Japanese strawberry shortcake, aka Japanese Christmas cake, is made of soft, fluffy layers of sponge cake, fresh strawberries, and fresh whipped cream!
Japanese strawberry shortcake is a popular cake in Japan made with soft, fluffy sponge cake, decorated with fresh whipped cream, and fresh strawberries.
In fact this strawberry cream cake is popular in a lot of Asian countries and goes by many names, including Korean strawberry cake, fresh cream cake, and Chinese strawberry cake.
What they all have in common is the strawberry sponge cake is not overly sweet and is filled with fresh fruit. Asian sponge cakes are usually frosted with fresh whipped cream instead of buttercream.
The texture of this fresh strawberry sponge cake is pillowy soft from the cake flour, and extremely fluffy from the beaten egg whites and egg yolks. It's layered with fresh slices of strawberries and soft whipped cream.
Japanese strawberry sponge cake is an extremely popular cake during Christmas and is appropriately called Japanese Christmas cake or kurisumasu keki (クリスマスケーキ). The red strawberries and white whipped cream resemble the red and white colors of Christmas and the powdered sugar resemble snow.
This is an excellent and easy Christmas cake to make for the holidays! This strawberry sponge is also very easy to decorate with just fresh cream and whole strawberries.
Why this recipe works
- The fresh strawberry sponge cake is extra fluffy and soft because the egg yolks and egg whites are beaten separately to add extra volume.
- Plain sponge cake can be made ahead and frozen. Simply thaw the cake sheets in the fridge before adding strawberries and whipped cream.
- Instead of butter, oil is added to this cake to add more moisture. Butter can contain up to 18% water which makes oil a better ingredient for this cake.
- You can change the fruit to make this a versatile base for any kind of flavored sponge cake!
- A lot of recipes for fresh strawberry cake call for strawberry puree in the batter, but I prefer keeping the strawberries fresh instead of cooking them. Cooking the strawberries in the cake causes it to lose some of its flavor. Fresh strawberries add the most flavor.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Cake flour - avoid using all purpose flour; cake flour gives this a soft, fluffy texture
- Eggs - I used large eggs which weigh around 60 grams
- Vegetable oil - use a neutral oil such as avocado oil
- Make sure to thoroughly dry the strawberries after washing them. This will help the strawberries stay fresh inside the cake layers.
Step by step instructions
- Beat the egg yolks, sugar, salt, honey or corn syrup, vanilla, and water together until it becomes fluffy and a pale yellow color. The batter should form a ribbon when dropped from the whisk.
- The egg whites should be beaten to firm peaks, meaning the tips should fall but the meringue should hold its shape. Over beating the egg whites will result in a lumpy cake.
- Add half of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and gently fold it, being careful not to deflate the egg white meringue.
- Next, add the cake flour and baking powder to a fine mesh sieve and sift it into the egg white and egg yolk mixture. Add in the oil by first mixing it with 2 Tablespoons of the mixture and then gently fold in the remaining half of the egg white meringue.
- Bake them at 350 degrees F in parchment lined cake pans until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Slice even layers and brush on the sugar syrup on all layers.
- Add the whipped cream then add the strawberry slices on top. Cover the strawberries with another layer of whipped cream and add on a sponge cake layer. Keep repeating until you've used up all your cake layers.
- Frost the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream and decorate with whole strawberries. Dust the top with powdered sugar if desired and serve immediately.
Expert tips & tricks
- Make sure your strawberries are thoroughly dried before adding them to the cake. This helps the strawberries stay fresh and keeps the cake from getting too soggy. It also prevents strawberry juice from bleeding out into the whipped cream.
- When combining the whipped egg yolks and egg whites, use a folding motion with your spatula while rotating the bowl.
- Be sure the sponge cake is completely cooled before slicing as this will help you get the smoothest, most even layers possible.
- Start with cold heavy cream. Whip the heavy cream on medium speed to get the smoothest, fluffiest whipped cream topping. Over whipping the cream will result in a grainy texture to the frosting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Japanese strawberry shortcake is made with a light, fluffy sponge cake as the base, whereas in the US, it's made with biscuits or a more dense cake.
In the US version, shortcakes are halved and topped with macerated strawberries and whipped cream. The Japanese version is more similar to a fresh strawberry sponge cake that's layered with whipped cream.
You can store this cake in the fridge for up to two days before the strawberries start to get soggy.
If you need to make this ahead of time, I recommend making the sponge cake and freezing in an airtight container it until it's ready to decorate. Let the sponge cake thaw in the fridge or at room temperature and be sure it's completely thawed before applying any whipped cream.
Japanese Christmas cake, also called kurisumasu keki (クリスマスケーキ) is typically eaten on Christmas Eve with friends and family. It's called a Christmas cake because it's decorated with strawberries and whipped cream to resemble the red and white colors of Christmas.
More dessert recipes:
Recipe
Japanese Strawberry Shortcake | Japanese Christmas Cake
☑ Ingredients
- 8 oz strawberries - washed and dried
Dry Ingredients:
- ½ cup cake flour - (65g) sifted
- ¼ cup white sugar - (44g) for egg yolks
- 2 ½ Tablespoons white sugar - (37g) for egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt - (½ g)
Wet Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs - whites and yolks separated
- 2 ½ Tablespoons avocado oil - (31g) substitute with neutral vegetable oil
- 1 Tablespoon water - (12g)
- 1 teaspoon corn syrup - (6g) substitute with honey
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Whipped cream frosting:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream - - should be cold
- 6 to 8 Tablespoons powdered sugar - - add more or less depending on taste
Cake syrup:
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- ⅓ cup hot water
Instructions
Egg Yolk Mixture:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, add together egg yolks, ¼ cup of sugar, salt, corn syrup, vanilla, and water. Beat on high with a stand mixer or hand mixer until fluffy and pale yellow with ribbons form when lifting the whisk. Set aside.
Egg White Meringue:
- In a large bowl, add the egg whites and beat on high until it starts to get foamy. Start adding the 2½ tablespoons of sugar in three equal parts, beating each time to incorporate. Beat the egg whites on high until firm peaks form. When lifting the whisk from the bowl, the meringue should hold its shape while the tip drops slightly.
Batter:
- Add ½ of the egg white meringue to the egg yolk mixture and gently fold it in until it's mostly mixed in. This should be light and airy. Next, sift the flour and baking powder into the yolk and meringue mixture in three equal parts, gently folding after each time.
- Take out 2 Tablespoons of the combined batter from the previous step and mix this with the oil until it's not longer separated. Gently fold the oil mixture into the batter. Next, add the remaining half of the egg white meringue by gently folding it in.
Bake:
- Pour the batter into a round cake pan lined with parchment paper. You can use one 8 inch pan or two 6 inch pans. Bang the pan twice on a flat surface to remove large air bubbles. Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. About 15 minutes for two 6 inch pans or 23 to 25 minutes for one 8 inch pan.
- Remove the cake from the pan and remove the parchment paper. Let it cool on a cooling rack.
Slice and Decorate:
- Add the cold heavy cream and powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat it on medium speed until you get medium peaks. Watch it carefully and stop the mixer before it becomes grainy. See Note 2.
- Slice the cake into even layers. See Note 3 for how to slice even layers. Make the sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in the hot water. Then, brush on even amounts of the sugar syrup onto all the layers, including the top layer.Cut half of the strawberries into thick slices for the inner layer. Leave the other half whole to decorate the top of the cake.
- Apply a layer of cream to the cake sheet and then top it with sliced strawberries. Add another layer of cream on top of the strawberries and followed by another layer of cake. Repeat as necessary. Next, frost the top and sides of the cake with whipped cream and decorate as desired. Place whole strawberries on top of the cake, sprinkled with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.
✎ Recipe Notes
- You can use one 8 inch cake pan or two 6 inch cake pans. Avoid using nonstick pans as the coating prevents the sponge cake from fully rising.
- Medium peaks - the whipped cream should be soft but hold its shape when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. The top of the peak should fall over but the body will retain its shape. The texture should be smooth with no graininess. Whipping too much will result in a grainy, lumpy texture and you may start to see cracks in the cream which indicate separation.
- Slice even layers: First, you want to use a sharp, serrated knife. Next, I prefer to use this cake slicer attachment that works well. Otherwise, you can use toothpicks to mark where you want to cut the layers. Pierce the toothpicks all around the cake and use that as a guide for your knife. Avoid using wire cutter cake levelers as the sponge cake too soft for that tool.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
cyndy
Wow - what a stunning cake! Your directions and step by step were super helpful and even though it looks complicated it really wasn't at all. My family loved it!
Jo
Great recipe! I've made a similar recipe that uses butter, but you're right, with the oil it makes for a moister cake. I also appreciate your pan sizes as most Japanese cake recipes use an odd 7" pan. Really loved the texture of this cake!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dessert tonight and it did not disappoint! So light and fluffy; the perfect dessert for spring, indeed!
Emma
This looks yummy. I usually bake using metric measurements. May I know how you measured your flour? Did you scoop directly from the canister, or did you spoon flour to the cup? Lastly, did you remove the cake from the pan immediately after it was out from the oven? Thank you!
Jamie
Hi Emma! I updated the recipe with metric measurements. The way I measure my flour is to fluff it up first with a spoon and then scoop directly from the canister into the measuring cup. And yes, I remove the cake from the pan immediately after it comes out of the oven to prevent steaming the cake. Hope this helps and happy baking!
Victoria
Can the sponge cake be made in a sheet pan?
Jamie
Hi Victoria! Yes you can bake this in a sheet pan, I've done this plenty of times myself but I've always doubled the recipe. 🙂 To double the recipe click the 2x in the recipe card. I use a 9 x 13 inch pan but have also used a jelly roll pan too. Bake at the 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. In my oven, this usually takes 18 minutes for doubling the portion.
If you don't want to double the recipe, your cake sheet will come out thinner using a jelly roll pan if you're okay with that. I haven't tried baking a single portion so can't say the exact baking time, but I would check around the 6 minute mark for doneness.
Sheris
Hi Victoria, im planning to make this cake for an event 2-3 days in advance, do you have any advice on that?
veenaazmanov
This is mouthwateringly delicious. A great strawberry cake with juicy strawberries!
Michelle
This cake was so light and delicious, it was a hit at Easter!
Sophie
Hi Jamie!
I actually made this cake for Christmas last year and forgot to leave a comment! I was looking around the internet for some dinner inspiration and came across your blog again (we are making your yaki udon for dinner!) I thought it was about time I left you a comment on this delicious recipe.
It was the perfect festive dessert, and I am going to make it again for Easter! The texture of the cake is just so good.
Many thanks, Sophie
Jamie
Aww thank you Sophie! That's a great idea making this for Easter. It's great for any holidays really. 🙂
Marie-Charlotte Chatelain
This cake recipe is perfect for Mother's day! How pretty those layers look! Super tempting
Tara
This is one of my favorite cakes to pick up from the local bakery during Christmas. Yours looks absolutely gorgeous! Such an amazing texture paired with the strawberries and whipped cream frosting. Yum!
Jamie
Thanks Tara! I make this cake for Christmas every year so we've enjoyed it during the holidays too!
Diana
Wow! This recipe had a lot of great ratings and comments, which definitely appealed to me making it, I have to say… and I can now honestly say that it is worth all of the 5 star ratings. I am not a confident baker, but your helpful tips and process photos made this much easier than I ever would have thought, so thank you! My daughter and I loved making this cake together and eating it of course too! It is just so delicious.
Jamie
Thanks Diana! That's great to hear you and your daughter love this cake! I'm so glad you found the tips to be helpful! 🙂
Kim
Wow, this is a showstopper! Love this cake and how beautiful it turns out every time.
San
Hi, I haven’t tried but it does look so delicious that I really want to try!!! I only have a 9 inch cake pan. Would it become too thin if I used your measurement? Thanks! Couldn’t wait to try it.
Jamie
Hi San! I haven't tried this in a 9 inch pan so can't say for sure but an 8 inch pan is about 89% of the volume of a 9 inch pan so that might help give an idea of how thin it might be.
