Japanese Strawberry Shortcake Recipe 445 Food

JAPANESE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.

JAPANESE STRAWBERRY SPONGE CAKE (STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE)

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 180°C/356°F.
• Coat the inside of an 18cm/7" cake tin (note 6) with butter, dust with flour, then shake off the excess flour.
• Put the egg yolks in a bowl, add ⅔ of the sugar and beat the egg yolks until they become whitish and thick. Draw a ribbon with the whisk and if the ribbon disappears slowly (see the Video), it is ready.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites. When the small bubbles form and the volume of the egg white doubles, add the remaining sugar in 2-3 batches and beat further to make meringue.
• When the meringue becomes firm and it can form a peak when you lift the whisk (see the step-by-step photo and video in the post), it is ready.
• Put the flour through the sifter and add to the beaten egg yolk. Fold the batter with a spatula.
• Transfer ⅓ of the meringue to the batter and mix with a whisk until the batter becomes smooth.
• Add the remaining meringue to the batter in 2-3 batches and fold.
• Pour the melted butter into the batter and fold several times. It's OK even if the butter is not completely mixed.
• Pour the batter into the cake tin. Drop the tin onto the work bench to settle the batter in the tin.
• Cook in the oven at 180°C/356°F for 25 minutes. Insert a thin bamboo skewer in the centre of the cake to see if the skewer comes out dry. If the skewer is a bit wet, cook further 5 minutes.
• Take the tin out of the oven and drop the tin onto the workbench a couple of times to detach the cake from the tin. Remove the cake from the tin and place it on a rack, upside down (bottom side up). Let it cool completely.
• If making syrup, put the Syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. When the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat off. Let it cool.
• Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Wipe the strawberries with a wet kitchen paper, remove the stems and halve 10 strawberries.
• Leave the sponge cake upside down as is and slice it horizontally in half (note 7), remove the top half and place it next to the bottom half of the cake, cut side up.
• Using a brush, coat the cut surface of the two sponge cakes with the syrup gently.
• Drop about 3 heaped tablespoons of the whipped cream on the bottom half of the sliced cake and spread it to cover the entire surface. Fill the surface with the halved strawberries, without a gap as much as possible.
• Drop about 4 heaped tablespoons of the whipped cream on and spread it to cover the strawberries and the round edge.
• Place the top half of the cake on it, syrup side down. Gently press down, making sure the top and bottom cakes are aligned. Fill the gap around the strawberry filling on the side with whipped cream.
• (Optional) thinly coat the top and the side of the cake with whipped cream. It is OK not to completely cover the sponge. Leave the cake in the fridge for 10 minutes (note 8).
• Using a cake spatula or a long flat spatula, fully cover the top and the side of the cake with the remaining whipped cream, leaving some (about minimum of 4-5 tablespoons) for piping.
• Put the remaining cream in a piping bag with a round nozzle. Squeeze out the cream to make a mound of cream in 8 positions around the edge of the surface. Place a strawberry on each mound.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Scones: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
• Whisk together the egg, cream and vanilla extract and add to the flour mixture, mixing just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat or roll the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches round and about 1 inch thick.
• With a 3 inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds and place the scones on the baking sheet.
• Make an egg wash of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon cream and brush the tops of the scones with this mixture.
• Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a scone comes out clean.
• Transfer to a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, wash and cut the strawberries to the desired size and sweeten to taste. Set aside and allow the strawberries and sugar to sit at room temperature for about 30 to 60 minutes.
• For whipped cream: In a large mixing bowl place the whipping cream, vanilla extract, and sugar and stir to combine.
• Cover and chill the bowl and beaters in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• When chilled, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
• To serve: Cut the scones in half and place the bottom half of the scone on a dessert plate.
• Top with some of the strawberries and a dollop of softly whipped cream.
• Place the top half of the scone on top of the whipped cream.
• If there is any juice from the strawberries, drizzle a little over the top of the scone.
• Serve immediately.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Steps:

• Toss the strawberries with 1 cup (250 ml) sugar in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• In a separate bowl combine the 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Blend in the butter.
• Add the milk and vanilla and mix well.
• Grease two 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pans and divide the batter between them.
• Bake in a preheated 450°F (230°C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and cool.
• Place one cake upside-down on a serving platter and top with half the strawberries.
• Top with the remaining cake layer and the rest of the strawberries.
• Serve garnished with whipped cream.