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Name: Cotton Japanese Cheesecake without the Cracks
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h 10 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients: Regular kitchen supplies PLUS:; 7" cake ring or springform pan*; sieve; large baking pan for water bath; parchment paper; aluminum foil; 6 egg whites, room temp; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar*; 100 grams granulated sugar; 30 grams cake flour*; 10 grams cornstarch*; 225 grams cream cheese*, room temp; 40 grams butter, unsalted, room temp; 40 ml full fat milk, warmed; 6 egg yolks, room temp

Cotton Japanese Cheesecake without Cracks

Nov 19, 2024 · 2 Comments

Soft and creamy Japanese cotton cheesecake made using simple instructions that anyone can master. Tastes just like the ones at the Japanese bakeries.

Japanese cheesecake is shown on a plate on a table ready to serve, flanked by eggs and milk.

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I really love the simplicity of Japanese Cotton Cheesecakes because they taste delicious without any additional frostings or decorations. It's a lighter cake that is perfect after heavier meals. And trust me, many hosts will be delighted to receive one as a hostess gift. I first published different versions of this classic Japanese dessert in these flavors: Earl Grey Japanese Cheesecake and Chocolate Japanese Cheesecake.

That was many years ago and I must say, I have learned a lot more about making cheesecakes and cakes in general after taking professional pastry classes in my free time. Besides loving the lighter nature of this type of cheesecake, I was really intrigued by the technical aspects of how to prevent it from cracking and shrinking. After many attempts at baking them again and again in my home oven with a variety of different baking conditions and ingredient ratios, I am happy to present this final version to you. I hope this recipe will help you make the same Japanese cheesecakes that you can find at the bakery.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Light & Fluffy - a lighter cheesecake that's perfect for tea time or after big meals
Simple - cheesecake that tastes amazing on it's own without frosting
Year-round dessert - made with year-round ingredients for every occasion

What Does Japanese Cheesecake Taste Like?

Firstly, Japanese cheesecakes in general are known to be soft and creamy, unlike their counterpart, the New York cheesecake which is denser. The Japanese version is usually known for it's soufflé-like properties. Just like soufflé, it's leavened by egg whites, making this type of cheesecake wobbly and light textured, similar to a chiffon cake when it first comes out of the oven. After setting in the fridge, it has a firmer and creamier texture. Taste-wise, it doesn't have any sour taste because it doesn't contain sour cream. Instead, the natural flavors of milk and eggs come through, especially with recipes that don't contain vanilla. And like many Japanese desserts, it's also less sweet.

Top down view showing the ingredients needed for Japanese cotton cheesecake.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Wet Mix for Batter

Cream cheese - Use block style cream cheese, do not use cream cheese spread as it will be too soft to use in this recipe. I prefer Philadelphia brand for it's consistent results in baking.
Butter - adds richness to the cheesecake, it should be unsalted
Full fat milk - can be substituted with heavy cream for a richer flavor. Avoid using lower fat milks as they don't have a nice rich flavor.
Egg yolks - from large eggs should be at room temperature for better incorporation

Dry Mix for Batter

Cake flour - is a low protein flour that minimizes gluten formation, yielding a softer fluffier cake. It usually has a protein content between 6-8% while pastry flour, also a lower protein flour, has a protein content between 8-9%. Cake flour is usually sold as a blend in grocery stores labelled as "cake and pastry flour". It can be substituted with AP flour in an equal amounts but the cake will be less soft and fluffy.
Cornstarch - keeps the protein level in the cake low to make it softer. It is white and fine, not the same as corn flour. It can be substituted with cake flour in equal amounts.

Meringue

Egg whites (large size) - are the main leavening agent, it will whip better at room temperature. How much it comes to volume will determine how much your cake rises.
Cream of tartar - is an acid that helps to stabilize the egg whites, it can be replaced with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.
Granulated sugar - provides structure to the meringue and adds sweetness to the cheesecake.

What Type of Cake Pans Should I Use?

To release Japanese cheesecakes from the pan without ruining it's appearance, a cake pan with an open bottom is ideal. Japanese cheesecakes are soft and jiggly making them difficult to remove like regular cake. Either a cake ring or springform pan will allow you to remove the pan by pulling it away from the cake once it's rested on a presentation surface. I personally prefer to use cake rings as it was what we used in professional pastry classes. Cake rings have no breakable parts making them ideal for washing and long term usage.

If you only have traditional cake pans with a solid bottom, you can use that as well. Use a sharp edge knife to release the cake from the sides, place a piece of parchment paper over the top of the finished cake and turn the cake upside down. Then place a plate on the bottom of the cake and flip it over once again.

Can I Use a Different Sized Pan?

This recipe was written for a 7" cake ring that is 3" tall but you can also use a six or eight inch ring. For the 6" cake ring (at least 3" tall), reduce all the ingredients by 20% (the egg works outs to total 5 yolks and 5 egg whites). Do not fill up the pan all the way with batter, allow at least half an inch for expansion and there will still be some leftover batter for a cupcake. For the 8" cake ring, you can use the same amounts in this recipe but the cake will be shorter.

It can also be baked in mini cake rings or a cupcake pan lined with paper. I like the latter as it can be placed in a water bath easily without worrying about water seepage. No matter which size pan you choose, note that the baking times will change, it's important to use visual cues to gauge doneness - a nice golden color on the top and an internal temperature of 150F.

Are Water Baths Needed for Japanese Cheesecakes?

Japanese cheesecakes are usually baked using a water bath technique whereby the cake pan rests inside a pan of hot water during baking. The water helps keep the baking environment moist so the top of the cheesecake won't dry out and crack. Additionally, the water provides even gentle heat all around the cake to help it bake nice and slow for a better texture and to further stop cracks from forming. In class, we were taught to use water baths for baking our cheesecakes but I have tried baking this cake at home without it as well. I found that the tops and sides were thicker and drier without the water bath, plus it shrank and cracked. After shrinkage, the resulting cake was unpleasantly dense. If you're more picky about the appearance and texture of your cheesecake, I would highly recommend using a water bath.

Why Does My Cheesecake Have a Crack?

Poor temperature control and a meringue that is too stiff can cause this soufflé-style cake to crack and shrink. Know that it's okay for the cake to have cracks, it's more important to have a fully cooked cake than one that hasn't fully set due to under baking. If you're more picky about your Japanese cheesecake's appearance, here are some tips to prevent cracks:

Only beat the meringue to the firm peaks stage - the points hold their shape but falls over.
Use an external oven thermometer to keep track of the two different baking temperatures required.
Use the water bath as outlined above to provide even heating.
Start baking with a low temperature first and then increase it at the end. You can slowly increase it by 25F increments to obtain the final rise and browned top.
Leave the finished cake inside the oven with the door slightly ajar for an hour to reduce temperature shock.

A whole Japanese cheesecake is shown on a beautiful presentation plate with some pastry boxes and plates around it.

What are The Best Toppings for this Cake?

The beauty of Japanese cheesecakes is its simplicity. Tasting scrumptious all on its own, they are usually served by itself without any toppings or condiments. Sometimes they are topped with a thin layer of apricot jam and a dusting of icing sugar with some fresh berries on the side. If you really want to add some extra icing on top for decorations, I recommend using something like a stabilized whipped cream because its lighter texture is better suited for this type of light cheesecake. A popular method to change up the flavor of this cake is to flavor the cake body only by adding matcha green tea powder or lemon zest to the dry mix, or sesame paste to the wet mix.

How To Store & Freeze Japanese Cheesecakes

After cooling, Japanese cheesecakes need to be refrigerated in an air-tight container where it will stay fresh for up to 5 days. It can be frozen but similar to its main ingredient, cream cheese, the texture will become a little more grainy. The flavor will stay the same, it will just be a bit less creamy and smooth (noticeable only through my side-by-side tasting). It's a decent compromise if you really need to make this cake in advance.

Step By Step Photos

PRE-HEAT OVEN to 250F and have a pot of hot water ready. PREP: Grease the sides of the cake pan with butter. Line bottom with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom and sides with aluminum foil to prevent water seepage. PREPARE WET MIX: Add room temperature cream cheese and butter to a heat-proof bowl. Hang over a pot of boiling water (do not let bowl touch water). Stir together until it becomes a creamy mixture. Right before taking off the heat, add the warmed milk and stir together until it looks smooth and uniformed.

A collage of photos showing cream cheese, butter and milk being heated in a glass bowl over a pot of hot water. — **TIP**: microwave the cream cheese and butter on low at 15 second intervals to bring it to room temperature. This will help it incorporate together more readily. The milk should be warmed to prevent clumping once it's introduced.

Turn off heat and pour the mixture through a sieve to remove large lumps. The mixture should be at room temperature now. Add the room temperature egg yolks one at a time and stir until it's incorporated.

A collage of photos showing egg yolks being incorporated into the cheesecake batter, the mixture is now yellow and smooth. — **TIP**: the eggs should also be at room temperature too. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, soak the unshelled egg in a cup of very warm water.

PREPARE DRY MIX: In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cornstarch, mix to evenly disperse ingredients. INCORPORATE DRY & WET ingredients together. With a whisk, gently stir together until no traces of flour is visible. Set this batter aside.

A collage of photos showing dry ingredients being introduced into the batter and then stirred. — **TIP**: stop stirring once there is no more traces of flour, over mixing increases gluten-formation, resulting in a tougher cake.

MAKE MERINGUE: With a handheld mixer or stand mixer, whip the room temperature egg whites on low-speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium-low and whip until the beaters leave tracks inside the egg whites. Add the sugar a little bit at a time. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until firm peaks (see photo below). Do NOT overwhip. This is now called the meringue.

A collage of photos showing egg whites being beaten until foamy and then at the soft peaks stage while sugar is added. — **TIP FOR MERINGUE**: When the bubbles are big and foamy, it's time to add the cream of tartar, once the bubbles size decreases and the egg whites look opaque, add the sugar. Always start on low speed so that the bubbles created are stable and won't collapse during baking, leading to collapsed cakes.

Beaters have meringue that is hanging from it, the meringue has points that droops. — **VISUAL CUE**: the meringue has reached the firm peaks stage once the points can hold it's shape but droops down on itself.

FOLD MERINGUE INTO BATTER in 3 additions. Fold gently, do not stir. Place the prepared cake pan into the larger water bath pan. POUR CAKE BATTER: into the cake pan, leaving half an inch for expansion. Tap the large water bath pan once on the counter to release any large air pockets inside the cake batter. POUR HOT WATER (not boiling) into the water bath pan, about halfway up the cake pan.

A collage of photos showing egg whites being folded into the cheesecake batter, the batter is now smooth and light yellow. — **TIP**: Use a gentle folding technique, sweeping the spatula through the mixture from top to bottom and then cutting through the center. A big flexible spatula is preferred for this to prevent overfolding.

A collage of photos showing Japanese cheesecake batter being poured into a cake pan that is resting in a water bath. — **TIP**: do not skip the water bath. It will provide gentle consistent heat to prevent cracks and shrinkage. The water should be hot but not boiling. Remember to place the cake pan inside the big pan before pouring in the water.

BAKE: Carefully transfer the pan onto the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes. You'll see a moderate rise of the cake at this time. INCREASE TEMPERATURE to 300 F and bake for another 30 minutes until the top of the cheesecake is golden.* TURN OFF OVEN and leave the door slightly ajar. Let the cake sit inside the water bath in the oven for another hour before removing cake. This will prevent shrinkage and cracking from temperature shocks.

Recipe

Yield: 6 slices

Cotton Japanese Cheesecake without the Cracks

Soft and creamy Japanese cotton cheesecake made using simple instructions that anyone can master. Tastes just like the ones at the Japanese bakeries.

Active Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Rest 1 hour

Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Wet Mix

225 grams cream cheese*, room temp
40 grams butter, unsalted, room temp
40 ml full fat milk, warmed
6 egg yolks, room temp

Dry Mix

30 grams cake flour*
10 grams cornstarch*

Meringue

6 egg whites, room temp
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar*
100 grams granulated sugar

Supplies

Regular kitchen supplies PLUS:
7" cake ring or springform pan*
sieve
large baking pan for water bath
parchment paper
aluminum foil

Instructions

PRE-HEAT OVEN: to 250F and have a pot of hot water ready.
PREP: Grease the sides of the cake pan with butter. Line bottom with parchment paper. Wrap the bottom and sides with aluminum foil to prevent water seepage.
PREPARE WET MIX: Add room temperature cream cheese and butter to a heat-proof bowl. Hang over a pot of boiling water (do not let bowl touch water). Stir together until it becomes a creamy mixture (see step by step photos in post body).
Right before taking off the heat, add the warmed milk and stir together until it looks smooth and uniformed.
Turn off heat and pour the mixture through a sieve to remove large lumps. The mixture should be at room temperature now.
Add the room temperature egg yolks one at a time and stir until it's incorporated.
PREPARE DRY MIX: In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cornstarch, mix to evenly disperse ingredients.
INCORPORATE DRY & WET ingredients together. With a whisk, gently stir together until no traces of flour is visible. Set this batter aside.
MAKE MERINGUE. With a handheld mixer or stand mixer, whip the room temperature egg whites on low-speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium-low and whip until the beaters leave tracks inside the egg whites. Add the sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until firm peaks.* Do NOT overwhip. This is now called the meringue.
FOLD MERINGUE INTO BATTER in 3 additions. Fold gently, do not stir.
Place the prepared cake pan into the larger water bath pan.
POUR CAKE BATTER: into the cake pan, leaving half an inch for expansion. Tap the large water bath pan once on the counter to release any large air pockets inside the cake batter.
POUR HOT WATER (not boiling) into the water bath pan, about halfway up the cake pan.
BAKE: Carefully transfer the pan onto the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes. You'll see a moderate rise of the cake at this time.
INCREASE TEMPERATURE to 300 F and bake for another 30 minutes until the top of the cheesecake is golden.*
TURN OFF OVEN and leave the door slightly ajar. Let the cake sit inside the water bath in the oven for another hour before removing cake. This will prevent shrinkage and cracking from temperature shocks.
Remove cake from pan and place it in an air-tight container in the fridge. It can be eaten fresh but the texture will be firmer once it settles in the fridge after 3 hours. Japanese cheesecake will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the fridge.

Notes

Use block style cream cheese for baking. Do not use cream cheese spread as it will be too soft to use in this recipe. I prefer Philadelphia brand for it's consistent results in baking.
Cake flour is a low protein flour that minimizes gluten formation, yielding a softer fluffier cake. It is usually sold as a blend in grocery stores labelled as "cake and pastry flour". It can be substituted with AP flour in an equal amount but the cake will be less fluffy.
Cornstarch keeps the protein level low to make the cake soft. It is white and fine, not the same as corn flour. It can be substituted with cake flour in equal amounts.
Cream of tartar is an acid that helps to stabilize the egg whites, it can be replaced with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.
Cake ring should be at least 3" tall to allow for cake expansion. Other pan types and sizes can be used, refer to post body.
Firm peaks stage in meringue is reached when the points of the meringue hold their shape but folds over on itself.
TOP TIPS: To ensure a smooth, lump free batter, use room temperature ingredients. See step by step photos to get visual cues at each stage.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 646Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 15gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 296mgSodium 396mgCarbohydrates 68gFiber 0gSugar 51gProtein 12g

This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although indulgewithmimi.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

3D Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes without a Mold

Sep 24, 2024 · Leave a Comment

3D Mini pumpkin spice cupcakes using an easy 2 bowl method. Stable at room temperature and perfectly portioned for Halloween and Thanksgiving parties.

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I really wanted to make mini 3D Pumpkin Cupcakes for our Halloween party this year. After hosting several holiday parties last year, I realized that I preferred our dessert table to have mini-sized treats that were room-temperature stable in order to provide perfect portions for our guests and ensure food safety.

These mini pumpkin spice cupcakes were adapted from a recipe on my blogger pal and cake master, Olivia's LivforCake site. I tend to make lighter, more airy Asian-style baked goods like Japanese cake rolls and Asian bakery fruit cakes. I knew that these stand-alone pumpkin cupcakes would need a sturdier construction and I thought of Olivia's specialty right away: layered cakes. Her original Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake recipe adapted wonderfully for these mini cupcakes. I'm excited to showcase these on our dessert table this Halloween (and possibly Thanksgiving dinner too). Try it and let me know how it goes, I would love to hear from you.

XOXO,
Mimi

Inside shot of a pumpkin cupcake showing the moist crumbs inside.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy - Using the 2-bowl Method, simply, stir, pour and bake.
Delicious all on its own - no need for big heaps of frosting
Festive - cute 3D pumpkin look that you can use as gifts and table settings.
Party portioned - perfect size for Halloween parties & Thanksgiving dinner
Stable at room temperature - great for dessert tables, school and gifts.

What Do These Pumpkin Cupcakes Taste Like?

These cupcakes are full of pumpkin and spice flavors. It has a moderately-strong sweetness level (stronger if using the optional caramel sauce). The texture tends towards the dense and moist side. The flavor and texture help it work as a stand-alone cupcake, as a loaf cake or in a layer cake.

Ingredients for pumpkin cupcakes are laid out on a counter top.

