Christmas Cake
How to make Japanese Christmas Cake
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Ingredients
Chocolate Chiffon Sponge Cake (7" round cake)
- 40 ml oil
- 2 egg yolks
- 60 ml water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 80 g cake flour
- 20 g cocoa powder unsweetened
- 100 g sugar divided
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 egg whites
Vanilla Syrup
- 80 ml water
- 65 g sugar
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Whipped Cream
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 720 ml heavy cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
Decoration
- 455 g strawberries
Instructions
Making Chocolate Chiffon Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place parchment paper rounds in 7-inch round cake pan. Sift together cake flour, cocoa, 1/3 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Whip oil and yolks in a bowl with an electric mixer. Add water and vanilla, and stir. Combine the dry ingredients into the egg yolk mixture. Whip at high speed for 2 minutes. Reserve.
- In a different bowl, whip egg whites to a foam. Gradually add the remaining sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the meringue into the reserved batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer in the middle of the cake. Drop the pan from about 6" (15 cm) high to release steam from the cake. Allow it to cool slightly, then unmold and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.
Making Vanilla Syrup
- Put water and sugar in a pot, and let boil for a couple of minutes. Add vanilla extract in the end. Let cool completely.
Making Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Chop chocolate with a knife or use chocolate chips. Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and melt it over simmering water. Let it to cool to room temperature. Add one-third of the heavy cream and whisk well. Once they are homogenized, add the remaining cream and start whipping. Whip until medium stiff peaks form.
Assembling the Cake
- Cut half of strawberries into 1/4" rounds. Remove moisture with a paper towel.
- Slice the Sponge Cake horizontally into three layers. Place the bottom layer on a cake board on a turning cake table.
- Brush the syrup onto the cake thoroughly, spread approximately 1/8 of the whipped cream, and arrange half of the strawberry rounds on the cream. Add another 1/8 of the cream and spread evenly.
- Add another layer of cake, press down lightly, brush with syrup, spread more whipped cream (another 1/8), add the remaining strawberries, and spread another 1/8 of the cream.
- Place the last layer of the cake, press down lightly, and brush with syrup. Coat the cake with a minimal amount of cream and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Place another 1/8 of the whipped cream in a piping bag with a chosen piping tip and set it aside.
- Frost the entire cake with the remaining whipped cream. Decorate the cake with whole strawberries and the reserved cream by piping. Refrigerate the cake for a few hours before slicing.