Dine Strawberry Gateaux at Mahaweli Reach

Saliya Dharmasena, Pastry Sous Chef at Mahaweli Reach Hotel, Kandy has given us tips to prepare a delicious gateaux popular among the guests. Saliya joined this hill country resort after many years of experience as a Chef in many overseas hotels.
Ingredients
Basic sponge
Sugar syrup with rum
Strawberry pie filling
Pastry cream
Dark chocolate
White chocolate curled
Fresh strawberries
Method
First cut the sponge cake into three layers. Apply sugar syrup and then pastry cream to the first layer. Add strawberry pie filling to the first layer. Keep the second layer on top and apply sugar syrup and pastry cream to the second layer. Then add strawberry pie filling to the second layer. Keep the third sponge layer on top. Soak with sugar syrup and then cover with pastry cream. Garnish with dark chocolate and glaze with strawberries and white chocolate.
Basic sponge
Ingredients
Eggs = 12
Sugar = 360 gms
Flour = 300 gms
Corn flour = 100 gms
Vanilla essence = 1tablespoon
Strain flour and corn flour and keep aside. Beat eggs and sugar together. Beat for 20 minutes. Then slowly add flour and corn flour and beat. Finally add vanilla essence. Put mixture into a tray (lined either with oil paper or aluminum foil). Fill ¾ of the tray with the mixture and bake. Baking temperature 180 C. Baking time 30 minutes.
Strawberry pie filling
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. + 2 tsp. corn starch
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup strawberries
Mix sugar and corn starch and add water. Bring to boil and cook 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Slice strawberries. Pour cooled filling over berries and allow to set.
Pastry Cream
6 egg yolks
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup flour
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
Combine the egg yolks and 1/3 (one third) of the sugar in a bowl and whisk to a light consistency. Add the flour and whisk it in thoroughly.
In a pan, heat the milk with the rest of the sugar and the vanilla. As soon as it comes to a boil, pour it onto the egg yolk mixture and stir. Mix well, then return the mixture to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Allow the mixture to bubble, still stirring, for two minutes, then pour into a bowl.
To prevent a skin from forming, dust the surface lightly with confectioners sugar.