Ingredients for decorating buttercream is laid out on a table. — **TIP**: I blended a little bit of black with green to make the bright green color more muted. It was a better match to the darker colors in the pumpkin cupcakes.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes

All-purpose flour - is a versatile flour with a mid-rage protein content between 10-12%. It can be substituted with cake flour, the cupcakes will be softer and looser.
Baking powder - leavening agent
Ground cinnamon - All the spices together can be substituted with pumpkin pie spice in equal amounts.
Ground ginger - see above
Ground nutmeg - see above
Ground cloves -see above
Fine sea salt - highlights the flavors in the cake. It can be substituted with most other fine salts in equal amounts.
Unsalted butter, melted & cooled - microwave it at 15 second intervals until almost fully melted. Stir to melt the remaining amount. Cool before using.
Neutral flavored oil* - examples: canola, grapeseed, avocado oils.
Granulated sugar - adds sweetness and tenderizes the cake.
Light brown sugar - adds sweetness and tenderizes the cake.
Pumpkin puree* - do NOT use pumpkin filling. See below.
Egg, room temperature - large size

Pumpkin Decorations

Pretzel sticks - I used Tomato Pretz sticks here, you can get similar results with this brand shipped to your house.
Powdered sugar, sifted - a.k.a icing sugar.
Butter, room temperature - ensure it's at room temperature, otherwise, it will be very hard to cream by hand.
Green gel food color - gel colors are a form of potent food coloring that won't add excessive moisture to baked goods. I prefer this brand.
Optional: caramel sauce - I used the one from Trader Joe. It is thick and not too runny, perfect for this cupcake. The buttercream decorations hold up well on top of this sauce.

Supplies

Regular kitchen tools PLUS:
Mini cupcake pan (24 cavity)
Mini cupcake wrappers
Piping bag - I prefer these heavy duty piping bags, they don't break easily when piping thick buttercreams like the one in this recipe.
Coupler - Using a coupler with a piping bag allows you to switch between different tips while using the same bag of frosting.
Piping tip #352 (leaf)
Piping tip #2 (fine round)

What Kind of Pumpkin Filling Should I Use?

Use canned pumpkin puree in this recipe, it is made from a pumpkin that has been cooked and processed to a smooth consistency. The ingredient label will say, "100% pure pumpkin". There's a lot of discussion that the pumpkin puree found in canned pumpkins isn't really pumpkins but different types of squash. This is because of the looser restrictions allowed on labelling this product, read this Epicurious article on What's Really In Canned Pumpkin.

I used a simple canned pumpkin and found the pumpkin taste to be just fine with me. I would not recommend using homemade pumpkin puree in this recipe due to the excess moisture that might be left in the puree, it can make the cupcakes too wet. Do not use "pumpkin pie filling" since it contains other ingredients that will alter the taste and texture of this recipe.

What Flavors Pair with Pumpkin Cupcakes?

It pairs well with salted caramel, mascarpone cream cheese frosting, or Olivia's original pairing with coffee buttercream. I would use the first two as pour overs or fillings respectively since they are lighter.

I prefer the ready-to-eat salted caramel sauce I purchased from Trader Joes. It's thick and not runny which makes it ideal for keeping the decorations on top dry and in place.

Three cupcakes are shown with results on how different buttercreams held up after one week. American buttercream did the best. — American buttercream held up the best on top of these pumpkin cupcakes after bringing it in and out of the fridge even after one week.

Can I Use Royal Icing or Fondant to Decorate?

I tried several ways to decorate these pumpkin cupcakes before I settled on the final one provided in this recipe. I first tried fondant and then royal icing because they were easier to prepare. They both quickly absorbed the moisture in the cupcake within several hours of application, resulting in a goopy mess. I would not recommend it for this recipe specifically unless you are sure that all your cupcakes will be consumed immediately. I finally settled on the "decorating" American buttercream because it held up it's shape for over a week, even over the optional caramel sauce.

Can I Bake It in a Different Sized Pan?

Yes, the texture of this cake is sturdy enough for use as a layered cake. For two 6" cake pans, DOUBLE this recipe. For three 6" cake pans or two 8" pans, TRIPLE this recipe. Bake it for 35-40 minutes until it springs back in the center and a skewer inserted comes out clean. It can also make 6-7 regular cupcakes. Please note that the texture of this cake is better suited for cupcakes, loaf cakes and layer cakes. If you want to make a fluffier cake roll, you'll need to use a cake that is more pliable like in this recipe: Asian-style Pumpkin Cake Roll.

How to Store & Make in Advance

These pumpkin cupcakes should be kept in the fridge in an air-tight container to prolong it's freshness. It will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days. However, they are perfectly stable at room temperature for the duration of the event if you need to place them out on a dessert table for the day. They make really great edible displays for Thanksgiving dinner and Halloween parties!

To make in advance, just wrap only the cupcakes (cooled) in plastic and freeze for up to 3 months. The assembled cupcakes can also be frozen but you'll need to be careful to place them in a dedicated air-tight cupcake container that won't cause them to smudge. Place them in the fridge to defrost overnight before serving.

Side top view of the pumpkin cupcakes focusing on the leaves and vine piped with buttercream.

Step By Step Photos

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the dry mix to disperse ingredients evenly.

A hand is stirring the dry ingredients together. — **TIP**: stir well to disperse the dry ingredients evenly. This is especially important for the baking powder which acts as the leavening agent for the pumpkin cupcakes.

In a separate large mixing bowl, with a whisk, stir together the wet mix until homogenous.

A hand mixing all the wet ingredients together in a clear bowl. — **Visual Cues**: stir the wet mix until it looks homogenous in texture and color.

Add the dry mix into the wet mix. Stir with a whisk until just combined.

A hand stirring the dry ingredients inside the bowl filled with wet ingredients. — **Visual Cues:** stir together the dry and wet ingredients until just combined to prevent a tough texture. It should look smooth and without any more traces of flour.

Transfer batter into mini cupcake pan lined with paper wrappers. Do not fill completely, leave a bit of room for expansion (fills around 20 cupcakes). Rap the tray once on the counter to level out the batter. Bake for 15-17 min. until the center springs back and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave in pan for 5 min. and then transfer to cooling rack.

A baking pan is lined with cupcake wrappers and filled with pumpkin cake batter. — **TIP**: use a batter dispenser or Ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner for a more precise pour (this batter is thick). Allow room for expansion.

A cored cupcake is filled with caramel sauce. — **Optional**: Core the cupcake with a cupcake corer or large piping tip (#1A).
Fill with ready-made caramel sauce. **TIP**: caramel sauce takes a while to settle due to trapped air pockets. Let sit for half hour and then re-fill as necessary before decorating as usual.

With a spatula, cream the room temperature butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the sifted powdered sugar and continue creaming the mixture until all the sugar is incorporated and the buttercream looks airy. Add gel color and blend until desired color is achieved. Transfer buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a coupler and the leaf tip. Break off some pretzel sticks and insert it into the center of the cooled cupcake to resemble the stem.

A hand is inserting pretzels inside the cupcake to resemble a stem. — **TIP**: In order to pipe fine details, the buttercream should hold it's shape when manipulated. Add more powdered sugar (to thicken) or a tiny bit of milk (to thin) if needed.

With the piping bag fitted with the leaf tip, pipe the leaves starting from the stem. Change the piping tip to the fine round tip, use it to pipe the vines. Read on how to store and make these pumpkin cupcakes in advance.

A hand is piping the buttercream into a leaf and vine shape on top of the pumpkin cupcakes.

Far away shot showing the pumpkin cupcakes on a presentation plate with porcelain pumpkins in the background.

Recipe

Yield: 20

3D Mini Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes - Easy 2 Bowl Method

3D Mini pumpkin spice cupcakes using an easy 2 bowl method. Stable at room temperature and perfectly portioned for Halloween and Thanksgiving parties.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Decorating Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

DRY MIX for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

105 grams all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ +⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon*
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

WET MIX for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

30 grams unsalted butter, melted & cooled
30 ml neutral flavored oil*
65 grams granulated sugar
75 grams light brown sugar
120 grams pumpkin puree*
1 egg, room temperature

Pumpkin Decorations

Pretzel sticks
30 grams powdered sugar, sifted
15 grams butter, room temperature
Green gel food color
Optional: caramel sauce*

Supplies

Regular kitchen tools PLUS:
Mini cupcake pan (24 cavity)
Mini cupcake wrappers
Piping bag
Coupler
Piping tip #352 (leaf)
Piping tip #2 (fine round)
Optional: Piping tip #1A (for coring)

Instructions

Mini Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the dry mix to disperse ingredients evenly.
In a separate large mixing bowl, with a whisk, stir together the wet mix until homogenous.
Add the dry mix into the wet mix. Stir with a whisk until just combined.
Transfer batter into a mini cupcake pan lined with 20 paper wrappers. Do not fill completely, leave a bit of room for expansion (refer to photos in post body). TIP: use a batter dispenser or Ziplock bag with a hole cut in the corner for a more precise pour of this thick batter.
Rap the tray once on the counter to level out the batter.
Bake for 15-17 min. until the center springs back and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Leave in pan for 5 min. and then transfer to cooling rack.

Optional: Caramel filling

Core the cupcake with a cupcake corer or large piping tip (#1A).
Fill with ready-made caramel sauce. TIP: caramel sauce takes a while to settle due to trapped air pockets. Let sit for half hour and then re-fill as necessary before decorating as usual.

Decorating Buttercream

With a spatula, cream the room temperature butter in a medium bowl until smooth.
Add the sifted powdered sugar and continue creaming the mixture until all the sugar is incorporated and the buttercream looks airy. TIP: In order to pipe fine details, the buttercream should hold it's shape when manipulated. Add more powdered sugar (to thicken) or a tiny bit of milk (to thin) if needed.
Add gel color and blend until desired color is achieved.
Transfer buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a coupler and the leaf tip. Use immediately.

Assembly

Break off some pretzel sticks and insert it into the center of the cooled cupcake to resemble the stem.
With the piping bag fitted with the leaf tip, pipe the leaves starting from the stem.
Change the piping tip to the fine round tip, use it to pipe the vines.

Storage

Pumpkin cupcakes should be kept in the fridge in an air-tight container. It will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days. If using for a dessert table, it is stable at room temperature for the day.

Notes

All the spices together can be substituted with pumpkin pie spice in equal amounts.
Neutral oil choices include: canola, grapeseed, vegetable, avocado oils.
Use only 100% pure pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling as it contains other unnecessary ingredients.
For the caramel sauce, I prefer the one from Trader Joe. Try to find one that is thick and not runny.
To avoid disappointment of melting decorations, use only the "decorating buttercream" provided in this recipe.
For two 6" cake pans, DOUBLE this recipe. For three 6" cake pans or two 8" pans, TRIPLE this recipe.
Credits: this recipe is based on LivforCake's Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake

30 Minute No Bake Dessert: Panna Cotta with Mixed Berry Compote

Sep 2, 2024 · 10 Comments

Easy no-bake mixed berry panna cotta dessert. Prepare in under 30 minutes with year-round ingredients. Rich, creamy and tart. Portion perfect for parties!

A collection of panna cottas served in mini cups topped with berries are placed on a table along with fresh strawberries.

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I still remember the first time I had this mixed berry panna cotta dessert at a party, one of our friends thought it was the most delicious thing he ever ate. He literally ate over 10 of them. Each time he grabbed one, he would exclaim, "these are so good!" Since that day was my first time meeting him, I have forever remembered him as "the guy at the party who ate all the panna cottas".

I love these little panna cottas topped with mixed berry compote because they are gluten-free, present beautifully, taste delicious, and are super easy to make! You can make them in advance so they're a real life saver when you're hosting a party and already have a lot on your plate. It was like déjà vu all over again when my own party guests told me that "they are so good!", while grabbing another one and asking that I pack some home for them.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy and Quick to put together
No-Bake
Make in Advance - up to 5 days
Flexible presentation - make in unmolded or in mini cups
Party-ready - serve it in convenient single serving sizes

A group of mini cups of panna cottas are laid out on a round serving plate. The mini desserts are topped with mixed berry sauce and fresh berries like strawberries and blueberries.

What is Panna Cotta?

Panna Cotta is a traditional Italian dessert that is simply "boiled cream" using cream, milk, sugar and gelatin. It has a smooth silky texture that makes it a perfect base for a variety of different toppings.

Tips for Making a Great Panna Cotta

Panna cotta is a relatively easy dessert to put together. There's only a few critical issues to pay attention to:

Use the correct amount of cream to milk ratio to prevent mixture separation.
Stir the mixture before pouring into each vessel to prevent separation.
Bloom the gelatin in cool water and add it to the mixture once it's off the heat.

Close up of a group of mini berry panna cottas served in disposable cups.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Easy Panna Cotta

Powdered gelatin - unflavored gelatin is needed to set the panna cotta. Do not use flavored gelatin as some "acidic" flavors can cause curdling in the cream.
Whipping cream - has a fat content of 33%+. It can be substituted with a richer tasting heavy cream which has a fat content of 36%+.
Milk - use full fat to prevent separation of the layers.
Granulated sugar - can be reduced or increased to your liking, just taste it as you continue to heat the cream mixture. Current recipe is moderately sweet.
Pinch of salt - brings out the flavors.
Vanilla extract - pure is recommended over artificial due to it's importance in the flavor profile.

Mixed Berry Compote

Mixed berries - see paragraph below.
Granulated sugar - can be added to taste. Taste mixture as you dissolve it in the berries. One tablespoon is less sweet, two tablespoons is sweet (moderate sweetness will be in the middle).
Cornstarch - used to thicken the mixture. It must be dissolved in cold water.
Lemon - see paragraph below.

What Kind of Berries Should I Use?

For the mixed berry compote, you can use both fresh or frozen berries. I prefer to use frozen as it's more convenient and economical. The berries will be boiled down anyways so there is no discernable difference in texture.

I have made them with a variety of mixed berry packs, just whatever is available in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. I prefer mixed berries that include: cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and pomegranate. Together, they provide a nice contrasting flavor profile of sweet and sour.

Do I Need to Add the Lemon?

I do recommend using the lemon. Some berries are already naturally tart but they can also be a little bit flat compared to that mouth-watering high acidity that lemon can bring to any dish. This acidity nicely complements the richness in the cream.

What Other Toppings Can I Put on Panna Cotta?

Panna cotta is a great base for a variety of toppings with different textures and flavors like fresh or dried fruits, seeds, crushed nuts, jam, chocolate, popcorn, cookies, toffee brittles, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and more.

Close up of a single champagne stem cup filled with panna cotta dessert topped with mixed berry sauce.

Can This Recipe Be Unmolded?

Yes! This panna cotta recipe is sturdy enough to be unmolded. For parties, I find it's more convenient to make and serve them in disposable cups. But if you're looking for a fancier and more traditional way to present this dessert, just make them in ramekins or individual silicone molds.

They slide out of silicone molds readily. To unmold panna cotta from hard vessels like a small dish or ramekin, ensure the mixture is completely set. Next, use a sharp knife to trace around the edges of the dessert. Flip the vessel over onto the serving plate and the panna cotta should fall right out. (If you're still having a hard time releasing it, soak the vessel is warm water first.) Top the unmolded panna cotta with your desired toppings.

How to Keep Panna Cotta and Make in Advance

This recipe can be made up to 5 days in advance. Place it in an airtight container in the fridge before serving. Generally panna cottas do not freeze well. The silky texture can be compromised from the freezing and defrosting process and subsequent separation of liquid and fat.

Note: This post was originally published on November 30th, 2015. There are a few minor changes. The half and half in the original recipe has been replaced with corresponding ratios of milk and cream. A little more cornstarch was added in the berry sauce to thicken it (only as needed).

Step By Step

Start recipe a day ahead as panna cotta will need to set in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours. Put 3 tablespoons of the milk in a small cup and sprinkle the gelatin on top evenly to bloom. Put the rest of the milk, cream, sugar and salt into a small pot on low heat to dissolve the sugar. Do NOT let it boil. Once small bubbles form on the edges, take it off the heat.

Gelatin powder is being sprinkled on top of milk to bloom. Milk is being poured into a small pot on heat. — **TIP**: Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the milk instead of dumping it in a pile. This will allow the granules to separate and swell up.

Whisk in the bloomed gelatin. Add vanilla extract and stir gently. Let mixture come to room temperature. Pour it into shot glasses, ramekins or silicone molds. Before pouring, stir the mixture to prevent it from separating. Place vessels inside an air tight container in the fridge to set overnight or a minimum of 4 hours. Once set, add the berry sauce on top.

The now bloomed gelatin and vanilla is being added into the mixture in the pan. The panna cotta mixture is being poured into mini cups. — **TIP**: Do not boil the gelatin. It only needs to be introduced to liquid that has reached the boiling point. Stir gently to dissolve.

In a small pot, heat up the frozen berries and sugar on medium heat. Add the sugar a spoon at a time and adjust according to taste. Stir mixture until sugar is dissolved (small bubbles will form on the edges). Do NOT over boil or the fruits will become too soft. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in the water.

Berries are being heated in a pan and sugar is being added. Cornstarch is being mixed with water in a small cup. — **TIP**: Do not overboil the berries. They will become too soft. Have the cornstarch and water mixture handy. It can be added as soon as the sugar is dissolved. When small bubbles start to form, it's ready.

Add the dissolved cornstarch a little at a time and stir until the mixture thickens (you may not need all of it.) Turn off heat. Squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture to taste. Let the mixture cool off and then place it in the fridge. Once the panna cotta is set, add berry sauce on top.* Mixed berry panna cotta should be kept in an air tight container in the fridge. Serve within 5 days.

Cornstarch mixture is being added into the berry sauce. The berry sauce is then added on top of the now set panna cotta. — **TIP**: The berry sauce can be made in advance but it will settle more attractively when it can be added on top of the panna cotta right after it cools.