Miranda
This came out so delicious and soft!! Seriously it was really good with the whipped cream and berries. I used raspberries and blueberries on top with strawberries inside the layers. Amazing!
Amy
Can I use two extra large eggs Instead of 3.
Tomoko
Hello, I only have a 10-inch cake pan. Should I just double the recipe? Thank you!
Lisa
This looks delicious! I can't wait to try making this.
I own a 9in cake pan so I searched to see how much serving can fit in different cake pan sizes. This recipe has enough batter for one 8in pan (6cups) or two 6in pans (8cups). A 9in pan can fit 8cups of batter. Since a two 6in pans and one 9in pan can both fit 8cups of batter, will 1x of this recipe be enough for my 9in pan?
Thank you!
Jay
My cake rose nicely but then deflated A LOT after I took it out of the oven. I don’t have a round cake tin so I baked it in a 9x5in loaf pan. Do you know what might have caused the cake to deflate so much? What should I fix for next time?
Jamie
Hi Jay! So sorry to hear that. I'd love to help you troubleshoot this. A few questions: What kind of loaf pan was it - nonstick or un-coated? Were the sides and bottom of the pan lined with parchment paper? This helps the cake have something to 'cling' to while it rises so the cake keeps its height and stays fluffy.
Besides that, there's a few reasons why this can happen: fluctuations in oven temperature during the baking process, opening the oven door too soon, not enough bake time, or expired baking powder.
I'd recommend getting an oven thermometer for accuracy and measuring out the flour using a kitchen scale. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!
Mary
Hello Jamie,
This was the first time that I had baked a cake using cake flour and I was amazed at the difference it made! You are right, it gives the cake such a better, light texture.
We really enjoyed this recipe. I love whipped cream and think it goes so well with berries. The whole thing just works SO well. I didn’t have avocado oil, so I used grapeseed oil, and it worked really well!
Best, Mary
Jamie
Thanks Mary! I'm so glad to hear that! Yes the cake flour makes a huge difference indeed!
Karen
Hi!! I'm about to make this right now!! Do I need to double the recipe to use two 8 inch cake pans?
Jamie
Hi Karen! I'm sorry I just saw this. Yes, I would use two 8 inch cake pans if you're going to double the recipe. Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Addison
This cake is so delicious and stunning! It's perfect for spring and summer when fresh strawberries are in season!
Allie
Hi~ Looking forward to trying this, it looks amazing! Just wanted to make sure the 1/2 c. of cake flour measurement is correct? I'm no expert baker, but that seems small for two cake layers. Thanks!
Jamie
Hi Allie! Yes it's 1/2 cup of cake flour or 65g. 🙂 It may not seem like a lot but this amount of flour is typical for these light, airy sponge cakes that's mostly leavened with beaten eggs.
This recipe makes enough for one 8 inch round pan or two 6 inch round pans, so the cakes are on the smaller side. If you prefer, you can double the recipe (which I've done in the past) and it would still come out great! Hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions!
Allie
Thank you! I prefer a smaller cake. I only had a 9-inch pan, which made it on the thinner side ... but it was light and delicious like the Asian bakery cakes!
Jamie
Thanks Allie! Glad you enjoyed it. Asian bakery cakes are my favorite! 🙂
Michelle Lim
Hi
Can I use 9inch pan instead? What's the adjustment for the ingredients for a 9-inch pan? Tks
Jamie
Hi Michelle! I haven't made this recipe in a 9 inch pan so can't say for sure but the recipe is enough for one 8 inch pan. If my calculations are correct, an 8 inch pan would be about 89% of the volume of a 9 inch pan, assuming a constant height of 3 inches. So I would think you can still make this in a 9 inch pan but it wouldn't be as tall since the batter would spread out more in the larger pan.
Tuanh
Hi, I'm looking to make this for mother's day and transporting it around 30 mins (weather has been averaging 70 degrees Fahrenheit) will the whipped frosting hold up for the car ride?
Jamie
Hi Tuanh! Sorry I just saw this. I haven't tried transporting it in that weather but I think if the car is cool and it's kept in an insulated container next to some ice packs, it should be okay. I would also keep it in the fridge right before leaving.