Pistachio Fraisier

This Pistachio Fraisier Cake is the elixir of elegance among all strawberry cakes—a masterpiece reborn. Inspired by the iconic green marzipan-covered fraisiers of 1980s France, this modern rendition elevates tradition with indulgent sophistication. Layers of delicate double pistachio joconde biscuit cradle a silky vanilla-pistachio mousseline cream, each bite infused with nutty richness and sweet Ciflorette fraise. At its heart lies a vibrant strawberry compote. A tribute to the past, reimagined for today—this cake is pure, pistachio-almond kissed poetry.

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The elixir of elegance among all strawberry cakes

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Preview the recipe

This recipe is tailored to serve 24 people. For a different presentation, individual cake rings measuring 1.75X3-inch/4.5X7.6 cm can also be used, ensuring perfectly portioned servings. This fraisier is made with Ciflorette (sides) and Clery strawberries.

What is Joconde Biscuit?

The Joconde biscuit (or biscuit Joconde in French) was invented by the renowned French pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre (1920–2009), the founder of the prestigious Lenôtre pâtisserie empire. It is named after the Mona Lisa (La Joconde), reflecting its elegant and artistic presentation. A thin, flexible almond sponge cake, used to wrap mousse or ganache-based yule logs or layered desserts such as the Opéra Cake.

Double Pistachio Joconde Biscuit

Prepare three 13X18-inch/33x46cm oiled baking tray lined with parchment paper (gently grease parchment too).
In a food processor, blend almond meal with pistachio meal, powdered sugar and flour into fine powder.
In the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the room temperature egg whites along with cream of tartar and a third of the sugar on medium speed. When ready, set mixer speed to high and beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Transfer meringue to a large bowl. Preheat fan oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
In the mixing bowl, beat on high speed the almond-pistachio-sugar mixture with the eggs for 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Fold a third of the meringue into the batter. Then incorporate remaining meringue.
Transfer batter back to the bowl.
Incorporate melted butter with a couple of tablespoons of batter first, then fold it in.
Divide Joconde biscuit mixture into 3 equal portions.
With a large offset spatula, spread joconde batter into evenly distributed sheets.
Sprinkle crushed pistachios over the sponge sheets.

Baking

Bake the pistachio biscuit for 6–7 minutes (at home: bake one sheet at a time). Be careful not to overbake, as the sponge should stay supple—overbaking will cause it to dry out. Once baked, immediately transfer the sponge sheets onto a clean countertop to cool completely.

Storage

To store joconde sheets, top with with parchment paper and stack. Wrap up in plastic film and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for later use.

Cutting Pistachio Joconde Biscuit

Flip one joconde sheet at the time, and remove parchment.
Cut 2 pistachio joconde discs per cake. The bottom sponge should match the diameter of the cake ring, but the top sponge should be sized out ½-inch/1cm smaller in diameter.

Marzipan Disc

To prevent sticking, lightly coat your work surface and marzipan with either cornstarch or potato starch. Roll one-third of the marzipan into a very thin sheet (0.080 inches or 2mm thick). Save leftovers for later use.
Cut marzipan sheet into desired shapes.
Dust cornstarch straight onto a sheet pan (do not use silicone mat or parchment. Carefully, transfer marzipan disc over.
Light the blowtorch and lightly burnish the marzipan. Leave them out at room temperature untouched to firm up a bit prior to use.

Preparing Molds

Line each cake ring with collar acetate (strips made out of freezer bags do the trick), place prepared rings onto cake boards.

Preparing Strawberries

Fill up a salad spinner or a large bowl with cold water. Immerse strawberries for a few seconds, drain and lay berries onto paper towels or kitchen towel. Use a paring knife to cut out the stems after washing (removing them before cleaning can cause strawberries to absorb water.
Reserve the nicest looking berries to build the sides of the cakes and garnishing. Save them others for the compote and inner montage.

Strawberry Compote

Soak gelatin in cold water to soften, and drain well. In a small saucepan, gather strawberries along with the sugar, and balsamic vinegar. Place on stovetop and set to low flame. Combine the second part of the sugar with the pectin, and add it to the saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook on medium-low for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatin.
Transfer strawberry compote to a clean bowl. Let cool to room temp and fold in the chopped strawberries, and lime zest – keep the compote refrigerated.

Fraisier Montage 1

Carefully insert the first pistachio joconde disc in each cake ring that are lined with collar acetate.
Arrange the selected strawberry halves next to each other touching the acetate. Repeat until done, and keep refrigerated.

Pistachio Mousseline

Soak gelatin in cold water to soften; and drain well. Place the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer or fridge. In a saucepan, heat the milk, vanilla bean, and half of the sugar until just simmering. Remove from heat; cover and let infuse for 20 minutes or so. Remove vanilla pods and save. Learn more about vanilla.
In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and the remaining sugar. Then incorporate the cornstarch and flour.
Bring milk back to a quick boil, and slowly pour hot vanilla milk into the eggs mixture while whisking continuously. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. When custard is boiling, cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Then whisk in the pistachio paste.
Remove custard from heat, and incorporate the soften gelatin and the cubed cold butter. Mix custard thoroughly with the immersion blender.
Now, the temperature of the custard should be around 131ºF/55ºC, transfer it to the chilled or frozen mixing bowl. Let the mixer run on medium speed until the custard cools to 72ºF/22ºC.
Gradually add the cold, cubed butter into the custard while beating continuously. Mix until the mousseline becomes smooth, fluffy, and perfectly emulsified. By the end, ensure the temperature does not exceed 59ºF/15ºC—this guarantees the ideal silky texture.

Pro-tip

If your mousseline separates (from being too cold), gently warm the mixing bowl with a blowtorch or over a bain-marie while whisking to bring it back together. If it’s too soft, freeze half for about 20 minutes, then re-whip it with the remaining portion until light and stable.

Fraisier Montage 2

Pipe out pistachio mousseline from bottom to top between each strawberry. Cover bottom sponge as well.
Coat the sides with a tablespoon. Add more mousseline in the center of the cake.
Tuck in strawberries and spread around some of the strawberry compote.
Add another layer of mousseline. Place the second sponge – Gently lower the second sponge layer on top, pressing lightly to adhere. Ensure it sits level for a neat finish. Apply a final, smooth layer of mousseline over the top.
Smooth out cake using a large offset spatula, and refrigerate for 6 hours at least before covering the cake.

Covering Cake with Marzipan

Remove the cake ring only but the collar acetate; it must remain in place until ready to eat. Carefully, slide an offset spatula or a dough scraper underneath the marzipan disc, and drape the cake with.

Decorating

Stick strawberries with a dot of red fruit preserves or soft strawberry jelly. Additional decoration maybe added such as red roses petals and dry vanilla pods. Enjoy!