A group of berry panna cotta in mini champagne cups are displayed on a round serving plate.

Recipe

Yield: 12 cups

30-Minute Mixed Berry Panna Cotta with Year Round Ingredients

Easy no-bake mixed berry panna cotta dessert. Prepare in under 30 minutes with year-round ingredients. Rich, creamy and tart. Portion perfect for parties!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Refrigeration Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

Easy Panna Cotta

2 ½ teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 ½ cup whipping cream*
½ cup full fat milk
45 grams granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Mixed Berry Compote

2 cup frozen mixed berries*
1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar (to taste)
3 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 lemon

Supplies

Regular kitchen supplies PLUS
Ramekins or disposable cups

Instructions

Easy Panna Cotta

Start recipe a day ahead as panna cotta will need to set in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.
Put 3 tablespoons of the milk in a small cup and sprinkle the gelatin on top evenly to bloom.
Put the rest of the milk, cream, sugar and salt into a small pot on low heat to dissolve the sugar. Do NOT let it boil. Once small bubbles form on the edges, take it off the heat.
Whisk in the bloomed gelatin.
Add vanilla extract and stir gently.
Let mixture come to room temperature. Pour it into shot glasses, ramekins or silicone molds. Before pouring, stir the mixture to prevent it from separating.
Place vessels inside an air tight container in the fridge to set overnight or a minimum of 4 hours. Once set, add the berry sauce on top.

Mixed Berry Compote

In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in the water.
In a small pot, heat up the frozen berries and sugar on medium heat. Add the sugar a spoon at a time and adjust according to taste.
Stir mixture until sugar is dissolved (small bubbles will form on the edges). Do NOT over boil or the fruits will become too soft.
Add the dissolved cornstarch a little at a time and stir until the mixture thickens (you may not need all of it.)
Turn off heat.
Squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture to taste.
Let the mixture cool off and then place it in the fridge. Once the panna cotta is set, add berry sauce on top.*
Mixed berry panna cotta should be kept in an air tight container in the fridge. Serve within 5 days.

Notes

Whipping cream has a fat content of 33%+. It can be substituted with heavy cream which has a fat content of 36%+.
Recommended frozen mixed berries: blueberries, pomegranate, raspberries, strawberries, cherries.
Cup measurements used for ingredients is American cups. 1 cup = 236 ml
Recipe yields 12 mini serving cups or 30 shot cups.
This recipe is sturdy enough to unmold for a classic panna cotta presentation. Read post body on how and which vessels to use.
The berry sauce can be made in advance but it will settle more attractively when it can be added on top of the panna cotta right after it cools.

Try this luscious champagne panna cotta. Click on photo for recipe.

Updated Dec 5th, 2015: A lovely reader sent me this photo of the ones she made for a Holiday Party at work. It was a big hit! Thanks to @norenkay (IG) for the photo

Strawberry Japanese Mille Crepe Cake

Aug 23, 2024 · Leave a Comment

Stunning yet easy no-bake Japanese style strawberry mille crepe cake made up of super thin crepes that yields the softest and most delicious cake.

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I was motivated to write this strawberry Japanese style mille crepe cake recipe after seeing all the love I continued to receive on these two old recipes of mine: Japanese Strawberry Cake Roll & Asian Bakery Strawberry Cake. Fresh strawberries are abundant and in-season right now, I thought it was the perfect time to come up with a new sweet recipe featuring strawberries. Since my twin toddlers are still a handful right now, I was inspired to create a cake that was easier to make and would have a near perfect chance of success. So, yes, to easy no-bake cakes! I really love how I could make this strawberry crepe cake in small bursts yet it turned out so beautifully. I hope you can try it too.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love Making This Cake

Easy no-bake dessert - you'll know how it will turn out right away
Make before and freeze in advance of special occasions
Stunning presentation - no one will know how easy it was though!
Substitute with any fruit!
Uses basic ingredients that can be found year-round
Delicious - a refreshing moderately sweet dessert

What is a Crepe Cake?

Crepe cakes are made by stacking paper-thin crepes together with filling and sometimes fruits like strawberries and bananas. Unlike regular pancakes, crepes are made without a raising agent so it remains flat. It's made with conveniently made with year-round ingredients of flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and butter. Cooked on a frying pan, it is a perfect no-bake dessert.

Can I Substitute Strawberries with Other Fruits?

Yes! You can definitely substitute strawberries for other seasonal or canned fruits. The key is to use fruits that slice well and have a low-moisture content. Recommended fruits include: bananas, mangos, canned peaches, apricot and apples. If you are interested in making crepe cakes in other flavors, you can take a look at my other crepe cake recipes: Coconut Rainbow Crepe Cake and Matcha Green Tea Japanese Crepe Cake.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Japanese Mille Crepe

Heavy cream - Heavy cream has a milk fat content of 36% +, it can be substituted with whipping cream with a fat content of 33% +.
Milk
Granulated sugar
Eggs
Neutral tasting oil - choices include avocado, grapeseed, canola and vegetable.
Cake flour - this yields a softer textured crepe which is more ideal. It can be substituted with all-purpose flour.
Vanilla extract - use either pure or artificial
Butter - for frying. It can be substituted with cooking oil but you'll risk losing the yummy butter flavor.
Optional: red food color - I prefer gel color. It is a more potent food coloring that doesn't add excessive moisture.

Chantilly Cream

Heavy cream - can be substituted with whipping cream but heavy cream will produce a more sturdier and stable cream.
Powdered sugar - if you prefer to use granulated sugar, here's a stabilized whipped cream recipe that incorporates gelatin for the sturdiest type of whipped cream.
Vanilla extract - use either pure or artificial

How Many Crepes Should I Have?

Ideally, you should be able to make between 25-30 crepes with the amount of batter provided in this recipe. If you end up with less than that, the crepes will be thicker, making the cake chewier and harder to cut into without breaking apart. The higher the amount of crepes, the thinner they will be and the cake will have a softer texture. When you're pan-frying, try to use just enough batter to make a crepe with a paper-thin thickness. The water added into the batter right before cooking also helps with this!

Tips On Making Paper-Thin Crepes

Start with a good non-stick pan. It doesn't have to be fancy, just an 8" inch non-stick one like this will work. While cooking, you need to work quickly with a batter that is just a bit runny and not too sticky. In my recipe, I add a little bit of water to the batter to thin it out immediately before it hits the pan. It will help the batter swirl on the pan and spread out quickly before setting. You'll know it's ready to be flipped once the edge can be picked up with a pair of silicone tongs without tearing. Here are some more tips for baking a great crepe cake, I highly recommend you read it before starting this recipe.

Tools for Making Ultra-Thin Crepes

8” Round non-stick pan - a good non-stick pan is required for making the crepes ultra-thin. It will prevent the crepes from tearing.
Silicone tongs - silicone tongs helps pick up the edge of the crepe gently without tearing it.
Pastry brush - a pastry brush will disperse the butter evenly on the pan creating a non-stick barrier for making thin crepes.
Blender/Food Processor - a blender helps in incorporating all the ingredients together into one even and uniformed crepe batter. This is the food processor I use in my kitchen. It's very versatile, I use it for chopping up baby food or grinding my own almond flour.
Mixing Bowls
Medium-sized pot
Hand held mixer
Sifter
Spatula - a good flat spatula will be needed to lift the crepe off the pan

Can I Make Crepe Cakes In Advance?

Yes! It's very convenient to be able to make a portion of this cake in advance of special occasions. The crepes only can be frozen for up to a month in the freezer. To freeze, place parchment paper in between each crepe and then place the whole stack in a Ziplock bag (remember to place a piece on the top and bottom of the stack too). The day before assembly, defrost the stack in the fridge. Gently peel off each layer and then assemble as usual. The cream will need to be made on the day of assembly. The cake can be assembled 2-3 days in advance.

Step By Step

Heat cream, milk and sugar on medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Take off heat when small bubbles form along the edges, do NOT bring to a boil. Allow mixture to come to room temperature.

**Visual Cues:** when dissolving the sugar in the cream and milk, do not let the mixture come to a boil. When little bubbles appear on the sides, take it off the heat.

Add in eggs, oil, cake flour and vanilla extract.

**Reminder**: let the milk-sugar mixture come to room temperature before adding the eggs to prevent cooking them.

Optional: add in food color, gently stir until desired color is reached.

**TIP**: if using food coloring, roughly stir the mixture together to better incorporate the desired color into the mixture

Pulse in blender (or with immersion blender) a few times until flour lumps are gone. A few pulses should do, do not over blend. Pour through a sieve and place in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour (use mixture within 24 hours). Immediately before cooking, add the water into the mixture and stir to thin it out.

**TIP**: only add the water to the crepe batter immediately before cooking. This will help thin it out for easier cooking.

Heat an 8'' pan on low-medium heat, using a pastry brush, coat pan generously with butter for the first crepe. Pan is ready when the butter sizzles as it hits the pan. Using a small ladle, pour approximately ⅕ cup of batter onto pan, swirl the batter around until it coats the pan evenly. Cook first side for approximately 2 minutes. The crepe will bubble up and once the sides can be picked up with a silicone tong without tearing, the crepe can be flipped with a flat spatula. It will look slightly golden. Watch the second side closely. It will cook much faster, about 1 min. Remove from heat before it turns brown. Place on cooling rack to cool before stacking on plate. Repeat steps 8-12 for subsequent crepes.

Spread a thin layer of cream and thinly sliced strawberries in between each layer of crepe. Gently press down on cake after each layer. Place in an air tight container and let it set overnight before cutting. Strawberry mille crepe cake should be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge. It will remain fresh for up to 3-4 days.

**TIP**: let the crepes cool on the cooling rack before stacking them (to save space) before assembly. Place parchment paper in between each layer so they don't stick together.

Recipe

Yield: 8

Japanese Strawberry Mille Crepe Cake

Stunning yet easy no-bake Japanese style strawberry mille crepe cake made up of super thin crepes that yields the softest and most delicious cake. Substitute strawberries with other fruits too!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Rest Time 1 hour

Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

Japanese Mille Crepe

190 ml heavy cream*
190 ml milk
3 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs
35 grams neutral tasting oil*
135 grams cake flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoon water
Butter for greasing pan
Optional: red food color

Chantilly Cream

360 ml heavy cream
80 grams powdered sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Assembly

12 strawberries, thinly sliced

Supplies

Regular kitchen supplies PLUS
8" non-stick pan
Silicone tongs
Cooling rack
Blender or immersion blender
Sieve

Instructions

Mille Crepe Cake

Heat cream, milk and sugar on medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved. Take off heat when small bubbles form along the edges, do NOT bring to a boil.
Allow mixture to come to room temperature.
Add in eggs, oil, cake flour and vanilla extract.
Optional: add in food color, gently stir until desired color is reached.
Pulse in blender (or with immersion blender) a few times until flour lumps are gone. A few pulses should do, do not over blend.
Pour through a sieve and place in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour (use mixture within 24 hours).
Immediately before cooking, add the water into the mixture and stir to thin it out.
Heat an 8'' pan on low-medium heat, using a pastry brush, coat pan generously with butter for the first crepe. Pan is ready when the butter sizzles as it hits the pan.
Using a small ladle, pour approximately ⅕ cup of batter onto pan, swirl the batter around until it coats the pan evenly.
Cook first side for approximately 2 minutes. The crepe will bubble up and once the sides can be picked up with a silicone tong without tearing, the crepe can be flipped with a flat spatula. It will look slightly golden.
Watch the second side closely. It will cook much faster, about 1 min. Remove from heat before it turns brown.
Place on cooling rack to cool before stacking on plate.
Repeat steps 8-12 for subsequent crepes.

Chantilly Cream

Place a mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge to chill. It will help the cream whip better.
Place cream in the chilled mixing bowl, then whip on low speed until the beater starts leaving light tracks in the cream.
Add powdered sugar.
Increase speed to medium-high.
Before the cream becomes stiff, add vanilla extract and continue to whip.
Stop whipping when the cream starts to get stiff and turns from glossy to matte. Do not over whip.
Use for assembly immediately.

Assembly

Spread a thin layer of cream and thinly sliced strawberries in between each layer of crepe.
Gently press down on cake after each layer.
Place in an air tight container and let it set overnight before cutting.
Strawberry mille crepe cake should be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge. It will remain fresh for up to 3-4 days.

Notes

Heavy cream has a milk fat content of 36% +, it can be substituted with whipping cream with a fat content of 33% +. For the Chantilly cream portion, heavy cream will produce a more sturdier and stable cream.
Neutral tasting oil choices include: grapeseed, canola, avocado and vegetable.
Read post body on how to make this cake in advance.

Tokyo Banana Cake Roll with Fresh Cream

Mar 13, 2024 · Leave a Comment

Subtly sweet and exceptionally fluffy banana cake roll inspired by Japan's iconic Tokyo Banana dessert reimagined with fresh banana whipped cream, Unique and delicious!

A banana cake roll is set on a wooden serving tray. It's rolled with fresh cream and a whole banana.

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This banana cake roll was inspired by the iconic Japanese dessert: Tokyo Banana. My first time trying it was 10 years ago when I received a box as a souvenir. I was quite amused the cute banana shape of the Twinkie-sized cakes. I liked the soft cake texture and delicious banana flavor. However, I didn't expect the filling inside to have a somewhat gel-like consistency. In the back of my mind, I thought a whipped cream would have been really nice but understood the limitations of a baked good that needed to be stored at room temperature for weeks at a time. So today I am excited to share my reimagined version of Tokyo Banana Cake with a fresh banana whipped cream.

Enjoy!
Xoxo, Mimi

What You'll Love This Recipe

Delicious - balanced banana flavors and moderately sweet.
Fluffy - Japanese style chiffon cake body is soft and fluffy
No Cracks - cake body is flexible for rolling without cracks
Unique flavor - a crowd pleasing flavor that is not commonly found in the stores

On a white table rests a banana cake roll on a plate with a bowl of fresh bananas and a glass of milk next to it.

What Does This Banana Cake Taste Like?

This banana cake roll is composed of a moderately sweet banana chiffon cake base rolled together with fresh banana whipped cream. Chiffon cake is a type of foam cake, famous for its fluffy texture. It is best paired with lighter frostings like the fresh banana whipped cream used here. The absence of butter and the presence of a moderate amount of sugar in both the cake base and filling results in a light and airy dessert like the ones in the Japanese bakeries. It has a similar flavor profile to Tokyo Banana cakes but texture-wise, it has the bonuses of baking fresh: a fluffier cake base and fresh whipped cream.

Ingredients to make a banana cake base are laid out on a counter. — **TIP:** Some ingredients are repeated. Place them in groups like in the picture and use them in order for maximum efficiency.

Ingredients to make stabilized fresh banana cream are laid out on a table. — **TIP:** For the best banana flavor, use ripe bananas with black spots.

Preparing the Ingredients & Substitutions

Wet Ingredients for Cake Batter

Banana - should be ripe (for sweetness) and finely mashed.
Granulated Sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and to break up the grains in the dry mix
Egg yolks - tenderizes the cake. Use large size.
Neutral oil - neutral tasting oils like canola, vegetable, grapeseed or avocado are all good choices.
Vanilla extract - rounds out the flavors. Since vanilla is not the main flavor, feel free to use an artificial kind to save costs as pure vanilla can be quite pricey.

Dry Ingredients for Cake Batter

Cake flour - a low protein flour which will help make this cake softer than if using AP flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8% while pastry flour, also a lower protein flour, has a protein content between 8-9%. Grocery stores usually sell a combination of cake and pastry flour at 7-9% protein. It can be substituted with all-purpose flour but the cake will be a little tougher than if using cake flour.
Baking Powder - leavening agent to help the cake rise in case there is any weaknesses in the batter.
Fine Sea salt - used to highlight the flavors in the cake.

Meringue for Cake Batter

Egg whites - from large eggs. Room temperature ones will whip to volume better. Soak cold eggs in warm water to bring to room temperature quickly.
Cream of tartar - is an acid that helps to stabilize the meringue. It can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar. You can skip it if you're careful with the whipping.
Granulated sugar - adds sweet taste and structure to the meringue.

Fresh Banana Cream

Gelatin powder - stabilizes the cream to provide more stability, especially with the added bananas. Use only the unflavored kind. I prefer Knox gelatin.
Heavy cream - is a cream with a minimum milk fat content of 36% and above. Heavy cream produces a very stable cream but can be substituted with whipping cream with a milk fat content between 30-35%. Cream must be chilled for it to whip properly.
Granulated sugar - adds sweetness.
Vanilla extract - use either pure or artificial.
Banana - should be ripe (for sweetness) and finely mashed.

A close up view of a banana cake roll with a piece cut out revealing the cross section of a whole banana inside the roll.

Which Pan Size Should I Use?

8X12" cake pan without sloped sides. This size will yield a cake with optimal thickness for rolling without cracks. If you don't have this pan size you can consider making it in cup form as per this recipe: Japanese Peach Cake in a Cup. It will also show you how to bake this cake in any sized pan.

