Bake, Eat & Be Happy: Heavenly White Cake ~ Japanese Style Strawberry Shortcake

For some strange reasons, I always find Japanese Strawberry Shortcake very romantic. Perhaps it's the contrast of pure white cake frosting with the bright red strawberries that is just so pretty to look at. And the sweet taste of soft, fluffy cake with a tinge of sourness from the strawberries is just how one could relate to when comes to falling in love.

It is definitely one of my favourite cakes and for the longest time, I wanted to master the baking it. I have tried a few times one recipe that is widely shared by quite a few bloggers, but the sponge cake often sinked or fell flat. I suspect it was my folding in flour skill that failed me or perhaps I did not fully understand what the ribbon stage meant.

Anyway, I am doing quite a bit of baking of pineapple tarts which uses egg yolk only and left with a lot of egg whites. So I was searching around for recipes that utilize egg whites only and chanced upon this recipe which the author named it 'Heavenly White Cake'. Just by the name, I like it already.

I tested out the recipe and the cake rised beautifully. It is also very moist and yummy. I loved it and decided to use it as the base cake for my strawberry shortcake.

:: Strawberry White Cake ::

White Cake Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

*The original recipe is for baking in 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan. I have adjusted the recipe for my 6 inch by 3 inch (height) round pan.

This cake is baked in my Morris tabletop oven.

White Cake Ingredients:

138g sifted cake flour (sift the flour 1st before weighing)

2 tsp baking powder

3/8 tsp salt

85g soften butter
100g sugar

150ml milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

50g sugar
2 medium sized egg white

How to do:

1. Line bottom and sides of the 6 inch round pan with parchment paper, set aside for later use.

2. Sift the sifted cake flour. baking power and salt together for three times and set aside for later use.

3. Place the soften butter (cut into smaller cubes) in a mixing bowl and cream it until smooth. You can either use a hand whisk or a mixer at the lowest speed.

4. Gradually add 100g sugar and continue to cream together till light and fluffy.

5. Add the sifted ingredients from step 1 in about 4 installments, alternating with the milk and mix till well combined.

6. Add in vanilla extract and mix till well combined.

7. Cover mixing bowl with the flour mixture with cling wrap and set aside for later use.

8. Preheat the oven at 170 degree (if you have not already done so)

9. In another mixing bowl, use the mixer to beat the egg whites until foamy.

10. Add 50g sugar and continue to beat till the meringue mixture becomes white and attain soft peak.

11. Add the meringue in step 8 to the flour mixture in step 6 and gently fold in the meringue till they are just combined.

12. Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the surface of the batter.

13. Drop the cake pan on a hard surface twice to release any trap bubbles of air.

14. Bake in the middle rack of the oven at 170 degree for 60 - 70 minutes. Insert a skewer into the cake and if comes out clean, the cake is done.

15. Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Be careful as the cake is very soft and fragile when it is hot.

16. After cooling, cover with cling wrap and put inside the fridge for about 2-3 hours or more. Chilling the cake makes less fragile and easier to layer and frost.

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Filling & Frosting Ingredients:

A packet of strawberries

1/2 tbsp honey

120ml non-diary whipping cream (I use Whip Topping from Redman)

How to do:

1. Pick out similar size and beautiful shaped strawberries. Quantity depends on how you want to decorate the top of the cake.

2. For the rest of the strawberries, cut into quarters (i.e. 4 small chunks each)

3. Add 1/2 tbsp cool down boil water to the honey and mix well. Soak the strawberries into the honey water for about 5 minutes. I have included this step as my strawberries are on the sour side.

4. Pour the non-diary whipping cream into the mixing bowl and start beating with a mixer at high speed till it attain stiff peak.

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To assemble:

1. Slice the the cake into half horizontally.

2. Remove the top layer and set aside for later use.

3. Spread some whipped cream onto the surface of the bottom layer and place the cut strawberries on it. Cover strawberries layer with more whipped cream.

4. Replace the top layer and frost the sides and top of the cake with more whipped cream.

5. Use the whole strawberries set aside earlier for decorating the top of the cake.