Description
Delightful Japanese strawberry cake combines delicate sponge layers with fresh strawberries and whipped cream for an elegant dessert. Creamy, light, and beautifully garnished, this sweet treat offers pure indulgence you’ll adore.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 large egg whites
- 4 large egg yolks
- 75 g (½ cup + ½ tbsp) cake flour
- 70 g (5 ½ tbsps) sugar
- 80 g (⅓ cup) whole milk
- 50 g (3 ½ tbsps) unsalted butter
- 12 oz to 1 lb (340 g to 450 g) strawberries
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- 280 g (10 oz) heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsps confectioners sugar
- ¾ tsp gelatin (optional)
- 2 tbsps cold water (optional)
- 2 tbsps sugar
- 3 tbsps hot water
Instructions
- Preparation: Line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper, creating a smooth surface for easy cake removal.
- Water Bath Setup: Boil water to submerge one inch of the pan’s exterior, preparing for gentle baking.
- Batter Foundation: Warm milk and butter in a heatproof bowl until fully integrated, then sift cake flour and fold delicately to create a smooth mixture.
- Egg Integration: Incorporate egg yolks into the flour mixture, blending until achieving a silky, uniform consistency.
- Meringue Creation: Whip egg whites in a clean bowl, gradually adding sugar until glossy medium-stiff peaks form.
- Batter Finalization: Gently fold whipped egg whites into the yolk mixture, maintaining maximum airiness and preventing deflation.
- Baking Process: Pour batter into prepared pan, tap to remove air bubbles, then bake in a water bath at a consistent temperature for approximately 90 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cooling Technique: Remove cake from oven and cool completely on a wire rack, preserving its delicate texture.
- Strawberry Preparation: Slice strawberries and macerate with sugar, allowing them to develop a sweet, glossy essence.
- Cream and Syrup: Create a subtle sugar syrup and whip heavy cream with confectioners sugar until soft peaks form.
- Cake Assembly: Slice cake horizontally into two layers, brush each with sugar syrup, and layer with whipped cream and macerated strawberries.
- Finishing Touches: Cover entire cake with remaining whipped cream, garnish with fresh strawberries, and refrigerate briefly to set before serving.
Notes
- Pristine Equipment Matters: Thoroughly clean all utensils and bowls to prevent fat or oil interference with egg white volume, ensuring a light, airy cake texture.
- Master the Egg White Technique: Whip egg whites gradually and consistently, watching for glossy medium-stiff peaks that provide the cake’s signature soft, delicate structure.
- Water Bath Precision: Use boiling water for the water bath, submerging the pan carefully to create even, gentle heat distribution that prevents cake cracking and promotes uniform baking.
- Temperature and Timing Critical: Monitor baking time closely, aiming for a clean skewer test around 90 minutes, and allow complete cooling to maintain the cake’s delicate, soft crumb without moisture condensation.
- Prep Time: 30min
- Cook Time: 1hr 30min
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 218
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg