I have been wanting to do a slight variation to the Strawberry shortcake. Strawberry Shortcake has for the recent years, been our family’s favorite birthday cake. Just that I have been making the same Strawberry shortcake for some time already. I am a fan of custard, so I thought, perhaps marry both Strawberry Shortcake together with Custard Cream, it should not taste too bad.
I bake the sponge cake using 燙麵法 (Tang Mian Fa) methodology, please refer to my previous blog here for more info.
After I bake the sponge cake, I am actually using a 6″ cake tin size (as shown in pic). But I am recommending using a 7″ cake tin size below as the 6″ cake tin resulted in sponge cake being too tall, means we are eating more sponge cake than the cream or strawberries, which is not what kids prefer. The sponge cake is super soft, moist and cottony. It goes well with the custard cream and strawberries.
The only grouse my kids have were, why are there so little strawberries? The cake was gone by the next day, as usual…..
Strawberry Custard Cream Shortcake Recipe (7″ cake tin)
Sponge cake recipe adapted from Josephine’s recipes.
(Preparation time: 1 hour. For 3 – 4 pax)
Sponge Cake Ingredients
5 small eggs (or 4 medium/large eggs)
71 grams butter
8 tbsp milk (or you can use soy milk with no sugar)
2 tbsp caster sugar (original recipe is 4 tbsp)
12 tbsp cake flour (sifted twice)
1/4 tsp salt (original recipe is 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
4 tbsp caster sugar (original recipe is 8 tbsp)
Sponge Cake Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 140 oC.
- Line the base of cake tin with grease proof paper.
- Separate the egg yokes from egg whites.
- In a separate saucepan under low heat, add soy milk, butter and 2 tbsp sugar to it. Use a manual hand whisk to whisk the mixture until the sugar and butter has melted. Remove from heat.
- Slowly add the egg yokes, one by one, to the saucepan and use the hand whisk to whisk and mix, until all the egg yokes are well combined with the mixture.
- Slowly sift in the cake flour and salt. Use the hand whisk to whisk into a sticky mixture.
- In the separate bowl containing egg whites, add in Cream of Tartar. Use electric beater to beat the egg whites until it gets foamy. Then slowly add in the 4 tbsp sugar in batches as you continue to beat the egg whites until soft, firm peaks are formed.
- Use a spatula to scoop some egg whites into the egg yokes mixture, mixed well. Then slowly pour the egg yokes mixture back to the egg whites mixture, use spatula to mix well until combined.
- Pour the mixture into cake tin. Bake the sponge cake in water bath (In the oven, place a tray with hot water, and this cake tin be put onto this tray while it is being baked).
- Bake for 40 mins. Once the sponge cake is baked, off the oven heat, leave the sponge cake to cool down in the oven for another 15 mins.
Custard Cream Ingredient
1/2 cup custard powder
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/4 cup whip cream
2 tsp gelatin + 6 tsp water
Custard Cream Method
- Combine custard powder and 1/4 cup milk, stir together until smooth.
- Heat up a saucepan, pour in the custard powder mixture (above), the rest of milk and sugar. Keep stirring constantly until the custard thickens to the consistency you prefer. Let it cool down.
- Sprinkle gelatin into the water and let it rest for a few minutes. Then put the gelatin liquid in a hot water bath, stir until the gelatin melts. Set aside and let it cool down.
- Use a beater to whip the cream until soft, firm peaks are form. Add in the custard and cooled down gelatin liquid. Use spatula to combine.
To Assemble
- Cut the Sponge cake into 2 halves or 3 equal parts.
- Put strawberries by the side and in the middle of the cake. Then pour the custard cream on top of the strawberries. Freeze in freezer compartment for 2 hours. This is to firm up the custard cream.
- Take out from freezer, put the other halve of the sponge cake on top of the custard cream. Put back to the fridge for another 4 hours before serving.