Tips for A Perfect Banana Cake Roll

Use ripe bananas (with black spots) for the best banana flavor.
A strong and healthy meringue (whipped egg whites with sugar) is needed to act as one of the leavening agents in this cake. Egg whites should be whipped in a clean and dry non-plastic bowl since plastic tends to trap oil. Egg whites don't whip well in the presence of oil and water. To further remove oils, use a paper towel and wipe down the mixing bowl with lemon or vinegar before you start.
Carefully separate the egg whites and yolks when the eggs are cold. Make sure no yolks are present in the egg whites. An egg separator can come in handy.
Bring the egg whites to a stiff peak. This is characterized by egg whites that have a beak that points upwards (instead of slumped over) when the whisk is pulled out.
Once the liquid is introduced to the flour, do not over mix. This will produce more gluten, making the cake less tender.
Use a gentle folding movement with a spatula to incorporate the meringue into the wet flour mixture. Do not stir, this will prevent the air in the meringue from deflating.
Add more cream along the short edge of the cake which is to be rolled first. This will prevent the cake from cracking due to large gaps in between the folds. These angled spatulas will come in handy for even frosting any time of cake. Instead of putting your hands directly onto the cake, use the parchment paper to push the cake onto itself as you roll.
Fold gently and do not worry too much about rolling the cake very tightly. As long as the cream is spread out evenly (with a bit more along the short edge as per above), the amount of cream in this recipe will allow the sheet cake to hold up without cracking due to large gaps.
Chill the bowl, beaters and whipped cream for optimal whipping volume. They should all be be very cold. Whipping in a stainless steel bowl placed on top of a bed of ice will help keep things nice and cool on a hot day.

Step By Step

Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper or silicone mat. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, combine all the "wet" ingredients together with a whisk and set aside.

A bowl is filled with all the wet ingredients for the batter, next picture shows it all incorporated together. — **VISUAL CUE:** the wet ingredients should look fully combined before moving to next step.

In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry ingredients. Stir to disperse ingredients evenly. Create a well in the center. Inside it, add all the "wet" ingredients.

A hand is sifting the dry ingredients into a bowl, next picture shows wet ingredients being poured inside. — **TIP:** Always sift cake flour before use because it can be clumpy due to its fineness.

Stir until just combined, do not over mix as it will result in a tough cake. Set aside. Now make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.

A hand is stirring the batter together with a whisk, next picture shows egg whites whipped to foam stage. — **VISUAL CUES:** (left:) combine the wet and dry ingredients until just incorporated and no traces of flour can be seen (right:) when making the meringue, add cream of tartar when the bubbles are large and foamy.

Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add the sugar a little bit at a time. Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks.

Sugar is being added to egg whites in a bowl, next picture shows meringue that has reached stiff peak stage. — **VISUAL CUES:** (left:) add the sugar when the egg whites have become opaque (right:) stiff peaks is reached when the points on the meringue do not droop on itself.

Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the banana-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.

Meringue is being added to the batter, next picture shows the meringue fully incorporated into the batter. — **VISUAL CUES:** gently fold the meringue into the batter, stop folding when there are no streaks of white meringue left.

Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets. Bake for 10-12 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center. Let cool inside pan for 5 min.

The batter is being spread out into a rectangular cake pan, next picture shows a cake tray placed over the cake pan. — **TIP:** before baking tap the tray to remove any large air pockets inside the batter

Place cooling rack over cake pan. Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper. The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack while preparing the fresh banana cream. (Step by Step photos on how to stabilize whipped cream with gelatin can be found here. Just fold in the mashed bananas after.)

Gently flip the cake onto a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap and spread an even layer of fresh cream on it. Place whole banana ⅓ of the way into the cake from the short end where you will begin to roll.

A hand is pulling back the silicone mat to reveal a delicious banana cake in sheet form, next picture shows whipped cream on the sheet cake with a whole banana placed on it. — **TIP:** Once the mat/paper is removed, the side facing up will become the top (outside) of the cake roll.

Carefully roll up the cake using the parchment paper to help push the cake onto itself. Wrap with plastic wrap to keep the shape round. You can do this a few times, each time pulling the plastic wrap a little tighter to make a rounder roll. Place in refrigerator to set before cutting. Unwrap assembled cake. Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation. Banana cake roll should be kept in the fridge in an air tight container and will stay fresh for 2-3 days.

A hand is rolling the banana cake roll. — **TIP:** Use the plastic wrap/paper to help gently push the cake onto itself. Roll it again with plastic, pulling it a little tighter to form a rounder roll.

Do I Need to Stabilize the Banana Cream?

I highly recommend stabilizing the fresh banana cream with some gelatin because it can become a bit soft after the addition of the fresh bananas. Once stabilized the cake roll will be less saggy and will retain it's round shape better. But if you're not too picky about how it looks, you can skip it. Try to use heavy cream instead of whipping cream to compensate, it produces a more stable whipped cream. If you need further guidance on stabilizing the cream, please read my post on How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Gelatin.

How Can I Make Other Cake Roll Flavors?

There are many ways to adapt this type of chiffon cake roll to make other flavors. You can either change up the cake base flavor or pair it with a different filling to make your own combo. Here are some other recipes I wrote in this fluffy cake roll series: strawberry cake roll with fresh cream, chocolate cake roll, coffee cake roll with kahlua cream, carrot cake roll with mascarpone cream, matcha cake roll with adzuki bean cream, Earl Grey tea cake roll, gingerbread cheesecake roll, pumpkin cheesecake roll, and cotton candy cake roll.

You can even turn these cake rolls into works of art by making special designs on them like: bear cheesecake roll, fancy pattern cake roll, tiger cat cake roll and silent night pattern cake roll, gingerbread man printed cake roll.

Close up of a slice of Tokyo banana cake on a scalloped plate.

How Do I Store and Make in Advance?

Banana cake roll should be kept in the fridge in an air tight container, it will stay fresh for 2-3 days. Because it contains whipped cream, it does not freeze/defrost well. Making the cake fresh will yield the best results. If advance preparation is required, I recommend refrigerating/freezing only the cake portion as a sheet and defrost overnight in the fridge. Once defrosted, make the whipped cream and then assemble.

Recipe

Yield: 8 Slices

Tokyo Banana Cake Roll with Fresh Cream

Subtly sweet and exceptionally fluffy banana cake roll inspired by Japan's iconic Tokyo Banana dessert reimagined with fresh banana whipped cream, Unique and delicious!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

60 grams ripe banana, mashed (note 1)
20 grams sugar
3 egg yolks
10 ml neutral oil (note 2)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

45 grams cake flour (note 3)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Meringue

4 egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (note 4)
40 grams granulated sugar

Fresh Banana Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream, chilled (note 5)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon unflavored powder gelatin
4 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
80 grams ripe banana, mashed
Whole banana for rolling

Supplies

Basic kitchen tools PLUS:
handheld or counter top mixer
8x12" cake pan
parchment paper or toaster silicone mat
heat proof cup

Instructions

Banana Chiffon Cake

Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a small bowl, combine all the "wet" ingredients together with a whisk and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry ingredients. Stir to disperse ingredients evenly.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add all the "wet" ingredients.
Stir until just combined, do not over mix as it will result in a tough cake. Set aside.
Now make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add the sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks. (Note 6)
Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the banana-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
Bake for 10-12 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center. Let cool inside pan for 5 min.
Place cooling rack over cake pan. Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper.
The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack while preparing the fresh banana cream.

Fresh Banana Cream

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help the cream whip better.
Place water in a heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes.
Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
Immediately start whipping the chilled heavy cream and sugar in a stand/hand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on medium speed.
Once the beater leaves tracks in the cream, check on the gelatin. It should no longer be hot but still runny. (If it has begun to set, just place it back in the hot water until it loosens up.)
While whipping, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl.
Increase speed to medium-high. Add the vanilla extract, stop whipping once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip.
Gently fold in mashed bananas.
Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Assembly

Gently flip the cake onto a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap and spread an even layer of fresh cream on it.
Place whole banana ⅓ of the way into the cake from the short end where you will begin to roll.
Carefully roll up the cake using the parchment paper to help push the cake onto itself.
Wrap with plastic wrap to keep the shape round. You can do this a few times, each time pulling the plastic wrap a little tighter to make a rounder roll. Place in refrigerator to set before cutting.
Unwrap assembled cake. Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation. Banana cake roll should be kept in the fridge in an air tight container and will stay fresh for 2-3 days.

Notes

Banana should be ripe and finely mashed.
Neutral oil choices: canola, grapeseed, avocado
Cake flour is a low-protein flour that is preferable for a soft fluffy texture. It can be substituted with All-Purpose Flour.
Cream of tartar is an acid that helps to stabilize the egg whites, it can be replaced with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.
Heavy cream is cream with milk fat content of 35%+ (also labelled as 35% M.F.) It can be substituted with whipping cream which has milk fat of 30%+. Heavy cream is preferred for it's stability.
Stiff peaks are characterized by egg whites that have a pointed peak when the whisk is pulled out. It points upwards and doesn't droop on itself.

Valentine's Cinnamon and Jam Heart Linzer Cookies - Nut Free

Feb 12, 2024 · Leave a Comment

Cinnamon Jam heart linzer cookies for Valentine's Day. Nut-free and ready to party! This cookie is a crowd favorite!

This is cinnamon jam heart linzer cookie is a Valentine's Day version of a recent recipe, nut-free linzer cookie, that was a huge hit amongst my friends and family during the Christmas holiday season. Every party I had or cookie box I made, that cookie was the one that seemed to get the most attention. It surprised me at first because it was so easy to put together. It's definitely very attractive looking and taste-wise, it's just so delicious with it's buttery cookie base and its sweet and slightly tart jam filling. This version is flavored with cinnamon for the Valentine's season and it's still nut-free, it can be a good choice for parties and school events. Give it a try and let me know how it goes 🙂

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Nut-Free- ready for bringing to group events
Big Impact with Minimal Effort - these "stained glass" effect cookies look amazing but requires minimal skills
Make It Your Own - with your own unique cutter design
Tastes Delicious - soft and buttery
Adaptable - fill this cookie with other fillings to make different flavored cookies with just one dough
Simple Ingredients - make this cookie with ingredients that are available year round
Make in Advance - raw dough, unassembled and even assembled cookies can be made in advance and frozen for special events later in the season.

Does Traditional Linzer Cookies Contain Nuts?

Linzer cookies are traditionally made with almonds. In my last nut-free version of this cookie, I omitted the almonds and substituted it with imitation almond extract to obtain a similar flavor profile.

This cinnamon version is also nut-free but without the almond extract. You can say, it has the look of a traditional linzer cookier but it does not contain nuts. It can be a good choice for group events that have restrictions on food containing nuts. Please be careful to source ingredients that don't have traces of nuts and be careful of any cross-contamination that might occur in your kitchen.

What Do These Cookies Taste Like?

These linzer cookies taste like a softer and less crumbly shortbread cookie - buttery but not too rich, soft but not too crumbly. They have the nice rounded flavors of vanilla and subtle flavors of cinnamon. These versatile cookies take on various fillings very well. How they ultimately taste will vary depending on which filling you pair it with. Other fillings or spreads that pairs well with vanilla and cinnamon include: Nutella, chocolate, plum jam, and apple or grape jelly.

Preparing the Ingredients & Substitutions

Unsalted butter - adds richness of flavor. It should be at room temperature for it to cream properly with the sugar. To soften quickly, cut into cubes and microwave on 10 second intervals at 50% power.
Icing sugar - adds sweetness. It must be sifted prior to use.
Egg yolks - tenderizes and adds flavor. Use large size.
Vanilla extract - adds flavor. Use either pure or artificial.
Cake flour - a low protein flour which will help make this cookie softer than if using All-Purpose flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8% while pastry flour, also a lower protein flour, has a protein content between 8-9%. Grocery stores usually sell a combination of cake and pastry flour at 7-9% protein. Cake flour can be substituted with both types of flour.
Ground cinnamon - adds a subtle cinnamon flavor, it can be replaced with other spices like nutmeg, cardamom, apple spice, pumpkin spice and all spice. If using nutmeg or cardamom, use a lesser amount (about ⅔ to half less) as they are more potent flavor-wise.
Fine sea salt - highlights all the flavors inside the cookies and contrasts nicely with the sweetness.
Jam for filling - can be substituted with chocolate, Nutella, plum jam, grape or apple jelly, and matcha spread or buttercreams.

Step By Step

Roughly mix together by hand, room temperature butter and icing sugar. This will prevent sugar clouds when the mixer is turned on. With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, beat together on medium speed until fluffy.

**Visual cues**: the batter should look well combined and fluffy.

Add egg yolks and vanilla extract. Beat until it's well combined. It should look smooth and no longer glossy.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir to disperse evenly. Add it into the batter. Roughly mix together by hand before turning mixer on. Mix together on lowest speed until evenly combined.

**Visual cues**: the dough is ready when it starts to look like one big mass with no traces of flour left. If there is a little left, you can knead it all together by hand.

In the bowl, knead the dough into one smooth dough ball. Shape into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until firm, approximately 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 325F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼" thickness. Cutout desired shapes with a 2" cookie cutter. Place onto cookie pan lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Optional: to prevent minimal spreading of intricate cutouts during baking, chill the cookies in the fridge before baking, around 20-30 minutes.

**Tip**: chill the cookies in the fridge before baking to prevent spreading of intricate designs.

Bake for 8-11 minutes until the edges start to turn golden. Tip: flip one over with a butter knife, it's done when the bottom is light golden. Cookies with the cutout will be done a bit sooner.* Let cookies sit on pan for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely

How to Store & Make in Advance

These cookies are perfect to make in advance of Valentine's Day. The raw cookie dough should be wrapped with plastic wrap and placed inside a Ziplock bag. If placing in the fridge, use within 1-2 days. In the freezer, use within 3 months.

Assembled linzer cookies can be kept in the fridge for up to one week but please note that they start to soften after a few hours. It's best to fill them the day of serving. They can also be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Place in fridge to defrost overnight. Do not dust cookies until it's time to serve.

Unfilled cookies should be stored in an air-tight container. It will stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature and up to one month in the freezer.

Recipe

Yield: 48 cookies

Cinnamon Jam Heart Linzer Cookies - Nut-Free

Cinnamon Jam heart linzer cookies for Valentine's Day. Nut-free and ready to party! This cookie is a crowd favorite!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Linzer Cookie

225 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
260 grams icing sugar, sifted
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
390 grams cake flour*
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Jam for filling*

Supplies

Regular kitchen tools PLUS
Parchment paper or silicone mat
2" Linzer cookie cutter
Hand or stand mixer
Sieve

Instructions

Nut-Free Cinnamon Linzer Cookie

Roughly mix together by hand, room temperature butter and icing sugar. This will prevent sugar clouds when the mixer is turned on. With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, beat together on medium speed until fluffy.
Add egg yolks and vanilla extract. Beat until it's well combined. It should look smooth and no longer glossy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir to disperse evenly. Add it into the batter. Roughly mix together by hand before turning mixer on.
Mix together on lowest speed until evenly combined.
In the bowl, knead the dough into one smooth dough ball. Shape into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until firm, approximately 2 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 325F
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼" thickness. Cutout desired shapes with a 2" cookie cutter. Place onto cookie pan lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Optional: to prevent minimal spreading of intricate cutouts during baking, chill the cookies in the fridge before baking, around 20-30 minutes.
Bake for 8-11 minutes until the edges start to turn golden. Tip: flip one over with a butter knife, it's done when the bottom is light golden. Cookies with the cutout will be done a bit sooner.*
Let cookies sit on pan for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Assembly

Before serving, with a sieve, lightly dust icing sugar onto the cookies with the cutout.
Spread a thin layer of jam filling onto the plain cookie.
Assemble together with the cutout cookie.
Assembled cookies can be kept in the fridge for up to one week but please note that they start to soften after a few hours. It's best to fill them the day of serving. See notes below on how to freeze and make in advance.

Notes

Ingredients Notes

Cake flour is a low protein flour which will help make this cookie lighter than if using AP flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8%. It can be substituted with "cake & pastry" flour or all-purpose flour.
Jam filling can be substituted with other fillings like chocolate, Nutella or matcha spread and buttercreams.

Recipe Notes

Err on the side of slightly over baking vs under baking as the jam filling will soften this cookie after a few hours.

Storage Notes

The raw cookie dough should be wrapped with plastic wrap and placed inside a Ziplock bag. If placing in the fridge, use within 1-2 days. In freezer, use within 3 months.
Unfilled cookies should be stored in an air-tight container. It will stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature and up to one month in the freezer.
Assembled cookies can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Place in fridge to defrost overnight. Do not dust cookies until it's time to serve.

Jam Filled Linzer Cookies without Nuts and Almonds

Dec 13, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Jam filled linzer cookies made without almonds - Christmas party-ready cookie containing no nuts. Make it unique by using a cute cookie cutter and then fill it with your own choice of filling.

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This nut-less linzer cookie recipe came about because I wanted to bring an easy but attractive looking treat to a holiday event. Since it was a big group event, all types of diets had to be considered including a no-tree nut one.

I was happy to see that these cute cookies were the first ones to be chosen by the party-goers and I think you'll have similar results too. They look very much like stain-glass cookies but they're so much easier to bake! I know you'll have tons of fun putting it all together. Without further ado, I present to you this no tree-nut linzer cookie recipe for your next Christmas cookie exchange.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Nut-less - ready for bringing to group events
Big Impact with Minimal Effort - these "stained glass" effect cookies look amazing but requires minimal skills
Make It Your Own - with your own unique cutter design
Tastes Delicious - soft and buttery
Adaptable - fill this cookie with other fillings to make different flavored cookies with just one dough
Simple Ingredients - make this cookie with ingredients that are available year round
Make in Advance - raw dough, unassembled and even assembled cookies can be made in advance and frozen for the busy holiday season.

Can I Make Linzer Cookies without Nuts?

