You must agree that the Japanese Strawberry Shortcake is one dessert to die for. From the time you slice through the layers of spongy cake with thick cream filling and fresh strawberries to placing it in your mouth, it melts away.
It leaves an explosion of different tastes as the ingredients combine in your mouth. You can enjoy this cake all year round. Make it on any occasion to present to your guests. Believe us, when you make this old-fashioned strawberry shortcake, your visitors will love the flavor.
It’s one of the famous classic cakes in Japan . The Japanese cake has a special place in their culture and provides a delicious treat when family and friends visit.
Alternatively, when strawberries are in season, there is a good enough reason to make this sweet treat. We promise your visitors will fall in love with the texture.
Whether it is for Sunday tea to something classy, this dessert makes for memorable conversations with family or friends.
Homemade Japanese Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
While the recipe is a bit long, it consists of three components: the sponge cake, whipped cream, and strawberries. Your measurements need to be precise, so make use of your kitchen scale and thermometer.
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cooling Down Time: One hour
Total Time: Two Hours
Serves: 8
Ingredients
US Metrics Used
The Sponge Cake:
- 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- ½ a cup of sugar
- 1 cup of cake flour
- 1 tablespoon of butter for greasing the pan (you can use cooking spray)
The Syrup:
- Two tablespoons water
- Three tablespoons sugar
The Cream:
- Two cups of heavy whipped cream
- Three tablespoons sugar
Decoration:
- 1lb of strawberries for the filling and decoration and best to buy extra packs
Instructions
Gather all your ingredients and make sure the butter and eggs are at room temperature. Also, sift the cake flour twice.
Sponge Cake:
Use a stand mixer mixing bowl and add four eggs, ½ cup plus two tablespoons sugar and whisk it together.
- Preheat oven to 356-degrees F/180-degrees C
- Take a 7-inch cake pan and coat the inside with some butter and dust with flour and shake excess flour off.
- Take a large pot and bring about two inches of water to boil while maintaining a steady temperature. Place the stand mixer bowl over the pot and keep whisking the eggs to prevent them from becoming scrambled eggs. You can make use of your double boiler method as well. Use your thermometer to check that it reaches a temperature of 104-degrees F. Remove the bowl and set it up on the stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
- At high speed, about level ten, whisk the mixture for about two minutes until fluffy with a loose yet thick/glossy texture.
- As the batter turns pale and triples in volume, slow down to level four speeds for a couple of seconds. Stop your mixer and lift up the mixture by folding it in. If the batter remains on top of the mix, remove it from the stand mixer.
- Take half of the flour and with the whisk, fold it in gently yet thoroughly. You can do this by rotating the bowl while whisking in downward and over-motion.
- Add the rest of the flour and fold it in gently yet quickly to prevent it from deflating.
- Take a spatula and scoop your batter set aside into the bowl and your milk/butter mixture.
- Mix well by incorporating the butter into the batter and add the mixture back to the batter, pouring it over the spatula. Fold in gently, and when you lift the spatula, the batter folds down like a ribbon.
- Pour the batter into the cake pan in the center to avoid adding air and collect your leftover batter and pour it around the edges and not the center.
- Give the cake pan a drop on the counter to help release the air bubbles. Now, bake it in your oven at 350-degrees F (180-degrees C) for about 25-minutes.
- You can check the sponge cake by inserting a skewer in the center, and if it comes out clean, you can remove it. Once removed, drop it again on the counter to prevent shrinkage and separate it from the pan using a sharp knife or spatula.
Remove the cake and place it on a wire rack by flipping it over and remove the parchment paper. Place another frame on the top and flip it back. To cool the cake down, use a damp towel as it helps keep the moisture inside.
Cake Assembly Preparations
- Take the strawberries and divide them into two groups: decoration and the other for the filling. Clean the fruit by removing the husks and clean with a damp paper towel and slice the core off.
- For the topping, cut the fruit in half, and for the filling, slice it into ¼ inch slices.
- Take a small bowl and place two tablespoons of water, three tablespoons of sugar, and microwave for a minute to dissolve the sugar.
Steps for decorating the cake
You can do these preparations while the cake cools down:
- Whip the cream, wipe the strawberries using a wet cloth, remove the stems, and cut ten strawberries in half.
- Slice the cake in the upside-down position horizontally in half and place the top half next to the bottom cake.
- Drop three tablespoons of the cream on the bottom one and spread evenly to cover the surface.
- Fill the top of the cream with the halved strawberries in a circle, leaving the middle section open making it easier to cut.
- Drop four more tablespoons of the cream and spread it over the fruit and around the edge.
- Place the top cake on it and gently press it down to align it. Fill the gap on the side with more cream and over the top of the cake as well.
- Use a piping bag with a round nozzle and squeeze out blotches of cream to position the rest of the strawberries around the edge.
- Place the strawberries sideways on top of the cream and squeeze more cream in between.
- Place in the fridge for ten minutes and enjoy.
- Your cake is finished, and you can put it in the fridge for up to two days.
Now that we have all the gritty things out of the way let’s get to making the Japanese Strawberry Shortcake.
Have you perhaps made the Japanese Strawberry Shortcake Recipe? We would like to hear from you, and feel free to share your creations.
History of the Japanese Strawberry Shortcake
The shortcake you find today is made with biscuits, but the Japanese make it with layers of spongy cake. In the olden days, people used to call it pie crust made with broken pieces of biscuits and still enjoyed today.
Instead of using the traditional American biscuits, the Japanese Strawberry Shortcake comprises two to three layers of airy sponge cake, whipped cream filling, fresh strawberry slices, and whipped cream frosting yummy.
While preparing the Japanese cakes it does come over as simple. Still, when you prepare the ingredients perfectly, you have one of the most amazing desserts. The majority of Japanese Strawberry Shortcake recipes are similar, but some things do make it different.
It all comes down to the different techniques used when making it.
However, the first recipe appeared in 1588 in an English cookbook and became a well-known dessert, and in 1910 the French started topping it with fresh cream. Furthermore, the Japanese have made this preferred cake a delicious December treat and a symbol of commercialism with victory after World War II.
One thing sure the strawberries have loads of health benefits as well:
The Health Benefits of Strawberries
Strawberries provide your body with loads of fiber and vitamins, and the levels of antioxidants are high. The fruit is fat-free, low in calories, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free. Furthermore, they provide your body with potassium and manganese. Do you want to keep your heart pumping in tip-top condition? Or do you want to regulate your blood sugar while preventing cancer? Make sure to get your dose of strawberries in.
While the strawberry shortcake as a whole does not provide you with loads of health benefits, eating the fruit by itself does. The strawberry gives you vitamin C with manganese and contains vitamin B9, folate, and potassium.
The fruits are rich in antioxidants with plant compounds that each have their benefits for your
health. The nutrition facts of strawberries are as follow:
- It contains 91% water and 7.7% carbohydrates.
- There are minor amount of fats of 0.3% and 0.7% protein
- The nutrients per 100 gram are 3.5 ounces of raw strawberries
- Calories are 32 with 7.7 grams and 0.7 grams of protein
- The sugar is 4.9 grams with 2 grams of fiber and 0.3 grams of fat
So when you eat strawberries, it helps reduce the risk of getting chronic diseases from heart problems, keeps the blood sugar regulated, and has cancer prevention properties.
Chemical Compositions of Strawberries
In strawberries, you can find a wide selection of volatiles. Sometimes it comprises more than a 95% total of:
- Methyl Butanoate
- Ethyl Butanoate
- Butyl Ethanoate
- Methyl Hexanoate
- Ethyl Hexanoate
These compounds are usually abundantly found in strawberries.
