Ingredients :

• Strawberries — Use seasonal strawberries if you can—gariguette or mara des bois preferably. Outside June-July, out-of-season strawberries release much more water when cut and risk soaking the sponge. If you have no choice, drain them well after cutting and pat them dry with paper towels.
• Heavy cream — 35% fat minimum, non-negotiable. Take it out of the fridge at the last moment—if it’s at room temperature, it won’t whip and you’ll get a soft whipped cream that collapses. Cold is what allows the fat globules to trap air and hold the structure.
• Vanilla bean — The bean, not the bottled extract. Split it lengthwise and scrape the seeds with the back of the knife—those little black specks in the cream are what make the difference in flavor. If you really don’t have one, a teaspoon of natural extract can do, but avoid artificial flavor.
• Almond paste — It is used to neatly dress the cake and hide imperfections in the whipped cream on the surface. Use a quality one with a good percentage of almonds—you can taste the difference; cheap almond paste has an unpleasant sweet-plastic taste. You can also skip it and simply finish with a layer of whipped cream all around.