This week, we are celebrating our one year blogging anniversary with a delicious Japanese birthday cake. I can not believe it has already been one year since we launched our Japanese food blog “Chopstick Chronicles”!
It has been fun to cook Japanese dishes and take photographs and share them with Chopstick Chronicles’ readers. We have shared many delicious Japanese dishes but there are plenty more delicious Japanese recipes to share! so stay tuned and enjoy this tasty strawberry shortcake!
Typical Japanese birthday cakes or Japanese cakes in general are made from sponge cake, which is so soft and fluffy with fresh whipped cream decorated with strawberries. Japanese cakes or any sweets are so delicately baked and decadent so they are such a treat. Japanese people often buy them for souvenirs or take them as a gift when visiting friends, acquaintances, and relatives. We are going back to Japan at the end of this year so we are already thinking about what to take back to give to our relatives when we visit them. Too bad we can’t pack this cake and take it with us! We probably will end up taking a jar of vegemite…although mostly everyone there hates it. 
Japanese birthday cakes consists of sponge cake, whipped fresh cream, and strawberries. You can also add other fruits if you like, like raspberries. The most important part of the cake is the sponge. Japanese sponge cake is so airy and light but still moist. You can use any fruits and other toppings you have available and have fun decorating the cake the way you like!
Ingredients
sponge cake
- 3 eggs
- 115 g sugar
- 100 g plain flour
- 40 g milk
- 25 g unsalted butter
Syrup
- 60 g water
- 25 g sugar
Decoration
- 250 ml fresh whipping cream
- 20 g sugar
Instructions
- Grease an 18cm round cake tin and line with non-stick baking paper and preheat the oven to 170 degree.
- Separate the egg yolk and egg whites.
- Place the egg whites in an electric mixer and gradually add the sugar into the mixer bowl while it is beating.
- Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Fold the egg yolks through the egg white mixture.
- Fold the sifted flour through the egg mixture 4-5 times.
- Mix the milk and melted butter together in a bowl.
- Take a small amount of the egg white mixture and put it into the milk and butter bowl and mix together then add it all into the egg white mixture and mix altogether.
- Pour the mixture into the 18cm lined round cake tin.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
- Cool it in the tin for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack and cool it completely.
- Slice the cake into two horizontally through the middle.
- Brush the syrup on the two cut sides of the cake.
- Whip the cream and spread it on one side of the sponge cake.
- Decorate with sliced strawberries and spread more whipped cream over the strawberries.
- Top with the other side of the cake and spread whipped cream over the whole cake.
- Decorate with strawberries and raspberries or your choice of decorations.
Notes
Nutrition
Happy Anniversary, Shiho! Keep the delicious Japanese recipes coming. I can’t get enough of them. I love light sponge cake like this one. And I’m a fan of Vegemite. 🙂
Thank you so much Christine 😀 really? can you get Vegemite in US?
I’ve only seen Marmite. 🙁
ohhh I see.
happy blogging anniversary! and what a gorgeous cake to celebrate with too. it looks so light and fluffy Xx
Thank you Thalia 😀 I love all delicate Japanese cakes 😀
Well. . . happy 1 year blog-aversary. You should be really proud of this accomplishment. This cake is .such a beautiful way to celebrate such a momentous occasion. I absolute adore how light and fluffy it looks. And that heavenly cream nestled within. . .completely irresistible.
Thank you so much Lynn 😀 It was a quick year when you are having fun 😀
WoW One Year Already !!! Congratulations and now into your second year, I can’t wait to see what year two holds for you Shihoko. That cake is BEAUTIFUL!
Thank you so much for all the advice and help Imma 😀 Yes me too! so excited the second year!
wow I wanna have it for my birthday!
yes do it! xD
This cake looks absolutely gorgeous! I love the thick layer of cream filling and strawberries. YUM!
Thank you Natalie 😀 Me too, I love delicate Japanese cakes and any baked sweets.
Where is baking powder???
Hi Saji, I don’t use baking powder for this cake 😀
Hi! Can we reduce the sugar for the cake?
Hi Wen, well you can but you need to adjust other ingredients too.