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Name: Half Birthday Cake - Fresh Strawberries and Cream
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 1 h 14 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: japanese
Ingredients: 2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin; 8 teaspoons water; 2 1/2 cup whipping cream (33%); 2 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar; 16 small fresh organic strawberries; 25 grams granulated sugar; 45 grams cake flour; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar* (Substitutions Note 1); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 50 ml whole fat milk; 3 egg yolks; 40 ml vegetable oil (e.g. canola); 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; 4 egg whites; 50 grams granulated sugar; 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

A Strawberries and Cream Half Birthday Cake for Bibi's 6-Month Birthday (Cake Topper Template)

Oct 25, 2019 · 8 Comments

A darling half cake to celebrate a 6-month birthday or any occasion really! Composed of a Japanese chiffon cake base filled with layers of fresh strawberries and a not-too-sweet whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin.

A birthday cake in a halved shape to celebrate a baby's 6 month birthday.

A while ago we celebrated Bibi's 6-month birthday with a half birthday cake made by yours truly 🙂 I know... some of you might be thinking it's rather absurd to celebrate a baby's half birthday but I hope that one day maybe Bibi will look back on her half birthday photos and appreciate that at one moment in time she was surrounded by mom and dad and her extended family who were all there to celebrate her unbirthday simply because we loved her. And if not, at the very least, we all enjoyed cake!

A half shaped birthday cake on a cake stand sitting on a coffee table.

The inspiration for this "incomplete" half birthday cake came from Pinterest when I was looking for 6-month birthday cake ideas. I'm not sure who started this trend so I don't know who to credit for this great idea to use half a cake to symbolize a baby's half year milestone.

The cake base and frosting are the exact same ones I used in my popular Japanese strawberry cake roll recipe, but this time I baked the cake in round cake pans instead of in a jelly roll pan. The whipped cream frosting is stabilized with gelatin making it super stable - strong enough to pipe rossettes!

Close up of whipped cream that is piped in rossette shape.

I had toyed with the idea of making a fondant or buttercream rossette cake because they looked more glamorous but I knew this particular cake is a favorite of my family's; I didn't want to compromise our enjoyment of Bibi's cake purely for a pretty photo. This cake contains no artificial flavoring or overly sweet decorations. The fresh strawberries cut into halves actually looked like little hearts. The cake tasted delicious but was still attractive. No sugary or colorful fondant here - it looks like a cake that you actually want to bite into!

To complete the half cake look, I wanted a cake topper that said "half". But it turns out they are really hard to come by here in Canada and I didn't have time to wait for one to be shipped to me from the USA. I decided to make one myself. I found a suitable script font to create a "half" template which I cut out and traced upside down onto hard card stock in pink (of, course). After that, I used scissors to cut along the outline and glue it onto a long skewer with a glue gun. To save you time from making these templates from scratch, I've provided you with a whole bunch I made. You can download them from the subscriber's only area once you subscribe to my email newsletter.

Fresh cream cake close up. — Print out cake topper template in subscriber's only area.

Half cake topper template. — Print out cake topper template in subscriber's only area.

Early on in Bibi's life, we experienced some unexpected challenges. Having complications during the delivery and postpartum really forced me to not take our health and happiness for granted. It meant a lot to have our loved ones join us in celebrating Bibi. I look forward to making even more memories with my sweetie who seems to be growing up all too fast. I bet, in a blink of an eye, I will be making her an entire cake (see Bibi's Healthier First Birthday Smash Cake here) but in the meantime, I will enjoy this half cake. I hope you will too.

XOXO,
Mimi

Recipe

Yield: 8 slices

Half Birthday Cake - Fresh Strawberries and Cream

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 14 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 14 minutes

Ingredients

Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

25 grams granulated sugar
45 grams cake flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cream of tartar* (Substitutions Note 1)
¼ teaspoon salt
50 ml whole fat milk
3 egg yolks
40 ml vegetable oil (e.g. canola)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites
50 grams granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Stabilized Fresh Cream

2 ½ teaspoons powdered gelatin
8 teaspoons water
2 ½ cup whipping cream (33%)
2 ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
16 small fresh organic strawberries

Instructions

Japanese Style Chiffon Cake

Line 2 round 8" cake pans with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift in cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir to combine.
Create a well in the center. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and milk.
Stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this milk-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 have tightened up, add sugar a little bit at a time.
Increase speed to med-high, whip until stiff peaks. You've now made a meringue. (Note 2)
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.
Dab a little bit of batter onto the parchment paper and stick it to the pan to prevent the parchment paper from sliding around in the pan.
Pour equal amounts of batter into lined cake pans 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 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.
Let cool and cut each cake in half.

