Fresh Fruit Cream Cake

FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position. Add water to roasting pan until it reaches depth of ½ inch and place on rack. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 9-inch round cake pan. Line bottom with parchment paper and line sides with 3-inch-tall strips of parchment.

Whisk flour and salt together in large bowl. Add egg yolks, milk, oil, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add sugar and whip until just-stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.

Transfer one-third of whipped egg whites to batter and whisk gently until mixture is homogeneous. Using whisk, gently fold remaining egg whites into batter. Continue folding with rubber spatula, taking care to scrape bottom of bowl, until no streaks remain. Pour batter into prepared pan. Firmly tap pan on counter 5 times to remove large air bubbles. Bake cake in water bath until top is lightly browned and center of cake feels bouncy when pressed lightly with your fingertip, about 1¼ hours.

Transfer cake from water bath to counter. Place sheet of parchment and inverted wire rack on top of cake and invert. Remove pan and discard parchment round and strips (it's OK if cake feels sticky). Let cake cool completely on parchment-lined rack, about 2 hours. (Cake can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)

Using large serrated knife, slice cake into 2 even layers. Return top layer to wire rack. Peel parchment from bottom layer (it's OK if cake “skin” comes off with parchment) and transfer to cardboard round or cake plate.

FOR THE CREAM AND FRUIT: Using stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. With mixer running, add pudding mix and sugar. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until just-stiff peaks form and cream begins to lose its shine, 1 to 2 minutes (do not overbeat). Transfer 1 cup of whipped cream to pastry bag fitted with ½-inch open star tip and set aside.

Using offset spatula, spread ½ cup cream evenly over bottom cake layer. Arrange about 1½ cups fruit on cream, leaving as little bare space as possible. Dollop fruit with 1 cup cream and spread evenly over fruit. Top with second cake layer. Spread remaining cream over top and sides of cake. Pipe decorative border around top edge of cake. Arrange remaining fruit decoratively on top of cake, lightly pressing it into surface. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Let cake sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

To serve, dip sharp chef's knife in very hot water and wipe dry between cuts. For each slice, saw gently through fruit on top of cake before slicing cake itself with single downward motion. Serve. (Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)