Fluffy Japanese Cake (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Cake Base
01 -
90 g caster sugar
02 -
4 large egg whites
03 -
4 large egg yolks
04 -
85 g cake flour
05 -
50 g unsalted butter
06 -
80 ml whole milk
→ Macerated Strawberries
07 -
7 g granulated sugar
08 -
340–450 g fresh strawberries, some for later
→ Whipped Cream Frosting
09 -
2 g powdered gelatin (optional)
10 -
300 ml heavy whipping cream
11 -
16 g confectioners' sugar
12 -
30 ml cold water (optional)
→ Cake Syrup
13 -
45 ml hot water
14 -
25 g sugar
# Instructions:
01 -
Put parchment paper in the bottom of a round 20 cm pan. Fire up the oven to 163°C.
02 -
Sit your cake pan inside a deep dish and get some water boiling. Pour it in so it's about 2.5 cm high. If your pan could leak, wrap the outside in foil so you won't lose batter.
03 -
Heat butter and whole milk until melted, then stir them together. Sift in your cake flour and gently stir until you don't see flour anymore. Add the yolks and blend again—don't overdo it.
04 -
Beat egg whites until they're foamy, then pour in the caster sugar little by little. Keep whisking until you have soft, shiny peaks.
05 -
Spoon about a fourth of your fluffy egg whites into the yolk batter. Mix to loosen things up. Now gently fold that blend back into the rest of your egg whites, but don't knock out too much air.
06 -
Pour batter into your lined pan and give it a couple taps on your counter. Nestle the pan in your water bath, making sure to add about 2.5 cm of hot water. Bake for 90 minutes, or until a skewer comes out with no wet batter and the edges shrink away a bit.
07 -
Run a knife around the edges, flip the cake onto a rack, and let it cool fully before slicing it up.
08 -
Slice up 225 g of strawberries (after hulling them) into 6 mm pieces. Toss them with granulated sugar and let sit a couple of hours until they're glossy and syrupy. Save that juice for later.
09 -
Mix hot water with sugar until it melts in. Stir in that strawberry juice you saved if you want a little extra fruity kick.
10 -
If you're using gelatin, let it soak in cold water for 5 minutes, then melt it. Whip your cold cream with powdered sugar just until you see soft peaks. Slowly add the melted gelatin if using, and stop whipping at soft peaks. Without gelatin, just beat cream and sugar until firm—don't over-whip.
11 -
Trim off any browned cake surface, then cut your cooled cake in half widthwise. Brush syrup onto both cut sides.
12 -
Drop the bottom half, cut-side up, on a cake stand. Spread on whipped cream, line up strawberry slices, then cover with more cream. Finish by dropping the other half on top, lining it up so it looks neat.
13 -
Scoop a light layer of whipped cream around the outside to lock in crumbs. Spread a thicker, even layer over the top. Feel free to pipe on more cream or use a spatula to make fun shapes. Pile leftover berries on top however you like.
14 -
With gelatin-cream, keep the cake in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set it up. If you didn't add gelatin, try to eat the cake within a couple hours so it stays fresh. Use a serrated knife to slice. For creamy layers with gelatin, let the cake stand out an hour before cutting—it'll be extra soft then.
# Notes:
01 -
Let those egg whites warm up first if you want a tall and fluffy sponge, and fold them in carefully so you don't squish out too much air.
02 -
A short chill after putting your cake together makes it way easier to cut and helps keep the inside tidy.