Hey, cake aficionados! Nothing says 'festive season' like a berry-kissed piece of dreamy Strawberry Shortcake. This lovingly simple yet decadent recipe showcases a trio that always makes hearts flutter — feather-light sponge, creamy fresh clouds, and strawberries bursting with juicy sweetness.
Using an easy-peasy, butter-free sponge recipe and no-fuss decoration style, this recipe is designed to be a crowd-pleaser for everyone, especially those clocking kitchen hours! So, let's bake some holiday love, shall we?
Ingredients
For The Sponge Cake
- Egg Whites: 2
- Granulated Sugar: 60g
- Egg Yolks: 2
- Lucent Flour: 60g
- Milk: 20g
- Rice Oil (or any other flavorless and odorless veggie oil): 10g
For The Syrup
- Granulated Sugar: 10g
- Water: 20g
For The Fresh Cream
- Fresh Cream: 300g
- Granulated Sugar: 18g
For The Finishing Touch
- Sandwich Strawberries: 22 small-sized strawberries, halved.
- Decorative Strawberries: 18 small-sized strawberries.
- Dusting Powdered Sugar: Just enough to make Santa smile!
- Meringue Santa: 1 (Remember, Santa is watching!)
Let's Deck The Halls!
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (356°F).
- Sift the lucid flour.
- Halve your sandwich with strawberries.
- Chill the fresh cream in ice water for 7 minutes.
- Ready a 15cm round cake tin with baking paper.
Let's Bake Magic!
For The Sponge Cake
Whisk egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form. Make sure there's no errant egg yolk, and your utensils are clean.
Add the egg yolk and whisk quickly for about 3 seconds.
Using a rubber spatula, mix any unincorporated meringue hiding at the sides gently.
Evenly spread the sifted flour and gently mix until just combined.
Add milk and rice oil and stir until thoroughly mixed.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and lightly tap it to level.
Bake at 180°C (356°F) for around 24 minutes.
Once baked, remove, de-mold, and cool.
Once completely cooled, remove the baked side and halve the sponge cake.
For The Syrup
- Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan. Once boiling, stop heating, transfer it to a bowl, and let it cool off.
The Grand Finale
Brush the cut sponge layers with syrup.
Whip the chilled cream to a spreadable consistency.
Spread cream on a sponge layer and arrange halved strawberries onto it. Leave a little central vacancy for easy cutting.
Apply a cream layer on top of the strawberries.
Repeat the strawberry and cream layers once more.
Cover with the other sponge layer, lightly press for flatness and brush on the remaining syrup.
Apply a thin cream layer to prevent any cake crumbs from floating up.
Spread more cream on top, and then the sides- remember to not apply too much on the base.
Use a palette knife to smooth the sides, ensuring the top edges look neatly finished.
Dust powdered sugar across the surface, place your meringue Santa and arrange the rest of the strawberries around him.
Et voila! Your stunningly simple, mouth-wateringly delicious Strawberry Shortcake is ready to steal the show at your Christmas party. Here's to sweet endings!
The amounts of strawberries can vary according to their size. Feel free to adjust as needed, and most importantly, enjoy the baking fun! Happy Christmas baking, folks!