Japanese Strawberry Shortcake

Posted by Kejia:

Happy birthday to my good old dad! To celebrate this special occasion, I made a japanese strawberry shortcake. This cake is unlike the American-style shortcake, where the 'cake' is more like a biscuit or a scone(We have a great recipe for it by the way.) A Japanese-style Strawberry Shortcake is a light textured sponge cake decorated with light whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It seems extremely difficult to make, but it is actually easy-peasy and I took only about 3 hours(plus cooling time) to make this cake. :-)

The sponge is extra light and not overly moist(but still moist, of course). The whipped cream is also light, so all in all this cake is a REALLY light cake. If you prefer dense heavy cakes, this is not a cake for you. With the tartness/sweetness of the strawberries, this strawberry shortcake reaches ultimate levels of perfection. I love this damn cake.

生日快乐 means "Happy Birthday". And yes, that's little me saying thank you to pops for being such a great father :-)

Recipe adapted from Lafujimama

Makes one 7/8inch layered cake

Sponge cake ingredients:

4 large eggs, white and yolks separated

120g granulated sugar, sifted once

3 tablespoons whole/full cream milk, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

120g cake flour, sifted 3 times

22g butter, melted

Sponge cake procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC, and grease the cake pan with butter.

2. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and beat the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy.

3. Add the yolks to the egg white mixture, and gently whisk until the yolks are incorporated.

4. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and flour(in that order) to the batter and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula. Fold in the melter butter until it is well combined.

5. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan, and get rid of any air bubbles by banging the cake pan on a counter once or twice. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes. When the cake is done, it should look golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly. Let the cake cool. 

Stabilized whipped cream ingredients:

1 teaspoon unflavoured gelatin

4 teaspoon cold water

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stabilized whipped cream procedure:

1. Put the cold water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water and let sit for 5 minutes(do not stir). Place the saucepan over low heat and stir constantly until all the gelatin dissolves. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the whipping cream, sugar and vanilla and beat till slightly thickened. Beating slowly, gradually pour the gelatin into the whipped cream mixture on high speed until stiff. (Note: be sure not to overmix this because when the cream is over beaten it will tend to coagulate.

Simple syrup ingredients:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

Simple syrup procedure:

1. In a saucepan combine the sugar and water. Bring the water to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Assembling the cake:

Cut lots of strawberries into 3 slices per berry. 

Cut the cake into two layers. On the first layer(placed cut side up), brush the surface with simple syrup. Spread a thin layer of cream. Place cut strawberries over it. Cover with another layer of whipped cream. 

Put the other layer on top of the first layer. Brush with simple syrup again. Frost with the whipping cream and decorate as desired. :-) 

Be creative with the decorations! I really love decorating cakes. Your cake will not only look good, but taste great too. Have fun! :-) 

Love,

Kejia