Japanese Christmas cake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 70 g rice flour
• 4 m.-sized eggs
• 70 g sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 300 ml cream
• 250 g strawberries
• 50 g sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Kurisumasukeki

Separate the eggs. Place the egg yolks in a bowl. Set the egg whites aside. Add half of the sugar to the egg yolks and beat with a whisk until frothy. Gradually stir in the oil. Then add the water, a spoonful at a time. Mix the rice flour with the baking powder and gradually sift it into the egg yolk mixture, mixing well. Place the egg whites in a deep bowl and beat with a hand mixer until frothy. Then add the remaining sugar and beat on high speed until a knife cut remains. Carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. Pour the batter into a greased 18 cm springform pan and bake at 180°C (convection oven) for 40-45 minutes. It’s important to keep an eye on the batter, especially at the beginning. As soon as it starts to turn brown—after about 10 minutes—cover the cake base with aluminum foil to prevent it from burning! When the baking time is up, do the toothpick test—if no batter sticks to it when you pull it out, the cake is done. Allow to cool completely. Then cut the cooled cake base horizontally into two slices. Whip the whipped cream. When it’s almost stiff, add the sugar and whip until stiff. Wash the strawberries, removing the stems and leaves. Drain well. Cut 100g of strawberries into pieces and mix with 4 tablespoons of the whipped cream. Spread the mixture on one of the cake layers. Place the other on top. Spread the remaining cream over the cake and around the edges. Decorate with the remaining strawberries and other decorations. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Of course, you can also use other fruits; I’ve adapted them several times: I’ve used cherries and tangerines. You can also color the dough for additional effects.