How to Make Japanese Strawberry Shortcake

Gather the ingredients together. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a cake pan with parchment paper.

Note: We are using a pan that has a removable bottom.

In a large bowl, add the eggs and sugar, and whip them with a hand mixer. Beat the eggs and sugar together until they become light in color and the texture becomes thicker. This will take about 6-7 minutes. The batter should form a ribbon when dropped from the whisk. Finish at low speed to make the eggs smooth until they look shiny.

Combine the milk and melted butter together, and then add that and vanilla extract to the egg mixture. Once you’ve added all of the wet ingredients, switch to using a rubber spatula and add all-purpose flour. Fold the flour in gently to ensure there are no patches of flour in the batter. Add the butter very slowly and mix again until the entire mixture is evenly mixed.

Tips: This is an important step. Try not to deflate the batter by over-mixing it.

We use a rubber spatula instead of an electric hand mixer to be careful not to overmix or deflate the batter.

Pour the batter into the cake mold and flatten the surface lightly with a spatula. Tap the cake pan onto the counter to release any air bubbles in the batter.

Bake the cake at 180°C (350°F) for 25 minutes.

The cake is ready when the top turns golden brown and the surface of the cake has a light elasticity when gently touched. You can also check by poking the cake with a bamboo stick; if it comes out clean, it’s done.

Drop the cake on the counter to give it a "shock" so that it does not shrink. Leave it for 1-2 minutes on the wire rack. Then, take the cake out of the mold and let it rest until it completely cools.

Gather the ingredients for decorating the cake.

Combine water and sugar for the syrup. This syrup is for preventing the cake layers from drying out. Heat the ingredients in a pan and dissolve the sugar.

Make sure the sponge cake has completely cooled, then slice it evenly through the middle to create two layers. Then, brush each layer with the sugar syrup that we just made.

Next, prepare the strawberries by slicing them thinly. Be sure to use strawberries that are all roughly the same size.

Add the cold fresh cream and sugar into a large bowl and beat it with the hand mixer until the cream thickens and develops soft peaks. To achieve a thicker cream for the top layer, whip the cream with a whisk on the edge of the bowl.

Spread the whipped cream evenly and then place an even layer of sliced strawberries on top. Add another layer of whipped cream and place the top layer of the cake over the cream.

Tip: We recommend using an offset spatula to frost the cake with whipped cream.

Add the rest of the whipped cream on top of the cake. Then, cover the sides of the cake with cream.

Whip the cream again with a whisk to form stiff peaks. Then, put the cream into the piping bag. Decorate the cake as you wish with the remaining whipped cream and strawberries, and it's done!

Note: This cake tastes better after resting overnight. You can also keep the cake in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.