Red Currant Bakery

Vanilla Cake
1 Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
2 Line a 9" x 9" baking pan with two parchment paper slings and spray with baking spray.
3 In a medium bowl whisk the flour, corn starch, and baking powder together.
4 In the bowl of a mixer, add in the eggs, sugar and vanilla. 
5 Use the whisk attachment to whisk on high for 2 minutes until light and fluffy and the lines of the whisk appear in the egg mixture.
6 With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the oil and water until just mixed.
7 Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour in the combined dry ingredients.
8 Use the whisk attachment by hand to gently mix in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined, the batter should no longer be clumpy.
9 Pour the batter into the lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick, inserted in the center of the cake, comes out clean.
10 Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. 
11 Then, place in the fridge to cool completely before using a serrated knife to level off the top.
Bavarian Cream
13 In a large bowl, stir together the powdered gelatin and 3 tablespoons of milk. Set aside to bloom for five minutes.
14 Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and set aside.
15 In a medium sauce pot (preferably with a heavy thick bottom) pour in the rest of the milk. Bring the milk just to a simmer - stirring frequently to prevent it from burning. 
16 While it is heating up, add the sugar into the egg yolks and whisk until the mixture starts to lighten and become frothy.
17 Once the milk is hot, remove it from the heat. 
19 Whisk the egg yolks constantly and use a ladle to slowly stream in 1/2 a cup of the hot milk. This will temper the eggs.
20 Then switch and start whisking the remaining milk in the pot and slowly pour in the tempered eggs.
21 Return the pot to medium heat and use a rubber spatula to stir the pot constantly making sure to scrape the edges of the pot. 
22 Cook the custard for about 3-5 minutes until it begins to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Another thing to look for is that most of the bubbles on the surface dissipate.
23 Once cooked, pour the hot custard through a sieve into the bowl with the bloomed gelatin. Then, add in the vanilla extract and whisk the gelatin into the custard until it has fully dissolved.
24 Set the bowl aside and stir regularly to help it cool evenly. 
25 Once the custard is cooled and thickened, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks.
26 Add in half of the whipped cream to the custard and use a rubber spatula to fold the two together.
27 Pour the whipped cream and custard mixture into the remaining whipped cream and fold again to combine being careful not to knock all of the air out.
28 Pour the mixed Bavarian Cream onto the vanilla cake and use an offset or rubber spatula to spread it evenly across the cake, all the way to the edges of the pan.
Strawberry Layer
30 Either just cut off the tops of the strawberries or also cut them in half.
31 Lay the strawberries on top of the bavarian cream layer. This can either be done as shown in the photo with the open side of the halves face up, or with the strawberries still whole and the tops face down in the cream.
32 Once all the strawberries have been laid out, gently press them into the cream. Lightly drape a sheet of plastic over the strawberries and place the cake in the fridge to set for at least 12 hours or overnight.
33 Once set, combine the strawberry jam and 2 teaspoons of water in a small, microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 15-20 seconds and stir to combine - it should be thin and syrupy. 
34 Use a pastry brush to brush the jam mixture over all of the strawberries. 
35 Then, serve immediately or leave in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
36 To serve, run a dinner knife in between the cream and the edge of the pan. Use the parchment paper slings to lift the cake gently out of the pan and place on a cutting board or cake stand to cut. See this tips section above for helpful tips on cutting this cake!