Recipe: Japanese Strawberry shortcake

Over the past few weeks, I have been on a hunt for strawberries. Back when I was living in the UK, it used to be so easy to get my hands on some good strawberries, with reasonable price too (and I do mean easy, I could get them right across the street!). Anyhow, now that I am back home, my cravings for those lovely jewel-like berries are getting harder to satisfy. Now don't get me wrong, we do have fairly good strawberries here, mostly imported, thus sky-high price and me emptying my wallet while damping the cashier counter with my blood and tears (lol I kid).

Thankfully, with much endurance, I was able to find some fairly priced and beautiful Korean Strawberries. They were not the biggest nor the most eye-catching ones, but hey, they were good enough for me. 

Finally!

Look, so pretty.

Oh, did I mention the reason for my strawberries hunting (?) was because I wanted to make a strawberry shortcake? Yeap, strawberry shortcake! I had tons of fun making the cake and even more fun eating it. I could say that I was making it to celebrate Valentines day with my family, but I'd be lyin' if I do. We do not need a reason to bake, we just bake it. Period. Anyways, enjoy the recipe and let me know what you think!

ps: The tin that I used for the three-tiered cake is a fairly small 12cm tin. I have poured the rest of the cake batter into another square tin but do note that this recipe is suitable for one 18cm cake tin.

Find recipe after the photos.

A basic Genoise cake

Fancy for a piece?

Strawberry Shortcake

A square-shaped strawberry shortcake with some chocolate shavings, equally delicious!

Japanese Strawberry Shortcake

Recipe by Ashley Ooi

Easy to bake and delicious Japanese Strawberry Shortcake.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 1/2 hours (including decorating time)

Ingredients

The Genoise cake:

• 115g Cake Flour
• 3 Eggs
• 120g Granulated sugar
• 30g Unsalted butter
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 45ml Milk

Syrup:

• 30g Granulated sugar
• 15g Water

Fresh Cream:

• 500ml Whipping Cream
• 50g Granulated sugar

Decorations:

• 20 Medium-sized Strawberries
• 1 tbsp Apricot jam
• 1 tsp Water

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 175°c. Line the cake tin’s base with parchment paper. 
2. Sift the cake flour and set aside.
3. In the mixing bowl, add eggs and sugar and beat with an electric hand mixer over a boiling pot of water until they are melted.
4. Remove bowl from the water and continue whisking until the admixture turns creamy-white color and has a silky texture.
5. Add sifted flour and fold into the mixture. Add butter, warm milk and vanilla extract and mix them well. 
6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30 minutes until cooked. To test if the cake is well cooked, stab a toothpick or chopstick into the cake. The cake is done if it comes up dry.
7. Remove cake from the tin without peeling the baking paper off. Set aside to cool.
8. To make fresh cream, whisk whipping cream and sugar using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
9. Slice top of the cake off. Divide it into two layers. Place the first layer on a cake stand. Brush syrup on top of the cake.
10. Spread whipped cream on top of the cake and fill the cream layer by placing the strawberry (cut into 1cm) on  top. Spread whipped cream over the strawberries again.
11. Repeat the steps for the second layer of cake.
12. Frost the whole cake with whipped cream. Decorate the cake with whole strawberries. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set the cream.
13. Serve in pieces and enjoy! 

Love, 

Ashley

Rice Cooker Cake Recipes: Pink Velvet Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting!

Have you ever had that sudden urge to bake a cake in the middle of the day, and you actually made it ever so randomly? I know I have, and this cake was the perfect example of it. To be fair, I have been looking for an opportunity (or excuse, you might say) to try baking a pink velvet cake using only a rice cooker, and what occasion could be more appropriate than Valentines day itself, right? Even though I did not technically have any 'special someone' to spend the day with, I have decided to make the cake and enjoy it with the love of my life, my ever wonderful family. The cake turned out really well and I had so much fun making it. 

Pink and fluffy cake with soft and creamy lemon frosting

Since I did not have any buttermilk in hand, I had to make it myself. To make your own buttermilk, just add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into 1 cup of milk, wait for it to do its magic for 10 minutes, and voila! you have buttermilk.

This recipe was adapted from the ever lovely Abeer from cakewhiz.com, but instead of her delicious strawberry frosting, I have decided to go with my very own lemon cream cheese frosting, just as a personal twist. Also, rather than using 1 cup of butter for the cake, I have put in my own twist by cutting down the butter to 1/2 cup and replace it with 1/2 cup of coconut oil. 

