Easter Brioche with Strawberries & Vanilla Cream

A soft, buttery brioche filled with vanilla cream and fresh strawberries makes a lovely centrepiece for the Easter table. Inspired by French pâtisserie, this spring version combines a light cream filling with ripe fruit and a dusting of icing sugar.

The brioche can be prepared as one large cake to share or as individual pastries for an Easter lunch.

Ingredients | Serves 6

1 large round brioche, approximately 400–500 g
300 g fresh strawberries
300 ml whole milk
3 egg yolks
60 g caster sugar
25 g cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150 ml whipping cream
Icing sugar for dusting

Preparation

1. Prepare the vanilla cream

Heat the milk with the vanilla until steaming.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornflour. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking continuously.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until thickened. Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface and refrigerate until completely cold.

2. Prepare the filling

Whip the cream until it holds soft peaks. Whisk the chilled pastry cream until smooth, then gently fold in the whipped cream.

Wash and dry the strawberries. Cut larger strawberries into halves or quarters.

3. Assemble the brioche

Slice the brioche horizontally.

Spread or pipe the vanilla cream over the bottom half and arrange the strawberries generously on top.

Replace the upper half of the brioche and dust lightly with icing sugar.

Serving for Easter

Keep the filled brioche refrigerated until shortly before serving. For the best texture, assemble it on the day of your Easter lunch so the fruit remains fresh and the brioche does not become soggy.

Serve on a large platter with a few extra strawberries and small chocolate Easter eggs alongside.

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