Yes! Linzer cookies can be made without nuts by omitting the almonds and adding an imitation almond extract to build a similar flavor profile. This nut-less version is perfect for bringing to group events that have restrictions on food containing nuts. Please be careful to source an almond extract that doesn't have traces of nuts and be careful of any cross-contamination that might occur in your kitchen.

What Do These Cookies Taste Like?

These linzer cookies taste like a softer and less crumbly shortbread cookie - buttery but not too rich, soft but not too crumbly. Traditionally, they are made with almonds which give them a nutty flavor but in this nut-less version, you can use imitation almond extract to achieve a similar flavor profile. These versatile cookies take on various fillings very well. How they ultimately taste will vary depending on which filling you pair it with.

Preparing the Ingredients & Substitutions

Unsalted butter - adds richness of flavor. It should be at room temperature for it to cream properly with the sugar. To soften quickly, cut into cubes and microwave on 10 second intervals at 50% power.
Icing sugar - adds sweetness. It must be sifted prior to use.
Egg yolks - tenderizes and adds flavor. Use large size.
Vanilla extract - adds flavor. Use either pure or artificial.
Optional: almond extract gives the traditional nutty flavor to this cookie. If you're trying to make this cookie truly nut-less, use an imitation one that doesn't contain traces of nuts. It can also be omitted.
Cake flour - a low protein flour which will help make this cookie softer than if using All-Purpose flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8% while pastry flour, also a lower protein flour, has a protein content between 8-9%. Grocery stores usually sell a combination of cake and pastry flour at 7-9% protein. Cake flour can be substituted with both types of flour.
Fine sea salt - highlights all the flavors inside the cookies and contrasts nicely with the sweetness.
Jam for filling - can be substituted with chocolate, Nutella or matcha spread or buttercreams.

What Fillings to Pair with Linzer Cookies?

Linzer cookies taste delicious with jam, chocolate, Nutella or matcha spread and various buttercreams. Fruit jams provide a nice tart contrast to the butter and sugar in the cookie. Suitable jam flavors include: strawberry, raspberry and plum. Spreads like chocolate, Nutella or matcha are a modern alternative and adds more sweetness. Buttercreams will make this cookie even sweeter and richer. Whichever filling you use, do note that higher moisture ones will make this cookie softer and might drip out of the cutout window if it's too wet.

Step By Step

Add egg yolks and vanilla extract. Beat until it's well combined. It should look smooth and no longer glossy.

**Visual cues**: the batter should now look smooth and not glossy anymore.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Stir to disperse evenly. Add it into the batter.

**Tip:** always sift cake flour before use to prevent clumps. Stir thoroughly to ensure dry ingredients are evenly dispersed.

Roughly mix together by hand before turning mixer on. Mix together on lowest speed until evenly combined.

In the bowl, knead the dough into one smooth dough ball. Shape into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until firm, approximately 2 hours.

**Tip**: the dough will be soft initially but will take on a nice workable consistency after chilling.

How to Store & Make in Advance

These cookies are perfect to make in advance of Christmas cookie exchanges. The raw cookie dough should be wrapped with plastic wrap and placed inside a Ziplock bag. If placing in the fridge, use within 1-2 days. In the freezer, use within 3 months.

Assembled linzer cookies can be kept in the fridge for up to one week but please note that they start to soften after a few hours. It's best to fill them the day of serving. They can also be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Place in fridge to defrost overnight. Do not dust cookies until it's time to serve.

Unfilled cookies should be stored in an air-tight container. It will stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature and up to one month in the freezer.

Lastly, here are some of my other Christmas cookie exchange recipes: Honey Gingerbread Cookies without Molasses, Simple Striped Meringue Cookies, Peanut Butter Bear Cookies, Best Macaron Recipe and Fancy Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies. Updated February 2024: This cookie was such a hit that I also made a Valentine's Day version that tastes like cinnamon. I think it will work really well in the Fall and Winter season as well: Cinnamon Linzer Cookie.

Recipe

Yield: 48 cookies

Jam Filled Linzer Cookies without Nuts and Almonds

Jam filled linzer cookies made without almonds - Christmas party ready cookie containing no nuts. Make it unique by using a cute cookie cutter and then fill it with your own choice of filling.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Linzer Cookie

225 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
260 grams icing sugar, sifted
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: ½ teaspoon imitation almond extract*
390 grams cake flour*
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Jam for filling*

Supplies

Regular kitchen tools PLUS
Parchment paper or silicone mat
2" Linzer cookie cutter
Hand or stand mixer
Sieve

Instructions

Nut-less Linzer Cookie

Roughly mix together by hand, room temperature butter and icing sugar. This will prevent sugar clouds when the mixer is turned on. With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer, beat together on medium speed until fluffy.
Add egg yolks and vanilla extract. Beat until it's well combined. It should look smooth and no longer glossy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Stir to disperse evenly. Add it into the batter. Roughly mix together by hand before turning mixer on.
Mix together on lowest speed until evenly combined.
In the bowl, knead the dough into one smooth dough ball. Shape into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge until firm, approximately 2 hours.
Pre-heat oven to 325F
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a ¼" thickness. Cutout desired shapes with a 2" cookie cutter. Place onto cookie pan lined with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Optional: to prevent minimal spreading of intricate cutouts during baking, chill the cookies in the fridge before baking, around 20-30 minutes.
Bake for 8-11 minutes until the edges start to turn golden. Tip: flip one over with a butter knife, it's done when the bottom is light golden. Cookies with the cutout will be done a bit sooner.*
Let cookies sit on pan for 3-5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Assembly

Before serving, with a sieve, lightly dust icing sugar onto the cookies with the cutout.
Spread a thin layer of jam filling onto the plain cookie.
Assemble together with the cutout cookie.
Assembled cookies can be kept in the fridge for up to one week but please note that they start to soften after a few hours. It's best to fill them the day of serving. See notes below on how to freeze and make in advance.

Notes

Ingredients Notes

Almond extract gives the traditional nutty flavor to this cookie. If you're trying to make this cookie truly nut-less, use an imitation one that doesn't contain traces of nuts. It can also be omitted.
Cake flour is a low protein flour which will help make this cookie lighter than if using AP flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8%. It can be substituted with "cake & pastry" flour or all-purpose flour.
Jam filling can be substituted with other fillings like chocolate, Nutella or matcha spread and buttercreams.

Recipe Notes

Err on the side of slightly over baking vs under baking as the jam filling will soften this cookie after a few hours.

Storage Notes

The raw cookie dough should be wrapped with plastic wrap and placed inside a Ziplock bag. If placing in the fridge, use within 1-2 days. In freezer, use within 3 months.
Unfilled cookies should be stored in an air-tight container. It will stay fresh for up to one week at room temperature and up to one month in the freezer.
Assembled cookies can be kept in the freezer for up to one month. Place in fridge to defrost overnight. Do not dust cookies until it's time to serve.

Honey Gingerbread Cookies without Molasses

Dec 1, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Delicious honey gingerbread cookies without using molasses. Full of spicy flavor, without any bitterness. Moderately sweet like a snappier and spicier honey graham. Perfect for shipping and gift-giving.

Golden gingerbread men on a round plate with honey stick and ginger powder and cloves surrounding it.

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This honey gingerbread cookie came about due to my desire to make gingerbread without having to run to the store to buy molasses. Because honey never really "expires", I often have it in my pantry making it convenient for a recipe like this. Using honey to make gingerbread helps to get the holiday season started without adding another item to the shopping list. Not only are these cookies delicious but they are also great for making in advance for Christmas cookie exchange and they travel very well during shipping too. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Easy - they taste and look festive without additional decorations.
No molasses required - make this cookie anytime without having to buy molasses each holiday season.
Tastes great - like spicy honey grahams without the hint of bitterness.
Make in advance - dough and finished cookie freezes perfectly.
Gift-giving ready - stores well at room temperature and not prone to breakage. Perfect for transport or gift giving.

A small honey pot shaped like a bee hive is flanked by golden colored gingerbreadmen.

What Do these Cookies Taste Like?

These honey gingerbread cookies are moderately sweet and full of spicy flavors. It doesn't have the hint of smokiness or bitterness that sometimes come with molasses. I wouldn't say it's better or worse. Some people prefer the tastes of molasses in the few baked goods that use it, especially since it's used so infrequently throughout the normal course of the year. This honey version of gingerbread is just a different take on the cookie. It reminds me of a snappier and spicier version of honey grahams.

What Kind of Honey Should I Use?

Both liquid and creamed honey can be used in this recipe. I used an organic creamed honey here. It produces a dough that is a little firmer to work with when first mixed. It can be substituted with liquid honey which makes the dough a little bit softer in the beginning. After setting in the fridge, it will be easier to handle for rolling and cutting.

Ingredients to make honey gingerbread cookies are laid out on the counter.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Unsalted butter - adds tenderness and richness of flavor. It should be at room temperature for it to cream properly with the sugar. To soften quickly, cut into cubes and microwave on 10 second intervals at 50% power.
Light brown sugar - adds sweetness. Rogers Golden Yellow Sugar was used in this recipe. It has a light molasses flavor and lighter color. It can be substituted with other types of brown sugar.
Honey - adds sweetness. Organic creamed honey was used in this recipe. It produces a dough that is a little firmer to work with when first mixed. It can be substituted with liquid honey.
Egg (large size) - adds structure and flavor. It should be at room temperature for it to incorporate fully into the mixture. To bring to temperature quickly, soak it in warm water for about 15 minutes.
All-purpose flour - provides structure to the cookie.
Fine sea salt - highlights the flavors in the cookie.
Baking soda - is a leavening agent.
Ground ginger - spices give gingerbread cookie its signature flavor. All the spices as a group can be substituted with gingerbread spice. Don't skip the ginger or cinnamon but if you're missing nutmeg or cloves, this can be substituted with more of ginger/cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves or all spice. Ground pepper can be increased or decreased depending on your desired level of "kick".
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Ground cloves
Ground black pepper

Step By Step

With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer, beat the butter, sugar and honey together on medium speed until smooth. Add egg and beat until blended together. Stop mixer.

**VISUAL CUES:** The wet mixture should look well-blended and smooth before moving to the next step. Make sure to use room temperature ingredients.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda and all the spices. Pour it into the wet mixture. With a spatula, roughly combine the dry and wet mixtures together by hand before turning on the the mixer again. This will prevent big dust clouds.

Gingerbread spices being mixed into wet cookie dough batter. — **TIP:** Roughly combine the wet and dry mixture together by hand before turning on the mixer to prevent big dust clouds.

Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting, mix until it looks evenly blended with no traces of flour. The dough will be soft and may be in clumps (if using handheld mixer).

A bowl is filled with blended cookie dough in clump form. — **Visual Cues**: after the dry mixture is added and mixed, it should look well-blended without any traces of flour left. If using hand-mixer, it may be in clumps instead of one mass.

Turn off mixer and gently knead the dough inside the bowl until it becomes one dough ball. Flatten ball into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to firm up and for flavor development.

A hand is kneading the loose cookie dough into a dough ball. — **Tip**: The dough will be soft immediately after mixing. Let it set by chilling in the fridge. It will be easier to work with afterwards.

Pre-heat oven to 325F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a ¼" thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shape, transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper or silicone. Optional: for minimal spread during baking, chill the cutout cookies in the fridge for 30 min. before baking.

Cookie dough is cutout into shapes of gingerbread men with a cutout of a heart. — **TIP**: Bake cookies of different sizes on different trays as they will have different bake times. Smaller ones will be done sooner.

Bake for 8-12 minutes. For cookies with a firm edge and softer center, check on the cookies early when the edges are just golden. For snappier cookies, bake until the cookies are more golden throughout. Do not overbake as they will continue to cook out of the oven.

Allow them to set on baking tray for 3-5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Honey gingerbread cookies can be kept at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 10 days. See below on how to freeze and make in advance.

Gingerbread men are on a round plate with festive dried orange slices, honey stick, cinnamon sticks surrounding it.

Can I Ice & Decorate These Cookies?

Yes, definitely! They look and taste great on it's own but they are also perfect canvases for royal icing. You can flood them completely or you can use royal icing to draw in details like buttons, faces and so forth.

How to Store, Freeze & Make In Advance

These cookies are super convenient for making in advance of holiday cookie exchanges. Baked cookies can be store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 10 days. Raw cookie dough should be kept in the fridge and used within 1-2 days.

The dough and even the baked cookies freeze wonderfully because they are not prone to breakage. The dough and baked undecorated cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months. Shape the cookie dough into flat disks then wrap in plastic wrap and place it inside a clearly labelled Ziplock bag. Defrost in the fridge overnight before baking. To freeze baked cookies, store them inside a Ziplock bag.

Lastly, here are some of my other Christmas cookie exchange recipes: Nut-Free Jam Filled Linzer Cookies, Simple Striped Meringue Cookies, Peanut Butter Bear Cookies, Best Macaron Recipe and Fancy Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Close up of honey gingerbread men, a few specks of black pepper is visible.

Recipe

Yield: 48 cookies

Honey Gingerbread Men Cookies without Molasses and Less Refined Sugar

Delicious honey gingerbread cookies without using molasses. Full of spicy flavor, without any bitterness. Moderately sweet like a snappier and spicier honey graham.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

115 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
100 grams light brown sugar*
150 grams honey*
1 egg, room temperature
375 grams all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1/16 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

With a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or handheld mixer, beat the butter, sugar and honey together on medium speed until smooth.
Add egg and beat until blended together. Stop mixer.
In a medium sized bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda and all the spices. Pour it into the wet mixture.
With a spatula, roughly combine the dry and wet mixtures together by hand before turning on the the mixer again. This will prevent big dust clouds.
Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting, mix until it looks evenly blended with no traces of flour. The dough will be soft and may be in clumps (if using handheld mixer).
Turn off mixer and gently knead the dough inside the bowl until it becomes one dough ball.
Flatten ball into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours to firm up and for flavor development.
Pre-heat oven to 325F.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to a ¼" thickness.
Use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shape, transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper or silicone.
Optional: for minimal spread during baking, chill the cutout cookies in the fridge for 30 min. before baking.
Bake for 8-12 minutes. For cookies with a firm edge and softer center, check on the cookies early when the edges are just golden. For snappier cookies, bake until the cookies are more golden throughout. Do not overbake as they will continue to cook out of the oven.
Allow them to set on baking tray for 3-5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Honey gingerbread cookies can be kept at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 10 days. See post body on how to freeze and make in advance.

Notes

Rogers Golden Yellow Sugar was used in this recipe. It has a light molasses flavor and lighter color. It can be substituted with other types of brown sugar.
Organic creamed honey was used in this recipe. It produces a dough that is a little firmer to work with when first mixed. It can be substituted with liquid honey.

Christmas Gingerbread Men Pattern Cake Roll

Nov 28, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Delicious gingerbread cheesecake roll baked with a festive gingerbread men pattern. Perfect for Christmas parties and holiday dinners.

Gingerbread men pattern on a cake roll with tree branches, cinnamon and other Christmas celebratory items on the table.

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This inspiration for this gingerbread men pattern cake roll recipe came from my love of pattern rolls and cheesecake. It utilizes techniques from my Fancy Pattern Cake Roll recipe to create beautiful patterns on cake roll that won't crack easily. Flavor-wise it's adapted for the Christmas season with gingerbread spice and cheesecake. It's a really stunning dessert to bring to any winter holiday gathering. Wishing you all a hopeful and happy season.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Stunning Holiday Design - create your own look with the versatile pattern paste
Festive gingerbread spice flavor
Flexible cake base prevents cracking
Japanese-style fluffy cake base - the fluffiest gingerbread cake around!
Stabilized cheesecake filling is strong and sturdy for presentation on dessert tables
Versatile frosting can be used to pipe designs or frost cupcakes
Christmas Buche de Noel base - make it into a cake log for winter holiday dinners.

How Does This Cake Differ to Other Rolls?

This recipe utilizes a combination of these two recipes: Gingerbread Cake Roll and Fancy Pattern Cake Roll. If you're not familiar with the cakes in my cake roll series, here are the distinctive features you'll find in each. For the pattern paste in this cake, I used the one from the Fancy Pattern Cake Roll recipe. Because it is yolk-less, it is ideal for blending colors more accurately. For the cake base, I used the one from my Gingerbread Cake Roll recipe for its taste and texture. It's flavored with festive spices that is perfect for the winter holiday season. The texture is typical of chiffon cakes - light and fluffy!

Top view down looking at the fine texture of a gingerbread men printed cake roll.

How to Prepare Ingredients & Substitutions

Pattern Paste

Gel colors - this concentrated form of food coloring is ideal for coloring baked goods without adding excess moisture. I like this brand.

Dry Mix for Cake Batter

Cake flour - a low protein flour which will help make this cake softer than if using AP flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8% while pastry flour, also a lower protein flour, has a protein content between 8-9%. Grocery stores usually sell a combination of cake and pastry flour at 7-9% protein. It can be substituted with all-purpose flour but the cake will be a little tougher than if using cake flour.
Gingerbread spice - can be substituted with ``½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
Fine Sea salt - used to highlight the flavors in the cake.

Wet Mix for Cake Batter

Milk - adds moisture to the cake
Neutral vegetable oil - neutral tasting oils like canola, vegetable, grapeseed or avocado are all good choices.
Granulated sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and to break up the grains in the dry mix.
Egg yolks - tenderizes the cake. Use large size.
Vanilla extract - rounds out the flavors. Since vanilla is not the main flavor, feel free to use an artificial kind to save costs as pure vanilla can be quite pricey.