Overall, I really like this recipe and I am so glad that my family loved it too. Hope you had a great Valentines day and maybe next year you can make this cake for your special someone!

Here is the recipe!

Pink Velvet Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Ashley Ooi (adapted from cakewhiz with a few personal twist)

Learn how to make a pink velvet cake, with a rice cooker!

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes (including cooling and decorating time)
Ingredients

The Cake

• 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 3 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• A few drops Rose Pink Gel Colouring

The Frosting

• 2 (8 ounce) packages Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup Butter (softened)
• 2 cups Icing Sugar
• 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Lemon Zests
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cooking Directions

The Cake

1. In a bowl, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add in eggs one by one and mix well.
3. Add in coconut oil and mix again.
4. In another bowl, add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, mix well.
5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture by batch, alternate by adding buttermilk in between. Mix well after each addition until the batter is smooth and silky.
6. Add in the colouring and adjust the shade according to your preference.
7. Slightly oil the rice cooker and pour the batter in.
8. Smooth the surface and lightly tap the pot to remove air bubbles from the batter.
9. Set the rice cooker to cake function and press the start button.
10. Once the cake is done, wait for it to cool down.
11. Carefully cut the cake into half horizontally.
12. Spread frosting on the cake and put the other layer on top. Frost the cake to your preference. Decorate with sprinkles.
13. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before eating.

The Frosting

1. Cream the cream cheese with an electric mixer.
2. Add in butter and mix until soft and fluffy.
3. Add in the lemon juice and zest and mix again.
4. Add in sugar and vanilla extract, mix well.
5. Once everything are well incorporated, turn the mixer to the highest speed and mix the frosting for 10 seconds to get a light and fluffy frosting.

Love, 

Ashley

Rice Cooker Cake Recipes: Marble Butter Cake

Ever since I was a kid, butter cake has a special place in my heart. I am not sure why, but every time I see the tightly wrapped piece of cake in a cake store, my first instinct would be to buy it like there is no tomorrow. Now that I am older, there are times where I would still be craving for it but nonetheless be too lazy to go out just for a piece of cake, and my desire to bake it myself has unfortunately not been reciprocated because well, I do not own an oven.

That's when it hits me, a rice cooker. Of course! A rice cooker! As a proud Asian, I know that a rice cooker would not fail me, even in baking. So I have decided to bake a Marble Butter cake (20% for experiment purpose, and 80% purely from the determination to eat a cake). It was fairly easy to make and the result was surprisingly good. To say that I was excited would be an understatement.

The cake turned out super moist and buttery, with a hint of bittersweet chocolate from the cocoa powder. Friendly tips though, the texture of the cake does vary when it is in a different temperature. It would be slightly denser when warm but no doubt at its moistest state, and slightly dryer and lighter when you place it in the fridge for a few hours/overnight. Personally I prefer eating the cake chilled as it has more of that store-bought feel to it, but with such a versatile cake, it is up to you to decide how you like it best, really.  

So there you go, a cake made with a rice cooker. I am super happy with the result and I can't wait to make many more! Below is the recipe, do let me know what you think!

   

Rice Cooker Marble Butter Cake

Recipe by Ashley Ooi

Moist and buttery marble cake, made with a rice cooker!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 2 hours (including cooling time)
Ingredients

• 200g Self-raising flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 150g Brown sugar
• 250g Butter (salted)
• 1 tsp Vanilla essence
• 3 Eggs
• 2 tbsp Cocoa powder
• 30ml Milk

Cooking Directions

1. Make sure the butter is in room temperature.
2. Beat butter and sugar with a electric mixer until it becomes soft and fluffy.
3. Add in one egg and beat with mixer, repeat for the second and third egg.
4. Mix until creamy.
5. Add in vanilla essence and mix again.
6. Sift flour and baking powder in a bowl, add into the butter mixture.
7. Fold the mixture carefully with a spatula.
8. Add milk and fold until no lumps present.
9. Take out 1/3 of the batter, fold in cocoa powder until well combined.
10. Slightly grease the rice cooker pot.
11. Put in one scoop of the pale batter in the middle of the pot, then a scoop of chocolate batter on top of it. Continue piling with the same pattern to achieve the swirl.
12. Choose the 'Cake' function on your rice cooker, and press 'cook'. Use a toothpick to check doneness. 
13. Once the cake is done, take out your pot and let the cake rest for 1 hour (minimum 30 minutes if you really can't wait any longer).
14. Once cooled, flip the cake out and Enjoy!