I am a huge fan of Japanese and Chinese cakes, the sponges are always so light and fluffy with plenty of fresh fruit! They can however be quite complicated and difficult to replicate, so after many failed attempts I have created this recipe which is an adaption of a strawberry shortcake recipe which is a very popular western inspired cake in Japan.
This recipe does require quite a few different steps to create
it and the batter can be quite temperamental so try as hard as possible to
follow the recipe precisely.
Ingredients for cake batter:
·
125g Cake flour -- To make plain flour into cake
flour measure out your flour, then remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace
with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
·
80g of granulated sugar
·
45g of demerara sugar
·
4 eggs at room temperature
·
3 tablespoons of milk
·
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
·
25g of melted butter
·
Ice (not needed for cake but needed in cooking
method)
Ingredients for topping and filling:
·
300ml of double cream (can also use whipping
cream)
·
1-3 tablespoons of icing sugar, the amount depends
on how sweet you would like it, I would recommend going lower and adding more
as you taste it
·
½ a teaspoon of vanilla extract
·
500-600g of fresh strawberries (roughly two
boxes)
Equipment:
·
8 inch circular cake pan
·
1 large mixing bowl, 3 medium
·
Electric whisk
·
Grease proof paper (baking paper)
Cake batter method:
1.
Preheat the oven to 180°c and line the cake tin
with grease proof paper.
·
A tip I have to always ensure moist cakes is to
place a small tray at the bottom of the oven with some water in, this creates
steam preventing the cake drying out. If this recipe is followed properly however
you will not need to do this, as the higher percentage of egg should keep it
from drying out. Although if your first attempt comes out dry maybe try again
with the tray of water.
2.
Separate your egg whites and yolks.
3.
Take a heat proof bowl and poor in a few inches
of not quite boiled water, it’s very important it is not boiling! It should be
warm bath temperature. Place a medium sized bowl over the top and add in the egg
whites and the sugar. Whisk into stiff peaks.
4.
Gently fold in the egg yolks until fully incorporated
with the vanilla extract and milk followed by the sifted flour.
5.
Finally fold in the melted butter (when melting
the butter make sure it is over a gentle heat).
6.
Pour the batter into the cake tin, when full gently
tap the tin on the counter twice to remove excess air bubbles.
7.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, try not to open the door
at all during this time. The cake is done when it’s a light golden brown and
springy to the touch.
8.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
9.
Once cool depending on the thickness and how
confident you are with your slicing skills, slice into 2-3 layers horizontally.
Wrap the whole cake in cling film and place in the fridge while you are preparing
the filling and topping.
Method for filling and topping:
1. Fill
a mixing bowl with ice and cold water then place a glass bowl over the top.
2. Add
in your cream and icing sugar whisking until stiff peaks form, then fold in the
vanilla extract.
3. Slice
the strawberries thinly and vertically as these are going to be layered over
the whole cake. Keep the slightly less attractive slices apart from the neat
ones and these will be used between the layers with the cream as the filling.
4. Take
the cake out from the fridge, place the first layer on a flat plate or cake
stand and add a generous layer of the cream icing followed by the strawberry
slices, repeat if you have another layer to go.
5. Finally
place the top layer of cake on and now cover the entire cake including the sides
in the cream icing, delicately place the strawberry slices over the top and
sides until most of the cream is covered.
This
cake is definitely not the easiest to make and requires a lot of different
steps. It is however light, fluffy and delicious making it worth the time and extra
effort. If you don’t get it right the first time don’t be disheartened and try
again, cakes like this take practice and once you have it you can adapt it to
your personal tastes. This cake is great with pretty much any fresh fruit, I re-made
it recently with mango which was particularly good!
Happy
baking!
Ariel
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