Meringue for Cake Batter

Egg whites - from large eggs. Room temperature ones will whip to volume better. Soak cold eggs in warm water to bring to room temperature quickly.
Cream of tartar - is an acid that helps to stabilize the meringue. It can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar. You can skip it if you're careful with the whipping.
Granulated sugar - adds sweet taste and structure to the meringue.

Stabilized Cheesecake Filling

Gelatin powder - use only the unflavored kind. I prefer Knox gelatin.
Cream cheese - a soft tub-style cream cheese was used here. If using brick-style, decrease the water and gelatin by half. It must be COLD.
Sour cream - gives this cheesecake filling its traditional tartness
Heavy cream - is a cream with a minimum milk fat content of 36% and above. Heavy cream produces a very stable cream but can be substituted with whipping cream with a milk fat content between 30-35%. Cream must be chilled for it to whip properly.
Granulated sugar - adds sweetness.
Vanilla extract - use either pure or artificial.
Lemon juice - is a concentrated way to add tang to traditional cheesecake without compromising its structure too much.

Supplies & Substitutions

Regular kitchen tools PLUS:
8x12" Cake Pan - The toaster oven Silpat mat fits perfectly in this pan. If you have a bigger sized pan, you can build a dam inside with aluminum foil to make the pan smaller. Take a look at this post on how to bake this type of cake in different sized pans.
Toaster silicone mat - If making the pattern paste design, it's best to pipe it on the silicone mat to prevent the paste from shuffling. Parchment paper can be used but it doesn't grip the design as well and isn't substantially weighted to prevent movement inside the pan.
Piping bags - You can use Ziplock bags with a small cut at the tip but I find piping bags along with piping tips to provide more precise piping performance.
Round Piping Tip #3 - sizes 3 & 4 are great for piping the pattern paste. The paste can be a little runny and the smaller tips prevents large amounts from flowing out.
Round Piping Tip #4

Step By Step

With pattern paste, pipe desired design onto silicone mats with templates placed underneath as guide. Discard leftover pattern paste. 5-10 minutes before pouring cake base over design, place it in the freezer to set small details. Place frozen design in cake tray. Transfer some of the gingerbread cake batter into a piping bag and pipe around the frozen pattern paste design to minimize movement of the design when the rest of the batter is added.

Gingerbread men being piped onto a silicone mat with pattern paste. — **Tip**: Try to use Silicone mats, they are great for gripping the cake batter and stop it from shuffling around. Before pouring the cake batter over the design, make sure to freeze the design until it's firm and no longer transfers to your fingers.

Gently pour the rest of the batter into cake pan, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Very gently, tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets. Bake for 12-14 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center. Let cool in pan for 5 min. Place cooling rack over cake pan. Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper/mat. The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it cool while making the cheesecake filling.

Gingerbread cake batter being poured into the cake pan. A silicone mat is being peeled off revealing gingerbread men pattern on cake. — **Tip**: Instead of pouring the batter onto the design, you can also pipe in the cake batter if your design is more intricate.

Chill mixing bowl and beaters in refrigerator. Add cool water to heat-proof cup, sprinkle gelatin powder on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes until granules have swelled. Bring a pot of water to boil. Place cup in boiling water, remove when the gelatin becomes liquid. In a large mixing bowl, whip the cold cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla on medium-low speed until it all comes together. Add the chilled cream into the mixing bowl and whip on high until the beater starts leaving trails in the cream.

A mixer beating cream cheese with vanilla extract, sour cream and sugar. Whipped cream being poured into the mixture. — **Visual cues**: Pour in the cream when the mixture looks smooth, lump-free and has increased in volume.

Check on the gelatin, it should no longer be hot but still liquid. Pour the liquid gelatin into the bowl while whipping, aim for the area in between the bowl and whisk. Whip until stiff peaks. Optional: add a few drops of lemon juice to taste for a tangier cheesecake flavor. Use cream immediately to assemble cake roll.

Melted gelatin being poured into the cream cheese mixture while mixer is running. — **Tip**: Ensure the gelatin in not hot anymore when pouring it into the mixture. Pour it while whipping at the same time.

Lay plastic wrap on the counter, flip cake onto it. Spread the cheesecake filling onto the cake with a bit of extra on the side that is to be rolled first.

A spatula pulling through the cheesecake filling.

Carefully roll up the cake from the short edge using the plastic wrap to help push the cake onto itself. For a rounder cake, wrap one more time with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to set before cutting (see post for details). Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation. Gingerbread cake roll can be kept in the fridge in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

Cake roll is being rolled up. — **Tip**: When you begin to roll, roll it gently and don't press too hard. Lift up the plastic wrap to help you fold then cake onto itself. Be gentle but decisive. It will all come together!

A festive cake roll with holiday patterns printed on it is on a wooden serving tray with some cream cheese packets in the background.

What are Substitutes for Gingerbread Spice?

Gingerbread spice blends are readily available online, like this one here. They may be a little harder to find at regular grocery stores. It be substituted with ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves and ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg. For an extra spicier version, add a pinch of black pepper. For added dimension, add ¼ teaspoon of all spice. If you're missing either cloves or nutmeg, just add in extra ginger or cinnamon in equal amounts.

Do I Need to Stabilize the Cheesecake Filling?

The cheesecake filling in this cake is similar to the one from pumpkin cream cheese cake roll. That one is easier to prepare and contains only 4 ingredients but will be less sturdy. This one, on the other hand, is stabilized and tastes more like cheesecake. For use in a cake roll, I like stabilizing the cheesecake filling with gelatin because it's more aesthetically pleasing - the roll stays rounder, and the filling won't start pushing out from the ends. It's not necessary to stabilize it if you're not too picky about the way it looks. Once stabilized, you can use it to pipe designs and frost cupcakes!

How to Create Other Flavored Fillings

This cake roll can be paired with other filling flavors or you can experiment and try making your own. Almost all my cake rolls have stabilized fillings that are sturdy to keep the cake roll nice and round. Here are some of my other recipes that you can use to pair with this cake base: chocolate cake roll, carrot spice mascarpone cake roll, strawberry fresh cream cake roll, coffee cake roll, Earl Grey tea cake roll, Matcha cake roll, and cotton candy cake roll. You can also use this cake as a base for Buche de Noel or cake log for Christmas dinner and parties.

Gingerbread Men Pattern Template

You can download this free gingerbread man cake roll template for free when you sign up for my newsletter. It is perfect for use with the toaster sized Silpat mat and 8x12" cake pan. If your pan is bigger, it will still work. You'll need to visualize how the cake will be rolled in order to find the proper placement under the mat.

Recipe

Yield: 8 Slices

Gingerbread Men Pattern Cake Roll with Stabilized Cheesecake Filling

Delicious gingerbread cheesecake roll baked with a festive gingerbread men pattern. Perfect for Christmas parties and holiday dinners.

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 57 minutes

Ingredients

(Optional) Pattern paste

20 grams cake flour
2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Gel colors

Dry Mix for Cake Batter

45 grams cake flour
1 ½ teaspoon gingerbread spice*
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet Ingredients for Cake Batter

50 ml milk
40 ml neutral flavored oil*
25 grams granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Meringue for Cake Batter

4 egg whites, room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
50 grams granulated sugar

Stabilized Cheesecake Filling

2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
3 tablespoon water
130 grams Trestelle cream cheese, cold*
45 grams sour cream
35 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 ml heavy cream, chilled*
Optional: lemon juice, to taste

Supplies

Regular baking tools PLUS
8X12" cake tray
(Optional) Toaster oven sized Silicone mat*
(Optional) Piping bags
(Optional) Fine round piping tips

Instructions

(Optional) Pattern Paste

Determine how much pattern paste you need. (For example, you can halve the pattern paste ingredients if you are using 2 colors or less.)
In a small bowl, combine 1st set of sugar, milk and oil together.
Sift in flour, stir to combine.
In a mixing bowl, whip 2nd set of sugar and egg whites together until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold meringue into the wet flour mixture until just incorporated. Don't overdo it as you can fold a bit more later.
Split the pattern paste into separate bowls and add desired color. Gently fold again to incorporate color.
Transfer into piping bags and pipe desired design onto silicone mats with templates placed underneath as guide. Discard leftover pattern paste.
5-10 minutes before pouring cake base over design, place it in the freezer to set small details.

Gingerbread Cake Base

Line a 8 X 12" rectangular cake pan with parchment paper/silicone mat. (If using pattern paste, take the frozen design/mat out of the freezer and place in tray at step 11),
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a small bowl, combine all the "wet" ingredients together with a whisk and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry mix. Stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add all the "wet" ingredients.
Combine until just incorporated, do not over mix as it will result in a tough cake. Set this gingerbread-flour mixture aside.
In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size decreased, add sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks (when the whisk is pulled out, the tips of the egg whites will point upwards without drooping on itself.) This is now called the meringue.
Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the gingerbread-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
(Optional if using pattern paste) Place frozen design in cake tray. Transfer some of the cake batter into a piping bag and pipe around the frozen pattern paste design to minimize movement of the design when the rest of the batter is added.
Gently pour the rest of the batter into cake pan, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
Very gently, tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
Bake for 12-14 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center.
Let cool in pan for 5 min.
Place cooling rack over cake pan. Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper/mat.
The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it cool while making the cheesecake filling.*

Cheesecake Filling

Chill mixing bowl and beaters in refrigerator.
Add cool water to heat-proof cup, sprinkle gelatin powder on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes until granules have swelled.
Bring a pot of water to boil.
Place cup in boiling water, remove when the gelatin becomes liquid.
In a large mixing bowl, whip the cold cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla on medium-low speed until it all comes together.
Add the chilled cream into the mixing bowl and whip on high until the beater starts leaving trails in the cream.
Check on the gelatin, it should no longer be hot but still liquid.
Pour the liquid gelatin into the bowl while whipping, aim for the area in between the bowl and whisk. Whip until stiff peaks.
Optional: add a few drops of lemon juice to taste for a tangier cheesecake flavor.
Use cream immediately to assemble cake roll.

Assembly

Lay plastic wrap on the counter, flip cake onto it.
Spread the cheesecake filling onto the cake with a bit of extra on the side that is to be rolled first.
Carefully roll up the cake from the short edge using the plastic wrap to help push the cake onto itself.
For a rounder cake, wrap one more time with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to set before cutting (see post for details).
Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation. Gingerbread cake roll can be kept in the fridge in an air tight container for 2-3 days.

Notes

Gingerbread spice can be substituted with ``½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
Neutral flavored oil choices include: grapeseed, canola, vegetable and avocado.
Trestelle Original cream cheese was used in this recipe. It is a tub-style cream cheese that is spreadable/softer than block style cream cheeses. If using block style cream cheese, decrease gelatin and water by half.
Heavy cream is cream with milk fat content of 35%+ (also labelled as 35% M.F.) It can be substituted with whipping cream which has milk fat of 30%+. Heavy cream is preferred for it's stability.
Cream and cream cheese must be COLD otherwise the mixture will be soupy.
Silicone mat is preferred for preventing the design from shuffling. Parchment paper can be used but it's not ideal for intricate designs.
It is not necessary to pre-roll this cake for "muscle memory" to prevent cracking.
Cheesecake filling is stabilized. It can be used for piping designs or frosting cupcakes.

Silent Night Christmas Cake Roll with Peppermint Whipped Cream

Nov 17, 2023 · 2 Comments

A modern festive Silent Night pattern cake roll filled with whipped peppermint cream. Perfect for Christmas dinner, potlucks and holiday gift-giving.

A cake roll with a Christmas theme of snow-capped mountains and glittery stars in the night sky is on a wooden serving tray.

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With this Silent Night cake roll I wanted to challenge myself to create a Christmas cake that uses non-traditional Christmas colors and motifs. It also gave me a chance to break out the edible gold leaf and use it in a very fitting way. This was my last holiday bake last year but I didn't have a chance to share it here until a whole year later! It was our first Christmas with the twins so things were a bit hectic. As with many of you, it was a busy year indeed. I hope you'll have a chance to make this cake for the holidays or at the very least, I hope it inspires you to make your own modern interpretation of a Christmas cake. Happy Holidays!

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Festive theme that is appropriate for all winter events.
Pattern paste is stretchy making it easy to roll
Flexible cake base prevents cracking
White pattern paste uses no yolks - perfect for adding colors
Extra painting step after baking allows for finer details on cake
Delicious tasting cake base with flavors of egg and vanilla.
Adaptable flavor - just change the filling flavor. Read more below.

How Does This Cake Differ to Other Rolls?

This recipe utilizes a combination of these two recipes: Japanese Cake Roll with Fresh Cream and Fancy Pattern Cake Roll. If you're not familiar with the cakes in my cake roll series, here are the distinctive features you'll find in each. For the pattern paste in this cake, I used the one from the Fancy Pattern Cake Roll recipe. Because it is yolk-less, it is ideal for blending colors more accurately. For the cake base, I used the one from my Japanese Cake Roll recipe for its taste. It's a richer tasting cake with flavors of eggs and vanilla which some readers prefer. However, it does contain egg yolks so it may be a tad bit more difficult to blend colors accurately. (This Silent Night roll uses a black color in the base so I didn't have any problems coloring it for this particular design.)

Bird's eye view of a cake roll with a Silent Night theme is displayed on a table with Christmas decorations like garland and gold bells.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Pattern Paste

Gel color - gel colors are a potent form of food coloring that doesn't add excess moisture when added to baked goods. I usually use this brand.

Dry Ingredients for Cake

Cake flour - a low protein flour which will help make this cake softer than if using AP flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8% while pastry flour, also a lower protein flour, has a protein content between 8-9%. Grocery stores usually sell a combination of cake and pastry flour at 7-9% protein. It can be substituted with all-purpose flour but the cake will be a little tougher than if using cake flour.
Baking powder - helps leaven the cake in case there is any weakness in the meringue.
Fine Sea salt - provides a nice contrast to the sweet taste in the cake and brings out the flavors. Use half the amount if using table salt.

Wet Ingredients for Cake

Whole fat milk - can be substituted with 2%, 1%
Neutral flavored oil - neutral tasting oils like canola, grapeseed, vegetable and avocado are all good choices.
Egg yolks - emulsifies cake and adds flavor.
Granulated sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and break up the grains when the dry ingredients are added.
Vanilla extract - adds flavor to the cake, this can be substituted with other flavors of extract.

Meringue for Cake

Egg whites - from large eggs. Egg whites whip better at room temperature so keep it out on the counter for about half hour before whipping.
Cream of tartar - is an acid that helps to stabilize the meringue. It can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.
Granulated sugar - adds stability to the meringue and tenderizes the cake.

Stabilized Peppermint Whipped Cream

Unflavored powdered gelatin - is used to stabilize the cream. This will keep the cake roll nice and round for several days. If you aren't too picky with the roundness, you can skip this process. Only use unflavored gelatin, do not use Jello powder.
Whipping cream (33% M.F.) - has milk fat content of 30-35%. This milk fat percentage will allow the cream to whip to volume. Do not use half & half or regular milk.
Granulated sugar - adds sweetness and stability to the cream.
Vanilla extract - adds flavor, can be substituted with other flavors.
Peppermint extract - adds flavor, can be substituted with other flavors.

Step By Step

A hand is piping pattern paste onto a silicone mat in the design of mountains and North star. — TIP: to prevent shifting of the piped design, use a silicone mat instead of parchment paper. Round tips sizes 3 & 4 are great for use with this batter consistency.

Cake batter is being poured into a cake pan lined with a Christmas design piped with pattern paste. — TIP: If you have very intricate details, you can further prevent any damage to the design when you pour the cake batter in by piping around it entirely with cake batter instead.

Silicone mat is being pulled off of a cake that is cooling on a rack to reveal the festive design underneath. — TIP: To further refine the overall design and compensate for any untidy lines, outline it with some diluted gel color using an extra fine paint brush.

A hand is painting the outlines of the Bethlehem star on the cake roll. — TIP: add some edible gold flakes in the night sky to give it an extra special touch. I like to use wooden chopsticks/utensils for this as I find it is less attracted to the delicate flakes.

How to Paint on Cake Roll

For this Silent Night pattern, I used black and light blue to outline the design. It makes the nativity scene more beautiful and defined but you can also leave it unpainted. Painting should be done after the cake has had a chance to "set" in the fridge. If you try to paint on the cake or cut it right after rolling, it might be too soft to handle. You also won't get the clean cuts you see in these photos.

To paint, mix some gel food color with water and use a very fine paint brush to paint the outline of the stars, mountain and snow. I achieved the best results from using a much finer brush with only a few tiny hairs on it. I dabbed the color on using small brush strokes applied with gentle pressure. Lastly, I recommend painting the cake on the same day you serve it to prevent bleed over time.

Must Read Tips for Great Pattern Cake

This recipe doesn't use a separate "thicker" paste for the Silent Night pattern, we use a near similar cake batter throughout the entire cake. This makes the cake easier to roll and less prone to cracking. Here are some tips on making the pattern roll without a thick paste:

To prevent cracking, use a proper cake roll recipe. Not all cake recipes are meant for rolling because the cake base is not flexible enough. I've tested this recipe many times with various designs and it works!
After baking, there is no need to roll up this cake for "muscle memory". You can let it cool down on the wire rack while making the cream. Assembling it right away with the cream eliminates the amount of times the cake is handled.
To help the design stay in place without the need for a thicker pattern paste, pipe the colored cake batter onto a silicone mat instead of on parchment. The Silpat toaster-sized silicone mat fits perfectly into my 8x12" cake pan.
Optional: To further set small details, the design portion can be chilled before pouring the rest of the batter and baking. Take the silicone mat with the piped design and place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Can I Make this Cake a Different Flavor?

