all meringue lovers ! Here dressed with strawberry, the traditional Pavlova is being made with kiwifruit, iconic New Zealand fruit !
Strawberry shortcake - United States
In the United States, strawberry shortcake is prepared with a tender and buttery dough, similar to the British scone, which is filled with macerated strawberries and whipped cream. It is a straightforward dessert, one of those that do not seek showcase perfection but the pleasure of a well-made combination: the fruit releases its juice, the cream provides smoothness and the dough picks up part of that natural syrup without losing its point.
As part of the same American love for generous desserts with fruit and cream, the strawberry cheesecake also deserves a mention: denser, more unctuous and with that unmistakable point of cheesecake that has made it travel half the world. But the shortcake plays another card. It is more immediate, more familiar, and has something of a dessert assembled almost at the last moment, when the strawberries still shine and the cream is still firm.
Strawberry shortcake is a big word in the United States, not only because it mixes whipped cream, strawberries and a glorious batter, but also because it is an absolute classic. Not only because it mixes whipped cream, strawberries and a glorious...
Victoria sponge cake - United Kingdom
The Victoria sponge cake is one of the great British classics. Two layers of sponge cake, cream or custard, strawberry jam and, in many versions, fresh strawberries to finish. Its name is associated with Queen Victoria, and its spirit is still very English snack: simple, elegant and designed to accompany a cup of tea without asking for too much prominence.
It is a friendly cake, one of those that do not need big decorations to be appetizing.
It is not the only British dessert that has made good friends with strawberries. The trifle serves them in layers, with cream, sponge cake and cream; the Eton mess mixes them with broken meringue and whipped cream, without worrying too much about symmetry. The Victoria sponge, on the other hand, arranges those same pleasures in tart form: soft crumb, creamy filling and the sweet and tart point of fruit.
This cake, named after queen Victoria of England, is litteraly at the origin of the british afternoon tea. Moist and sweet, it will be perfect for a fancy tea wih friends.
Strawberry jam crostata - Italy
In Italy, crostata is one of those tarts that seem simple until you understand why they work so well: a sweet dough base, a fruit filling and that homemade finish, sometimes more polished and sometimes more rustic.
In its version with fresh strawberries, the crostata di fragole comes very close to the pleasure of a good pastry tartlet: delicate dough, soft cream and fruit placed on top with just the right precision to whet the appetite.
There are also more homemade crostatas with strawberry jam, under strips or cutouts of dough. The shape changes, but not the idea: a simple Italian tart, recognizable and made to prove that, when dough and fruit understand each other, not much more is needed.
It's impossible to find anything more comforting than a strawberry jam tart. It's the kind of dessert that evokes the warmth of home, simplicity, and the kind of afternoon tea we all love. In this version, it becomes even more irresistible thanks to a...
Japanese Strawberry shortcake - Japan
The American strawberry shortcake and the Japanese strawberry shortcake share the same name, strawberries and cream, although in practice they are very different desserts. In Japan, strawberry shortcake is usually a layer cake: fluffy sponge cake, whipped cream and fresh strawberries, with that delicate white aesthetic that has made it one of the most popular cakes in the country.
Our strawberry and mascarpone cream layer cake recipe is not a canonical version of the Japanese strawberry shortcake. The classic is usually prepared with whipped cream, while here the cream incorporates mascarpone, with more body and a slightly denser texture. Even so, it shares many points in common: the layers of sponge cake, the strawberries, the light cream and that instagrammable presence. It may not be the orthodox recipe, but it does belong to the same visual family.
We bring you a truly delicious recipe! Perfect for taking advantage of strawberry season. A layered cake with fluffy sponge cakes and filled with a very smooth mascarpone cream. If you love strawberries, you will adore this :)
Pavê de morango - Brazil
The pavê de morango is one of those Brazilian desserts served cold and enjoyed in spoonfuls. Its name is reminiscent of the French pavé, because of the idea of layers placed one on top of the other, but here precision is less important than the pleasure of finding cream, sponge cake and strawberries in each spoonful.
It is usually prepared with cookies or sponge cake, cream, strawberries (morangos in Portuguese) and, in many versions, condensed milk or chocolate. It is a refrigerator dessert, one of those that gain by resting in the bowl, until the cream and layers settle.
It has something of cake without being cake and something of family celebration. The fun is in putting the spoon in and finding, layer after layer, strawberries, cream and sweetness. You'll find its similar version, the Trifle cake, in United Kingdom.
Pavê de morango , also known as strawberry pavê , is one of the most beloved Brazilian desserts . Made with layers of biscuits, smooth condensed milk cream and fresh strawberries , this chilled dessert is creamy, generous and perfect for...
France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Australia or New Zealand: each country has found its own way to take strawberries into sweet territory. Some recipes are elegant and tidy; others are more homemade and generous, but they all start from the same idea: few fruits look so good when combined with cream, custard, meringue or sponge cake.
Which one would you try first?
Did you know all these desserts with strawberries? Are you more of a French fraisier, a pavlova with meringue, an American shortcake or a Japanese-style layer cake? Tell us which one you would make first, if you have a version of your own or if there is a dessert with strawberries from another country that should be on this list. We'd love to hear from you.
Patricia González
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