Pre-heat oven to 180°C/356°F.

Coat the inside of an 18cm/7" cake tin with butter, dust with flour, then shake off the excess flour.

Put the egg yolks in a bowl, add ⅔ of the sugar and beat the egg yolks until they become whitish and thick.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until small bubbles form and the volume doubles, then add the remaining sugar.

When the meringue becomes firm and can form a peak, it is ready.

Put the flour through the sifter and add to the beaten egg yolk. Fold the batter gently.

Transfer ⅓ of the meringue to the batter and mix until smooth.

Add the remaining meringue in 2-3 batches and fold gently.

Pour the melted butter into the batter and fold several times, it’s okay if not completely mixed.

Pour the batter into the cake tin and drop it onto the workbench to settle.

Cook in the oven for 25 minutes, checking with a skewer.

Take the cake out and cool upside down on a rack to cool completely.

If making syrup, bring the syrup ingredients to a boil and let it cool.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Prepare the strawberries by washing and hulling.

Slice the sponge cake horizontally in half and prepare for layering.

Coat the cut surface of both sponge cake halves with syrup.

Spread whipped cream on the bottom half and fill with halved strawberries.

Cover the strawberries with whipped cream and place the top half on.

(Optional) Thinly coat the top and side of the cake with whipped cream.

Cover the entire cake with remaining whipped cream, leaving some for piping.

Pipe remaining whipped cream in mounds on the edge of the cake and place a strawberry on top of each mound.