Yes, the flavor of the cake rolls can be altered by changing the flavor of the cake base or the filing. Keep in mind the flavors of some cake bases like Matcha, green tea, carrots, or chocolate can affect it's coloring. Here are some of my cake roll recipes to help guide you in the process: gingerbread man pattern cake roll, chocolate cake roll, Matcha green tea cake roll, carrot cake roll, coffee cake roll, cheesecake roll, gingerbread cake roll, pumpkin cake roll, cotton candy cake roll, peach cake cup, Tokyo banana cake roll and Earl Grey tea cake roll.

Silent Night Cake Roll Template

I used the Silent Night Cake Template below to create this design. You can download it for free once you become a member by subscribing to my newsletter.

Recipe

Yield: 8 slices

Silent Night Pattern Christmas Cake Roll

A modern and festive Silent Night pattern cake roll filled with whipped peppermint cream. Perfect for Christmas dinner, potlucks and holiday gift-giving.

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

Pattern Paste

20 grams cake flour
2 teaspoon granulated sugar (1st set)
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon neutral flavored oil*
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (2nd set)
Gel food color

Dry Mix for Cake Base

45 grams cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Wet Mix for Cake Base

25 grams granulated sugar
50 ml whole fat milk
3 egg yolks
40 ml neutral flavored oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Meringue for Cake Base

4 egg whites
50 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar*

Stabilized Peppermint Whipped Cream

1 + ¼ teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
5 teaspoon water
1 ¼ cup whipping cream (33% M.F.)
1 tablespoon +¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract

Supplies

Regular baking tools PLUS:
8"X12" cake pan
Toaster oven silicone mat or parchment paper
Round piping tip #3 or #4
Piping bags or Ziplock bags

Instructions

Pattern Paste

Print out Silent Night cake roll template from post, trim to size.
In a small bowl, combine 1st set of sugar, milk and oil together.
Sift in flour, stir until combined.
In a mixing bowl, whip 2nd set of sugar and egg whites together until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold meringue into the wet flour mixture until just incorporated. Don't overdo it as you can fold a bit more later.
Split the pattern paste into separate bowls and add desired color. Gently fold again to incorporate color.
Transfer into piping bags and pipe desired design onto silicone mat with template placed underneath as guide. Discard leftover pattern paste.
10-15 minutes before pouring cake base over design, place it in the freezer to set small details. It should be dry to the touch.

Fluffy Cake Base

Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a small bowl, combine the wet mix together until combined.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry mix. Stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add the wet mix.
Stir to combine until no traces of flour can be seen. Do not overmix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.
Now make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks.* This is the meringue.
Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue until no clumps of meringue are visible. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
Transfer some of this cake batter into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (e.g. round #10).
Place mat with frozen pattern paste design into cake pan. Carefully pipe cake batter around design.
Gently pour the rest of the cake batter into cake pan, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
Very lightly tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F until a skewer pulls out clean and cake springs back in the center.
Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing.
Place cooling rack over cake pan.
Flip cake over onto the rack, gently remove paper.
The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack while making the cream filling.

Stabilized Peppermint Cream

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better.
Place water in heatproof cup and sprinkle gelatin on top to bloom. Wait 5 minutes.
Place cup in a small sauce pan filled with simmering water. Once gelatin becomes liquid, take it out of the water. Let cool on the counter.
Immediately start beating the cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the chilled bowl. Whip on low speed and then increase to medium.
Check on the gelatin. It should no longer be warm but still runny.
Once the beaters leave tracks in the cream, pour the gelatin into the bowl slowly and steadily. Aim for the area in between the whisk and the bowl.
Once the cream has gained volume and is at a soft peak stage, add the extracts and whip on med-high until stiff peaks. Do not over whip.
Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Assembly

Lay plastic wrap on the counter and flip cooled cake on top with design side facing down. Spread an even layer of cream on the cake.
Carefully roll up the cake from the short edge using the plastic wrap to help push the cake onto itself.
Wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to set before painting and cutting.
Optional: on the same day the cake is to be served, dilute the gel color with a tiny drop of water until it is a paintable consistency. Use an extra fine food grade brush to paint on the outline of the design. Add gold foil to the night sky.
Before serving, cut off sides for a cleaner presentation.

Notes

Cake flour is a low protein flour which will help make this cake softer than if using AP flour. It usually has a protein content between 6-8%. It can be substituted with all-purpose flour but the cake will be a little tougher than if using cake flour.
Neutral flavored oils include: canola, grapeseed, vegetable and avocado. Do not use peanut or sunflower oil.
Stiff peaks stage in meringue making is reached when the whisk is pulled out and meringue points upwards without drooping on itself.
This whipped cream is stabilized to keep the cake roll nice and round for several days. If you are not too picky with the roundness, you can skip using the gelatin.

Chinese Paper Wrapped Cupcakes - Bouncy Spongey Texture

Sep 12, 2023 · Leave a Comment

Spongey and bouncy Chinese Paper Wrapped Cupcakes just like the ones from the Hong Kong bakeries. Tastes amazing on its own.

Unwrapped Chinese paper cupcakes with golden skin showing.

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Chinese paper wrapped cupcakes aka 紙包蛋糕 are deceptive little treats that don't look flashy but tastes amazing. If you've ever been to a Hong Kong style bakery, you've probably seen these tall unfrosted cakes baked in kraft cupcake liners and wrapped in clear cellophane bags. I admit it's so easy to pass up these cakes with their unassuming appearance but once you've tried them, you'll know why these are one of the most popular items for Chinese families to bring home from the bakery.

Recently, my husband brought some back home and renewed my taste for these H.K. style cupcakes again. I was infatuated with its spongey texture, fine crumbs, bold yellow color and sweet taste of eggs and vanilla. I tried my best to recreate this delicious cupcake based on one particularly outstanding version I tasted from a local Asian bakery. In my quest, I used trays upon trays of eggs and other ingredients to make this tens of times in order to get the taste and texture just right. We both love this final version and I bake it often as a quick treat at gatherings. I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Easy - approachable baking method yielding the most delicious stand alone cupcakes
Simple Ingredients - uses basic ingredients found in every store
Tender & Spongey - cake body is bouncy and sponge-like
No Frosting Needed - tastes amazing on its own. Great for picnics, hot weather, lunch boxes, gift-giving and last-minute events.

Four spongey cupcakes baked in elegant tall tulip cupcake wrappers.

What Do These Cupcakes Taste Like?

These cupcakes are sweet with flavors of eggs and vanilla. It has the scrumptious flavor of butter without the hard texture of butter cakes. It's bouncy with a sponge-like texture. In fact, one of the things I love to do with this cake is pulling it apart and feeling the bouncy resistance as it rips, a nice little sensory experience.

How Does It Differ to Asian Bakery Chiffon Cake?

To develop this recipe, I used my popular Asian Bakery Chiffon Cake as reference. That cake is less sweet and better suited as a layered cake for use with light frostings and additional toppings like fruit. It's also a bit softer and fluffier so it is best eaten on a plate with a fork.

This cake is made to be a stand alone cupcake that requires no additional frosting or toppings. It's a bit sweeter and very flavorful all on it's own. The firmer spongey texture allows it to be consumed easily in cupcake form.

Ingredients for Chinese paper cupcakes on a marble counter.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Cake Flour - cake flour is a low protein flour (protein content usually between 6-8%) which will help make this cake lighter and softer than if using all-purpose flour. You can also use "cake & pastry flour" which many stores sell, this is a blend of both flours with a lower protein (7-9%) than AP flour. It's ok to use AP flour if that is all you have. Cake flour needs to be sifted before use to prevent clumps.
Salt - brings out the flavors in the cake and acts as a contrast to the sweetness.
Granulated sugar -adds moisture and sweetness
Egg - tenderizes the cake, adds structure and emulsification of the cake batter. Extra egg yolk adds extra flavor.
Milk - provides moisture in the batter
Oil - makes cakes more fluffy and bouncy (as opposed to butter). Use neutral flavored ones like grapeseed, vegetable, canola or avocado.
Vanilla extract - rounds out all the flavors in the cake.
Optional: Butter emulsion - this is the secret ingredient that makes this stand alone cake taste richer and sweeter without having to add extra sugar or butter. I had great success with this brand of butter emulsion.

Tips for Success

Use cake flour instead of AP flour.
Always sift cake flour to prevent clumps.
Gently incorporate the dry-mix and wet-mix together until no lumps of flour can be seen. Do not over mix as it will result in a tough cake.
For the meringue, use room temperature egg whites for better volume.
Whip the egg whites in a clean non-plastic bowl free of oil (egg yolks) and water.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks stage.
Gently fold the meringue into the cake batter, retaining the air that you've built into the meringue. Do not stir.
Use tall cupcake cups or tulip cupcake liners to allow cake to expand and climb the sides.
Fully bake the cake to prevent shrinkage. The tops should be a uniformed golden color, bounces in the center, and starting to pull away from the sides. A skewer inserted inside should come out clean.
Once out of the oven, lay cupcakes on its side to prevent shrinkage.
For a nice sunny yellow colored cake body, use omega-3 enriched eggs. While not always the case, these eggs usually have a deeper yellow yolk due to the chicken's diet.

Step By Step

Pre-heat oven to 350* PREPARE WET MIX: In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together until smooth. Add oil, milk, emulsion and extract, whisk again until it's homogenous. SIFT DRY MIX: In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Stir to disperse ingredients evenly.

In a small bowl, egg yolks, oil and extracts are being stirred together. In a large bowl, a hand is sifting cake flour. — **TIPS:** The egg yolk mixture should look homogenous after whisking all the wet mix ingredients together. To prevent clumps, always sift cake flour before using.

COMBINE WET & DRY MIX: Create a well in the center of the dry mix, add the wet mix. With the balloon whisk, stir gently until no flour lumps are visible. Set this wet-flour mixture aside.

In a large bowl, flour and cake batter mixture are being stirred together. — **TIPS:** Gently combine the wet mix and dry mix together. Once liquid is introduced to the flour, it's important to be gentle with the batter. Stirring too vigorously can result in a tough cake.

MAKE MERINGUE: In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy, add the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. This is now the meringue.

In a glass bowl, a handheld mixer is whipping egg whites for Chinese cupcakes. — **TIPS FOR MERINGUE:** add the sugar a little bit at a time to better allow the egg whites to absorb it. Start with a lower speed and increase it gradually.

Beaters showing eggs whipped to stiff peaks, the meringue is pointing up and not drooping. — **VISUAL CUES:** stiff peak stage has been reached when the meringue points upwards without drooping.

FOLD MERINGUE: Gently fold the meringue into the wet-flour mixture in 3 additions being careful not to deflate the meringue. This will allow the cakes to rise nice and tall.

In a large bowl, white meringue is added into a bowl filled with yellow flour-egg yolk mixture. Next picture shows the two mixtures have become one homogenous batter. — **VISUAL CUES:** Fold the meringue into the wet-flour mixture until no more meringue can be seen. The batter should look thick, smooth and homogenous.

DIVIDE BATTER into cupcake pan lined with paper wrappers (see post body for instructions on how to make your own.) BAKE for 23-25 minutes. The cupcakes are done when the tops are golden brown, bounces back in the center and starts pulling away from the sides. When a skewer is inserted, it should come out clean. COOL sideways on a cooling rack to prevent deflation (they will deflate a little). Chinese paper wrapped cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or up to 5 days inside the fridge.

Cupcake tray full of cupcake wrappers filled with Chinese cupcake batter. The picture to the right is fully baked cupcakes laid on its side on a cooling rack. — **TIPS:** Cupcake liners should be filled ¾ of the way allowing for a good rise in the batter when baking. Once out of the oven, rest the cupcakes on its side to prevent shrinkage.

A close up of unwrapped Hong Kong bakery cupcake showing its golden skin.

Which Type of Cupcake Wrappers To Use?

Tall paper cupcake cups or tulip cupcake wrappers like these are best suited for this recipe because they allow the cake to expand and "climb" the sides for a taller rise. It can be substituted with regular sized paper cupcake liners which will give you more cupcakes in total. You can also make your own tulip liners by cutting 6-inch squares of parchment paper. Place them over the cupcake baking tray and press down with a cup while pushing the paper to the sides of the tray.

Can It Be Baked In a Round Pan?

Yes! This recipe can be baked in two 8" round cake pans for use in a layered cake. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper to ensure a clean release without tears. After baking, invert the pan on the cooling rack to prevent deflation. Once it is completely cooled, run an offset spatula (or butter knife) around the edges, then carefully tip the cake out.

HK style paper cupcakes baked in small regular cupcake wrappers. — These cupcakes can also be baked in regular sized cupcake wrappers.

How To Store and Make in Advance

After cooling, place the cupcakes in an air-tight container. They will stay fresh for up 2 days at room temperature and up to 5 days in the fridge. They can also be made in advance for future consumption. Just place the container in the freezer for up to 1 month and place them in the fridge to defrost the night before serving. For quick defrosting, just use the defrost setting in the microwave, in short bursts of around 10 seconds. Both methods will allow the cupcakes to come back to its original flavor and texture.

Close up of inside of the cupcake showing the small fine open crumbs. — This cupcake has open crumbs that are small and fine. This makes the texture sponge-like with a good bounce.

Recipe

Yield: 10 large cupcakes

Chinese Paper Wrapped Cupcakes - Bouncy Spongey Texture

Spongey and bouncy Chinese Paper Wrapped Cupcakes just like the ones from the Hong Kong bakeries. Tastes amazing on its own.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Mix

100 grams cake flour*
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt*

Wet Mix

6 egg yolks
40 grams granulated sugar
50 ml neutral flavored oil*
60 ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional: 1 teaspoon butter emulsion

Meringue

150 grams egg whites*
40 grams granulated sugar

Supplies

1 small mixing bowl
2 large mixing bowls
Flour sifter
Spatula
Balloon whisk
Handheld mixer
Large cupcake wrappers (tulip paper liners)
Cupcake pan

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350*
PREPARE WET MIX: In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together until smooth. Add oil, milk, emulsion and extract, whisk again until it's homogenous.
SIFT DRY MIX: In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Stir to disperse ingredients evenly.
COMBINE WET & DRY MIX: Create a well in the center of the dry mix, add the wet mix. With the balloon whisk, stir gently until no flour lumps are visible. Set this wet-flour mixture aside.
MAKE MERINGUE: In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy, add the sugar and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.* This is now the meringue. (Refer to process shots in the post body.)
FOLD MERINGUE: Gently fold the meringue into the wet-flour mixture in 3 additions being careful not to deflate the meringue. This will allow the cakes to rise nice and tall.
DIVIDE BATTER into cupcake pan lined with paper wrappers (see post body for instructions on how to make your own.)
BAKE for 23-25 minutes. The cupcakes are done when the tops are golden brown, bounces back in the center and starts pulling away from the sides. When a skewer is inserted, it should come out clean.
COOL sideways on a cooling rack to prevent deflation (they will deflate a little). Chinese paper wrapped cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or up to 5 days inside the fridge.

Notes

Cake flour is a low-protein flour that will yield a softer cake. It can substituted with All-Purpose flour or Cake & Pastry flour.
Fine sea salt can be substituted with table salt.
Neutral flavored oils include: grapeseed, vegetable, canola or avocado.
150 g of egg whites is approximately 5 large egg whites.
Be careful not to get any yolks in the egg whites. The meringue will not whip properly if there is any presence of fat.
Optional additions: the meringue is the main leavening agent in this cake. If you don't have much experience in making meringue, you can use one or both of the following ingredients to ensure the cake bakes with a good rise. Add 1 teaspoon baking power to the dry ingredients and add ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar to the egg whites along with the sugar.
This recipe can be baked in two regular 8" round pans. See post body for additional information.

Asian Bakery Strawberry Chiffon Cake with Fresh Cream

Jun 28, 2023 · 8 Comments

A light and airy chiffon cake topped with strawberries and semi-sweet fresh cream, just like the ones at the Asian bakeries. Moist and flavorful even on it's own.

Chiffon cake frosted with fresh whipped cream and decorated with strawberries on a cake stand with more strawberries on a plate below.

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This Asian-bakery strawberry chiffon cake is adapted from my Japanese strawberry cake roll recipe. In the past, many readers have wanted to use that super soft and fluffy cake base for a regular circular "birthday" cake so here is the adapted version. This sturdier cake base will allow the cake to be stacked and, in extension, the more difficult process of rolling the cake is eliminated. I just love making and sharing this cake with my family as it reminds them of the fresh fruit cakes that they like to buy at the Asian bakery. Enjoy!

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love Strawberry Chiffon Cake

Easy - approachable baking method using simple tools.
Light & Fluffy - chiffon cake base is super light and airy, even when it comes straight out of the fridge.
Semi-sweet - made in the Asian dessert style, both the fresh cream filling and the cake base are mildly sweet.
Adaptable - use any fruit for an amazing tasting cake
Fresh Whipped Cream - is so easy to make with 3 ingredients. Tastes light and creamy. It's also pipeable.
No Frosting Needed - if desired, this cake can be left unfrosted for picnics, lunch boxes, afternoon tea or travel.

What is Chiffon Cake?

