Gma’s Strawberry Shortcake

I’m sliding this post in for the holidays even though it is techinically a summer tradition for most of us, but it is one of her most requested recipes and it coincides with strawberry season in Japan and Florida. Also, strawberry shortcake is THE Christmas Cake (kurisumasu keki) in Japan and has become so much a part of popular culture that it has embedded itself into our emoji world. Her original recipe pictured below from a video is lost somewhere but as the caption indicates, it’s written in a mixture of Japanese and English along with Mom’s shorthand.

The recipe I’ve passed along a few times is from LaFujiMama and it comes close to Gma’s original. I used it when we made it together and she approved the recipe, but I’ve included a video version that has contradictory tips but should make for fun experimenting when you make the cake for yourselves. The video suggests a few tips (I’ll let you guess which one) that I’m pretty sure Gma would be saying “baloney” several times. At the same time, I’m also sure she’d try them out just to prove they were baloney.

Gma would make this recipe during the summer either from finding fresh strawberries at a local store or from Grandpa’s garden. Sometimes she’d soak the spongecake with a rum and sugar syrup but later, she’d experiment with using sugary water from the cut, macerated strawberries. You can try either way as the rum syrup does add a nice ‘cooling’ feel to the palette. Some people think the syrup is the band-aid for a dried-out cake, but I think the best resulting Strawberry Shortcake is one that has spent the night in the fridge. The cake – especially if it was too dry – has time to soak up all the weeping cream and strawberry juices…

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (170 to 180 degrees Celsius).  Line a 7 (18cm) or 8-inch circular cake pan with parchment paper, or grease the cake pan with butter, then lightly coat the pan with flour.

2. Add the sugar to the egg whites, and beat the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy.

3. Add the egg yolks to the egg white mixture, and gently whisk until the yolks are incorporated.

4. Add the milk, vanilla extract, and flour (in that order) to the batter and gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.  Fold in the melted butter until it is well combined.

5. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan, and get rid of any air bubbles in the batter by dropping the pan on a counter once or twice.  Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes.  The cake is done when it is golden brown and springs back when pressed lightly.  Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Run a blade around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake, and remove.

1. Put the cold water in a small saucepan.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water and let stand for 5 minutes (do not stir).  Place the saucepan over low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon just until the gelatin dissolves.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and cool to room temperature.

2.In a mixing bowl, combine the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat until slightly thickened.  Then, while beating slowly, gradually pour the gelatin into the whipped cream mixture.  Then whip the mixture at high speed until stiff.

To make the Simple Syrup:

1. In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and water.  Bring the water to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To assemble the cake:

1. Reserve 6 to 1o strawberries for decorating the cake.  Slice the remaining strawberries into thin slices (about 4 slices per strawberry).

2. Slice the sponge cake horizontally into 2 layers.

3. Place one sponge layer cut-side up on a cake board or serving plate and lightly crush the surface with the simple syrup.  Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the cake layer and arrange the strawberry slices over the surface.  Spread an additional layer of whipped cream over the strawberries.  Brush the cut-side of the second layer with the simple syrup and place it over the first layer.  Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining whipped cream.  Decorate as desired and garnish with the reserved strawberries.

So this is just one of many kurisumasu keki recipes that I made under the auspices of Gma and she approved of it, but there are lots of versions that some of you have tried. Please share any versions or tips that you’ve discovered and liked. Below is the video version/adaption I’d like to try the next time I dare to break free but you can also enjoy trying to guess which tips would make Gma say “baloney” the loudest!