Stabilized Fresh Cream Instructions

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better.
Clean and pat dry strawberries. Remove the husk and cut 10 of them into thin slices. Save the rest for decorating the top of the cake.
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.
Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip.
Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Assembly

Add some whipped cream to the bottom of the first layer of the cake to act as a "glue" to help it stick onto the cake stand.
Gently add a thin layer of cream and some strawberries on the first layer of cake. Then add the second layer of cake on top. Chill it in the fridge until it sets before adding the next layer. (Note 3)
Once all the layers are assembled and chilled, add a thin layer of whipped cream to the whole cake with an angled spatula to hold all the crumbs in place. Chill.
Use some more whipped cream to add another thin layer of frosting to the cake for a cleaner finish.
Put remainder of whipped cream in a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip (e.g. Wilton 1M).
Pipe 6 swirls on top of the cake along the edge. Top with half of a strawberry.
Line half strawberries along the bottom edge of the cake on the open face side.
Insert cake topper in the center. Keep entire cake chilled until serving.

Notes

Cream of tartar can be substituted with lemon juice in double the amount.
Stiff peaks in characterized by the egg whites having pointed peaks that point upwards without drooping when the whisk is pulled out.
Since this is a half cake made with a soft chiffon cake base, the shape and texture of the cake is not as stable as a whole round cake. Chilling the cake in between frosting each layer will help prevent it from sliding around as you assemble it. Use only a thin layer of frosting to keep the cake lightweight. Keep whole cake refrigerated until serving.
Organic strawberries were used in this recipe. Try to buy them organic if possible as they are on the "dirty dozen" list of fruits and vegetables which is better to buy organic.

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Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 269Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 112mgSodium 151mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 0gSugar 13gProtein 5g

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.

strawberry cream half shaped birthday cake on a stand.

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Harry Potter Inspired Afternoon Tea at Trump Hotel Vancouver

Sep 9, 2019 · 2 Comments

Harry potter castle next to the School of Magic afternoon tea set.

This afternoon I was invited to preview the new Harry Potter inspired School of Magic afternoon tea set at Trump Hotel Vancouver. This Fall-themed tea set was first introduced last year to very enthusiastic guests who were fans of the acclaimed children's book series. Some even brought children with them to experience this magical theme.

Because I already had an opportunity to taste the tea set last year, I wondered if this year's version would be the same. To my pleasant surprise, the new version of the School of Magic afternoon tea for Fall 2019 features many new treats with only a few recycled elements. That's good news for those guests who already experienced it last year but would like to do so again.

Glass door entrance at Trump hotel Vancouver

Top left: The scones this time are Philosopher's Scone in red velvet, jelly bean scone and the signature Matcha scone which is served with every new theme.

Top right: Entrance to the Champagne Lounge from inside the hotel.

Bottom: The gilded interior of the Trump Champagne Lounge.

Harry Potter stencil on a toothpick stuck in a savoury piece.

The savouries this time include: pretzel & cheese broomstick; British sausage roll; smoked salmon tea sandwich; Guiness pie; Mrs. Sprout's Pasty - a crispy pocket with seasonal vegetables; and Ron's Chicken Leg. The savouries this time are a lot heartier than in previous sets so if you're a small eater like me, you might even have leftovers.

Mini butter beer and witches cauldron treats on a 3-tier tea tray.

The dessert tier is served on this new and very fitting 3-tier display made of wood and stone. Sweet treats include: Butter Bubble Beer - boba pearls, non-alcoholic butter scotch; Deathly Hallows chocolate ganache cake; Harry's Favourite Treacle Tart; Cauldron Mousse; Muggles Book of Magic, Golden Snitch Chocolate Truffle; and Magic Wand.

The details on these treats are so exquisite and this is where the tea sets at Trump really shine. Their executive pastry chef, Fumiko Moreton, really knows what she's doing in the dessert department. I can personally say that these desserts not only look good, but they also taste delicious. Of special note this time is the purple Ube flavoured mousse cauldron. I don't often see this flavour being used in desserts in Vancouver and this was executed perfectly with the fluffy cake on top. I also appreciated how the Muggles Book of Magic look like it had actual pages. It's a real clever use of baumkuchen "tree-ring" cake.

Additional treats include the Golden Snitch salted caramel truffle and various School of Magic sugar cookies.

I enjoyed the new School of Magic afternoon tea set, I would recommend it for those who are fans of the Harry Potter book series. It's also an elegant alternative for those who want a chance to dress up with friends this Halloween season. And if you want to get a bit tipsy, cocktails can be ordered from the bar or a glass of sparkling wine can be added for an additional $15. I think you'll enjoy this new School of Magic Tea Set.

Until our next tea date.

XOXO,
Mimi

School of Magic Tea Set starts on September 15th, 2019
$65/person or $118/person for the same set served in a bird cage display with a glass of sparkling wine and a limited edition dessert box.

