Strawberry Bavarian Cream Lady Finger Cake Tutorial

I love this cake.  I made this for a family for their New Years Eve get-together.  It is one of my new favorites so I thought I would show you how I make it.

Here is what you need:
2 8inch layers of Yellow cake (1 batch of batter make two 8 inch layers)
Bavarian Cream
Heavy Whipping Cream (Or Pastry Pride which is a non dairy whipped cream which I love, but is a little pricey)
Strawberries
Dipping/Coating Chocolate  (I like dark and a little bit of white as well.)
Lady Fingers

Level the two layers of cake.  Place one layer on the prepared cake board.  Pour the cream in your bowl add 1/2tsp of vanilla and 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar.  Place bowl (with cream mixture) and beaters in the fridge to chill for 30 mintues.  Once that has chilled beat until peaks form when you pull out the beaters.  Then gently mix about 1 cup of whipped cream and 1 cup bavarian cream together with a spoon.  I place a small layer of this mixture on top of the first layer of cake and then add the strawberries on top.  I like to put a lot of strawberries on so there is more than enough in each slice of cake that is cut. Then I add more bavarian cream/whipped cream filling on top of the strawberries so the top layer has something to stick to.  Then do a quick crumb coat of the entire cake with the regular whipped cream.  Then place some whipped cream in a pastry bag with any star type tip (I used my 1M tip).  I make 5 billlows of cream around the edges. Start small and swirl larger to the center of the billow and then smaller for the other side.  And I make one for the center of the cake.  Then open your lady fingers and place them around.  One package of lady fingers goes all the way around with a tiny bit extra so I have to cut off about 1 ladyfinger.  Press the ladyfingers into the sides of the cake.  They will stick to the whipped cream. Tie a ribbon around the Lady fingers for added decoration.  Refrigerate cake while you work on the dipped strawberries.

The dipped strawberries can be made ahead, but are best eaten that day.  Melt your dark coating chocolate and dip the strawberries in the chocolate (High enough that it covers most of the strawberry, but it looks nice if you leave a little red showing).  Place your strawberries on parchment after dipping them. I also take some of the chocolate once the dipping is done and drizzle in a crazy patter on the parchment and let that set. Once the chocolate has set melt some white chocolate and drizzle on the chocolate strawberries.  Then I  place the chocolate dipped strawberries in-between the billows of whipped cream and one on top of the center billow.  Break some of the chocolate drizzles and slip them in the whipped cream and you are done.  

 It isn't the cheapest cake to make, but it tastes as amazing as it looks.