Christmas cake - Japanese Christmas cake
In Japan, the Fraisier (also known as Shortcake) represents the Christmas dessert. Also called “Kurisumasu keki”, it’s the symbol of this anniversary in a land where this holiday is seen only on the consumerist side. Its origins date back to the immediate post-war period, a period of great difficulty for Japan. Christmas celebrated in the West becomes immediately assimilated in the Japanese imagination as a dream of wealth and peace. The fraiser becomes the symbol of sharing during the winter, in fact they eat a slice apiece. The red and white colors refer to the national flag and the strawberries are clearly a symbol of well-being.
CAKE INGREDIENTS - 80 gr flour for cakes - 1 baking powder sachet - 3 eggs - 1 tablespoon milk - 25 gr butter
SYRUP INGREDIENTS - 50 gr granulated sugar - 100 ml water - 1 tablespoon cherry liqueur
DECORATION - 30 gr icing sugar - 300 ml fresh cream to mount (keep in the refrigerator until use) - 300 gr fresh strawberries
PREPARATION - Heat the oven to 160 ° C, line the cake mold with baking paper. - Melt the butter with the milk in a bain-marie. - Sift together the flour with the baking powder in a bowl. - In another bowl beat the eggs with a mixer for 1 minute at low speed. Add half the sugar and continue to beat for another minute, then add the rest of the sugar. Beat until it reaches the maximum speed for 5 minutes, until the mixture is frothy. - Turn off the mixer and work the mixture by hand with a whisk for 2 minutes. - Incorporate half of the flour with a spatula, working from the bottom upwards to prevent the mixture from losing volume. Then add the rest of the flour, continuing to mix in the same way. - Add the butter with the milk gently and mix in the same way. - Put the mixture in the mold and cook at 160 ° C for 35 minutes. - Once cooked, beat the cake to let the air out, then remove from the mold and cool on a wire rack. - When the cake is completely cold, cut it horizontally to obtain two discs. - Put the water with the sugar in a saucepan. - When the sugar has melted, add the cherry liqueur. Allow to cool. - Take the cream from the refrigerator, add the icing sugar and whip with electric whisk. - Brush the two disks and the top of the cake with the syrup. - Put the whipped cream with the sliced strawberries on each disc. - Cover the whole whipped cream cake with a spatula. Decorate the top with the help of a pastry bag and the remaining strawberries.