Trump Hotel Vancouver
Address: 1161 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6E 0C6
Phone: (604) 979-8888
Book on Trump Champagne Lounge

School of Magic Tea Menu at Trump Vancouver

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Fresh Strawberry and Cream Japanese Cake Roll

Sep 1, 2019 · 168 Comments

A fluffy and moist Japanese cake roll filled with fresh strawberries and a not-too-sweet whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. The most heavenly dessert.

Strawberry cake roll cut open and presented on a long dish.

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Perfect Not-Too-Sweet Japanese Dessert

A light and airy Japanese cake roll filled with strawberries is one of the most requested recipes I had in the last few months. After the success many of you had with my Japanese Chocolate Cake Roll recipe, many expressed the desire to bake a similarly soft and fluffy chiffon cake but in a vanilla flavor so it can be filled with whichever fruit your heart desired. It took a little while because I've been happily writing away over at indulgewithbibi (this month's topic: baby sleep training) but I'm happy to finally share this recipe for a delicious strawberry swiss roll that is made in the not-too-sweet Japanese style.

This strawberry cake roll is by far one of the easiest and most delicious desserts you can make in under an hour and a half from start to finish. I highly recommend you give it a try. And if you've made it and enjoyed it, I challenge you to bring the look of your cake roll up a notch by making fancy patterns on the cake roll with this Fancy Pattern Cake Roll recipe.

XOXO,
Mimi

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Light & Fluffy - this strawberry cake roll uses a chiffon cake as the base so it's super light and airy.
Flexible Cake Base - doesn't crack easily when rolled.
Semi-sweet - made in the Asian dessert style, both the fresh cream filling and the cake base are mildly sweet.
Pipeable Whipped Cream - unlike regular un-stabilized whipped cream, the stabilized whipped cream in this recipe is sturdy enough for use in cake rolls without drooping and for piping designs.

Close up of 2 slices of strawberry cake roll cut off from the whole cake.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Japanese 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. 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 soda + cream of tartar - it acts as a leavening agent in case there is any weaknesses in the meringue. It can be substituted as a group with 1 tsp. baking powder.
Sea salt - use half the amount if using table salt.
Granulated sugar - this first set of sugar is added into the wet ingredients to help add moisture and separate the grains.
Neutral oil - canola, grapeseed, avocado are all good choices.
Vanilla extract - rounds out all the flavors in the cake.
Egg whites - fresh egg whites, large size. Preferably at 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.

Stabilized Whipped Cream

Granulated sugar - the sweetness level is moderate in this recipe, add an extra 1 teaspoon if you prefer a sweeter taste.
Heavy cream 36% M.F. - has a milk fat content of at least 36%. It can be substituted with whipping cream (with minimum 30% milk fat) but heavy cream will produce an even more sturdy frosting. It needs to be completely chilled before whipping or else it won't whip up.
Vanilla extract
Gelatin powder, unflavored - the Knox brand was used in this recipe. It can usually be found in the baking aisle by the yeast.
Fresh organic strawberries - this can be substituted with other fruits like mangoes or canned peaches.

Table top with fresh strawberries in the back and swiss roll in the foreground.

How to Prevent a Cake Roll From Sagging?

This fresh strawberry cream cake roll is filled with a fresh whipped cream that is stabilized with gelatin. For cake rolls, I prefer taking some extra steps to stabilize the cream filling because whipped cream has a tendency to deflate after a while. It's completely possible to skip the stabilization part by whipping the cream with sugar and omitting the gelatin - which a lot of recipes do - but you might find that the cream gets a bit sloppy and the shape of the cake roll doesn't hold up as well, especially after a few hours.

For use as a cake topping, whipped cream can be conveniently stabilized with powdered sugar as seen in this recipe. However, for use as a filling, it's preferable to stabilize it with gelatin instead. It may sound intimidating but it's actually quite easy and the results are well worth the effort. If you need extra guidance and tips, here is a complete tutorial on How to Stabilize Whipped Cream with Gelatin.

Tips For the Fluffiest Chiffon Cake Roll

Unlike a sponge cake which uses no or little butter, the pillow-y 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 ingredients 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.
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 cake pan and for rolling. It prevents sticking and tearing of the cake.

Step-By-Step Strawberry Swiss Roll

Sifted flour inside a bowl and Egg yolk, vanilla, salt, flour, milk inside a stainless steel mixing bowl.

In a large mixing bowl, sift in cake flour, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Stir to combine. I like this type of strainer for sifting dry ingredients because it's quicker and provides better control. Create a well in the center. Inside it, add yolks, oil, vanilla extract and milk.

Cake batter in a stainless steel mixing bowl and meringue clumped inside a whisk in the stiff peak stage.