The cake base used in this recipe is a chiffon cake. Chiffon cakes are a type of foam cake that relies on egg foam to leaven the cake. It's similar to sponge cake but instead of little or no butter, it uses oil, making it especially soft and fluffy (for example, butter hardens when refrigerated). Many of the light and airy cakes found in Asian bakeries use chiffon or sponge cake as a base.

How Does This Cake Taste?

This chiffon cake is light, springy and semi-sweet. The cake body is very fluffy, to avoid compressing it, avoid using thick icings or rolled fondant. It's best to pair it with lighter frostings like fresh cream or a light glaze. In fact, this cake is so fluffy, moist and flavorful that it can be eaten unfrosted. This makes it perfect for afternoon tea, lunch boxes, picnics or travelling.

How Does This Cake Differ to the Roll?

As mentioned in the introduction, this chiffon cake was adapted from my fluffy strawberry cake roll recipe. Compared to my cake roll bases, this cake will be a bit heavier because it's sturdier. This sturdier cake body allows for a low-stacking cake that won't weigh down the bottom layer. It can be frosted with a simple fresh cream that doesn't need stabilization with gelatin because we're not concerned about maintaining the round shape of a cake roll. Chiffon cakes are still generally lighter and softer than other stackable cakes like butter cake or pound cake.

Can I Use Different Fruits for this Cake?

Yes, you can definitely use different fruits to make a fresh fruit cream cake just like the ones you find at the Asian bakeries. It's best to use fruits that won't release more moisture into the fresh cream which will cause it to separate. For decorating the top, fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mangos, melons are all great choices. Blueberries and blackberries are mushier so try to avoid using them in the filling. A trick to making this cake throughout the year is to use canned peaches or canned mixed fruits that you can keep shelf-stable in your pantry all year long.

Ingredients for a chiffon cake laid out on a marble counter.

Ingredients for fresh whipped cream laid out on a marbled counter.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Dry Mix for Chiffon Cake Base

Cake Flour - cake flour is a low protein flour which will help make this cake lighter and softer than if using all purpose flour. Cake flour needs to be sifted before use to prevent clumps. You can also use "cake & pastry flour" which many stores sell, This is a blend of both flours with a lower protein than AP. It's ok to use AP flour if that is all you have.
Baking Powder - it acts as a leavening agent in case there is any weaknesses in the meringue.
Salt - brings out the flavors in the cake and acts as a contrast to the sweetness.

Wet Mix for Chiffon Cake Base

Granulated sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and separate the grains. If you have it on hand, berry sugar or extra fine granulated sugar is a better substitute. It dissolves and mixes more easily for a finer textured cake.
Neutral oil - adds moisture to the cake base. Canola, grapeseed, avocado are all good choices.
Milk - adds extra flavor.
Vanilla extract - rounds out all the flavors in the cake.
Egg Yolks - tenderizes the cake, adds structure and emulsification of the cake batter.

Meringue for Chiffon Cake Base

Egg whites - use fresh egg whites from large size eggs. Eggs separate more readily when it's cold and whip better when it has come to room temperature.
Granulated sugar - use only granulated sugar, powdered sugar does not work for whipping meringue.
Cream of tartar - is an acid that helps to stabilize the meringue. It can be substituted with double the amount of lemon juice or vinegar.

Fresh Whipped Cream

Powdered sugar - provides sweetness and stability to the fresh cream. Can be substituted with half the amount of granulated sugar. If a more stable whipped cream is desired, use this recipe for stabilized whipped cream with gelatin.
Heavy cream - has a milk fat content of at least 36% (usually labelled as M.F. 36). It can be substituted with whipping cream (with minimum 30% milk fat) but heavy cream will produce an even more sturdy frosting. The cream needs to be completely chilled before whipping or else it won't whip up.
Vanilla extract - helps bring out the fresh cream flavors. It can be substituted with clear artificial vanilla extract if a "whiter" cake color is desired.

Close up of a cross section of chiffon cake revealing small fine open crumbs.

Tips For the Fluffiest Chiffon Cake

Unlike a sponge cake which uses no or little butter, the pillowy soft chiffon cake base in this roll uses oil instead. The secret to this Asian bakery-style roll cake is its super fluffy cake base. Here are some tips:

Use cake flour instead of AP flour.
Always sift cake flour to prevent clumps.
Gently incorporate the dry-mix and wet-mix together until no lumps of flour can be seen. Do not over mix as it will result in a tough cake.
For the meringue, use room temperature egg whites for better volume.
Whip the egg whites in a clean non-plastic bowl free of oil and water.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks stage.
Gently fold the meringue into the cake batter, retaining the air that you've built into the meringue. Do not stir.
Use parchment paper to line the bottom of the cake pan for a clean release.

Chiffon cake that was baked in a round tube pan sits on top of a cake stand flanked by other baked goods. — This strawberry chiffon cake recipe baked in a round tube pan. Due to the hole in the center, it looks wider but lower in height.

Proper Pans for Baking Chiffon Cakes

Why is Chiffon Cake Baked in a Round Tube Pan?

Chiffon cakes are usually baked in round tube pans for easier heat transfer in the center, and to allow the cake to gain height by climbing the sides of the pan. Later, it can maintain its cling while it is cooled upside down. Greasing the pan is not necessary or recommended. However, lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper is strongly recommended for a clean release of the cake, otherwise, it will stick and tear the cake.

Should I Use a Light or Dark Colored Pan?

Generally, aluminum and lighter colored pans are preferred for their ability to let the cake climb and keep the outside from overbaking (resulting in a thick crust). If you don't have any cake pans yet, consider buying lighter colored ones. I happened to have some medium-dark pans already and was able to use them with success. The timing and temperature provided for this recipe is based on a darker pan. If you're using a lighter pan, you might need to bake a few minutes longer. Instead of relying on time only, use the appearance to gauge doneness: cake should spring back in the center and a skewer inserted should pull out clean

Can I Bake This Cake in Other Cake Pans?

Yes, this cake can be baked in circular cake pans as well. I've tested it with 8" circular cake pans. With this size, you'll need two of them and you don't need to cut the cake in half like with the round tube pan. Do not use a single deep cake pan because it will take longer for the center to bake fully and you don't want to overbake this cake making it dry and coarse.

Can I Make This a Cupcake?

Yes, you can bake it into a cupcake pan lined with paper liners. However, it is a lighter cake so pair it with a light frosting like whipped cream. It won't be as sturdy as regular cupcakes so keep that in mind. This cake is best suited to eat with a fork on a plate. See this recipe if you want to make the classic frosting-less Sponge-y Chinese paper wrapped cupcakes.

Close of of fresh whipped cream piped into borders on top of a cake topped with strawberries. — I used a pure vanilla extract here. It gives the fresh cream a slight beige color. If a whiter color is desired, consider using a clear vanilla extract to color the cream.

Is This a Sturdy Whipped Cream Frosting?

This whipped cream frosting is also known as Chantilly cream - a whipped cream that is flavored and/or sweetened. It is prepared using a very popular preparation method used in many cake recipes whereby the cream is stabilized with powdered sugar. It is strong enough for piping and won't deflate after a few days. I like that it is very easy to put together but it's a bit soft for my liking. While I was transferring slices of the cake into a takeout box for my friends, the cream didn't stay as intact after some handling. Of course, this will not be a problem if you're just serving it to friends and family and consuming it right away. Everyone will love the taste and won't be focused on how your cut slices look. I feel I'm just a bit picky in this regard so, for special occasions, I prefer to make a really strong and sturdy whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin.

Frosting a Cake With Whipped Cream

Usually, frosting a cake requires a crumb coat whereby the crumbs on the cake are "locked" into the cake with a first layer of frosting called a crumb coat. Subsequent layers of frosting are needed to make it more aesthetically pleasing. This method doesn't work as well with a soft frosting like whipped cream, it doesn't bind the crumbs onto the cake as well.

To minimize handling while smoothing the frosting, I like to pipe a thick layer of it onto the outside of the cake and then smooth it out with a scraper tool just once. No crumb coating and no shaping it again and again. As you can see, I left some parts of the cake a bit rough. I could have definitely shaped it some more so it looks more neat but I decided to keep it that way so it looks a bit more "rustic" and "homemade". I know many of you who will be making this type of cake for the first time will probably achieve a similar result so I feel this is a more accurate representation of what it will actually look like. I think it looks less store-bought and a lot more charming this way! What do you think?

Step By Step

Prepare the Dry Mix

Line the bottom of the cake pan(s) with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry mix. Stir to combine.

Dry ingredients for cake is being sifted. — For a fine texture, sift the dry ingredients to break up any clumps. Stir it to evenly distribute the salt and baking powder in the mix.

Combine the Wet and Dry Mixes

Create a well in the center of the dry mix. Inside it, add the wet mix. With a whisk, stir to combine until fully incorporated with no visible lumps, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.

Wet ingredients for cake is being stirred with a balloon whisk until it's homogenous. — The wet mix should look smooth and lump free after gently stirring with a whisk.

Make the Meringue

Now make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add sugar a little bit at a time. Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks. This is the meringue.

Add cream of tartar when the bubbles are foaming and add the sugar when the bubbles have decreased in size and it looks opaque.

Stiff peaks is characterized by meringue with points that stand vertically without drooping on itself.

Fold Meringue into Batter

Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.

Gently fold the meringue into the milk-flour mixture until no meringue lumps are visible. Be careful to scrape up the batter from the bottom of the bowl.

Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets. Bake for 25-28 min. until a skewer pulls out clean and the cake springs back in the center.

The chiffon cake batter is now homogenous and smooth with no traces of unfolded meringue.

Flip the cake pan upside down on the cooling rack and let cool for 30 min. before removing cake from pan. Use an offset spatula to gently release the sides of the cake from pan. Remove paper, let the cake cool completely while you make the fresh cream.

Invert the pan right away after baking. If using lighter colored pans, more baking time may be required. Use the appearance to gauge doneness: cake center should spring back and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Whip Fresh Cream

Place beaters and mixing bowl in fridge to chill. Check that the heavy cream is sufficiently chilled. Cool tools and chilled cream will ensure that the cream whips to volume. Optional for warm weather: Place chilled bowl over a bed of ice. Add powdered sugar into bowl and then pour in heavy cream. Whip mixture on medium speed until large bubbles form. Increase speed to high and whip until the mixture gains volume and the beaters starts to leave tracks inside the cream. Add vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks. Use cream immediately to assemble cake.

To better whip the cream to volume in hotter weather, place the mixing bowl over a bed of ice.

Whip the cream until it is thick and stiff. This change can happen suddenly. Do not over whip.

Assembly

Wash, pat dry and hull strawberries. Dice 4 strawberries, reserve the rest for decorating the top. With a piping bag apply an even layer of cream on the top of the first layer, spread evenly and add cut strawberries. Pipe more cream on top and smooth out layer evenly. Place second layer on top. Pipe thick bands of whipping cream onto the outside of the cake, use a scraper to shape the sides and top with a clean finish. Pipe the borders with a decorative piping tip (I used 4B). Decorate with strawberries as desired. Allow cake to set in fridge before cutting.

This cake tastes delicious even unfrosted. You don't need to smooth out the frosting completely. Part of the charm of homemade cakes is how perfectly imperfect they can be. Smooth it out to the best of your abilities and then pipe the borders. The borders make a huge difference!

Full shot of the strawberry chiffon cake on a cake stand in the dining room.

FAQ

How Can I Make Other Flavors of Chiffon Cake?

There are various methods for adapting the flavors in a chiffon cake. Dry ingredients can be added to the dry mix (e.g. coffee cake roll, gingerbread cake roll), extracts can be added to the wet mix (e.g. cotton candy cake roll, tiger cake roll, fancy pattern cake roll), flavors from dry goods can be infused into the ingredients of the wet mix (e.g. chocolate cake roll, matcha cake roll, pumpkin cake roll, carrot cake roll, Earl Grey tea cake roll) or a completely different flavored filling/frosting can be used all together to complement the cake (e.g Bear cake roll with cheesecake filling).

Why Did My Chiffon Cake Crack?

Chiffon cakes can crack when the temperature in the oven is too hot. Most chiffon cakes are baked at 325F. Use an oven thermometer to keep track of the actual temperature in the oven and be cognizant of how close it is to the heat source. Place the pan in the middle rack or slightly below it (especially if the heating coils are on the top). Darker pans also conduct heat more readily so you might need to lower the temperature a bit (start with a reduction of 25F). After the cake comes out of the oven, invert it right away over a cooling rack.

Close up of a slice of chiffon cakek showing its fine open crumbs. — Cross section of a fluffy chiffon cake base. Crumbs are fine and uniformed. Make sure to tap the cake tray on the counter to release any large air pockets.

Why is My Chiffon Cake So Dense?

Chiffon cakes rely on egg whites to leaven the cake. If the meringue is not prepared properly, it can cause the cake to be dense. Meringue should be whipped until it reaches the stiff peaks stage (see step-by-step photo above). Under-beaten meringue doesn't have enough air trapped inside it to leaven the cake while over-beaten meringue will cause the cake to collapse, both resulting in dense cakes. While folding, be careful to evenly distribute the meringue into the cake batter. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to bring up the batter and fold until no meringue lumps are visible.

Can I Make This Cake in Advance?

Yes! To prepare this cake in advance, wrap the cake base in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. Defrost in the fridge overnight before assembly. Because it's not ideal to freeze whipped cream due to separation, it's best to assemble the cake with freshly whipped cream 1-3 days before serving.

How Do I Store This Cake?

The assembled cake can stay fresh inside the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Because it contains whipped cream, follow standard food safety guidelines, leave it outside of the fridge for no longer than 2 hours. In hotter climates, take it out only right before serving.

Recipe

Yield: 14 slices

Asian Bakery Strawberry Chiffon Cake with Fresh Cream

A light and airy chiffon cake topped with strawberries and semi-sweet fresh cream, just like the ones at the Asian bakeries. Moist and flavorful even even on it's own.

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 28 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 13 minutes

Ingredients

Supplies

Regular kitchen tools PLUS
9.5" round tube pan OR 2 8" round cake pan
Offset spatula
Parchment paper
Piping tip 4B for border decoration.
Scraper
Piping bag

Dry Mix for Asian Bakery Chiffon Cake

112 grams cake flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Wet Mix for Asian Bakery Chiffon Cake

85 ml whole fat milk
75 ml neutral oil (e.g. canola, grapeseed, avocado)
75 grams granulated sugar*
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Meringue for Asian Bakery Chiffon Cake

5 egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar*
75 grams granulated sugar*

Fresh Chantilly Cream

2 ½ cups heavy cream, chilled*
5 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling and Decorating

10 medium strawberries

Instructions

Asian Bakery Chiffon Cake Base

Line the bottom of the cake pan(s) with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in dry mix. Stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add the wet mix.
With a whisk, stir to combine until fully incorporated with no visible lumps, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.
Now make the meringue. In a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl, whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar.
Increase speed to medium, once the whites become opaque and bubble size have decreased, add sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks.* This is the meringue.
Gently fold ⅓ of the meringue into the milk-flour mixture to get it moving. Once incorporated, fold in the rest of the meringue. Do not stir. Use batter immediately.
Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula.
Tap the pan on the counter to release large air pockets.
Bake for 25-28 min. until a skewer pulls out clean and the cake springs back in the center.
Flip the cake pan upside down on the cooling rack and let cool for 30 min. before removing cake from pan.
Use an offset spatula to gently release the sides of the cake from pan. Remove paper, let the cake cool completely while you make the fresh cream.

Fresh Cream

Place beaters and mixing bowl in fridge to chill. Check that the heavy cream is sufficiently chilled. Cool tools and chilled cream will ensure that the cream whips to volume.
Optional for warm weather: Place chilled bowl over a bed of ice.
Add powdered sugar into bowl and then pour in heavy cream.
Whip mixture on medium speed until large bubbles form. Increase speed to high and whip until the mixture gains volume and the beaters starts to leave tracks inside the cream.
Add vanilla extract and whip until stiff peaks. Use cream immediately to assemble cake.

Assembly:

Wash, pat dry and hull strawberries.
Dice 4 strawberries, reserve the rest for decorating the top.
With a piping bag apply an even layer of cream on the top of the first layer, spread evenly and add cut strawberries. Pipe more cream on top and smooth out layer evenly. Place second layer on top.
Pipe thick bands of whipping cream onto the outside of the cake, use a scraper to shape the sides and top with a clean finish. Pipe the borders with a decorative piping tip.
Decorate with strawberries as desired.
Allow cake to set in fridge before cutting.
Strawberry chiffon cake can stay fresh inside the fridge for 4-5 days. Refer to post body on how to make cake in advance and how long it keeps at room temperature.

Notes

Some ingredients are repeated, use them in the same order as outlined in instructions.
Cake flour is a low protein flour which yields soft fluffy cakes. It is preferred but can be substituted with AP Flour.
Granulated sugar can be substituted with extra fine granulated sugar a.k.a berry sugar for a finer textured cake.
Cream of tartar in the meringue helps stabilize it. It can be substituted with double the amount in lemon juice or vinegar.
Heavy cream has a milk fat content of 36% (denoted as M.F. 36) and above. It produces a more stable whipped cream than if using whipping cream (33%).
Stiff peaks in characterized by the egg whites having pointed peaks that point upwards without drooping when the whisk is pulled out.
The timing and temperature provided for this recipe is based on a medium-dark pan. For lighter pans, you might need bake it a few minutes longer. Use appearance to gauge doneness: springy center and skewer inserted into cake comes out clean.

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