With a spatula, stir to combine until fully incorporated, do not over mix. Set this milk-flour mixture aside.

Next, Make the meringue in a clean and dry, non-plastic mixing bowl (ex. stainless steel mixing bowl or glass mixing bowl). This is crucial as meringues do not whip well in the presence of oil and water. Whip egg whites on slow speed until frothy, add cream of tartar. Whip until stiff peaks as shown in the photo above on the right. When the whisk is pulled out, the meringue does not droop on itself.

Meringue on a spatula in cake batter and parchment paper in an empty cake pan.

Gently fold the meringue into the cake flour batter until fully incorporated.

Dab a little bit of the batter onto the parchment paper and stick it to the pan to prevent the paper from tipping over into the cake batter. I used a darker colored pan here giving my cake a more golden finish. It turns out this 8 x 12 pan size in this color is a little hard to find, my pan was inherited but I was able to find this one on Amazon for you.

Pour batter into lined cake pan from one spot, spread out the batter evenly with an angled spatula. Rap the cake pan on the counter a few times to rid excess bubbles. Bake for 14-16 min. at 325 F. Let cool 5 min. in the pan before removing. Place cooling rack over cake pan.

Cake pan flipped over onto a cooling rack and Cake roll flipped over onto a cooling rack.

Flip cake over onto the rack, remove pan. Gently remove paper. The side facing up will eventually become the top of the cake roll. Let it sit on cooling rack for 5 min.

Cake with exposed crumb on a cooling rack and flipped over with clean parchment paper on top.

Place a piece of new parchment paper on top of the cake. Flip the cake over and start rolling. Let it cool in this wrapped condition while making the fresh cream.

Sheet cake in rolled up condition with parchment in between layers.

Step By Step - Stabilized Whipped Cream

Refrigerate mixing bowl and beaters in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will help cream whip better. Clean and pat dry strawberries. Remove the husk and cut into 1 cm sized pieces. 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. Stop beating once the cream turns stiff. Do not over whip. Use cream to assemble the cooled cake immediately.

Clean and pat dry strawberries, then cut into 1 cm sized pieces. Apply an even layer of cream to unrolled cake roll, spread strawberries evenly apart, then roll up. Wrap cake roll in plastic wrap and place in fridge to set before cutting. Cut off the sides before serving for a cleaner finish.

Cut up strawberries spread out evenly on a bed of cream on an unrolled cake roll and the cake wrapped up with plastic wrap on a dish.

Fresh strawberry and cream Japanese swiss cake roll. Slices spread out onto a long presentation dish.

How To Make Different Flavored Rolls

To make the cake roll in different flavors, powders, extracts and infusion-method can be utilized in either the cake base or the filling. Dry powders (like cocoa, matcha etc.) can be added into the cake base with the dry mix like in these recipes: matcha cake roll and gingerbread cake roll.

On the other hand, liquid extracts can be added into the wet mix like in this cotton candy cake roll or vanilla flavored strawberry cake roll). For added flavor and natural coloring, fruit/vegetable purees can be added like in this pumpkin spice cake roll or carrot spice cake roll. Adding ingredients with more liquid composition will take more experimentation. If you want an easier method try the next method below.

Another way to add flavor is to simply add extracts into the cream filling during the whipping process. The flavors can also be infused into the cream by letting the flavored ingredients (like leave leaves) soak/steep inside the cream before using it for whipping (see Earl Grey Tea cake roll, instead of steeping the whipping cream, the leaves are steeped in the milk for the cake batter). Just make sure not to use ingredients with high acidity as it will cause the cream to curdle.

You can even try mixing and matching different flavored cake bases with different cream fillings using these recipes to guide you: chocolate cake roll, matcha cake roll, coffee cake roll, mango cake roll and carrot cake roll.

Lastly, you can make beautiful pattern cake rolls using these recipes: fancy pattern cake roll, bear pattern cake roll, Christmas silent night cake roll and gingerbread man pattern cake roll.

How to Use a Different Sized Pan

You can bake this cake in a different sized pan but note that the quantity of ingredients are at an optimal amount for use with the current pan size resulting in a perfect thickness for rolling without cracking. This Sloppy Peach Cake in a cup recipe will teach you how to bake this cake in different sized pans. It has the same great taste but allows more room for error if you're not confident about rolling the cake base.

How to Make This Cake a Birthday Cake

I'm often asked if this cake can be made into a "birthday cake". I completely understand what this question means but a part of me also wants to say, "cake rolls can be birthday cakes too!" Kidding aside, this cake base is super soft and fluffy which makes it perfect for cake rolls but not as sturdy for a round birthday cake that requires stacking and extra cream. I've since worked on adapting this recipe for use as a "birthday cake". The adapted recipe is called: Asian Bakery Strawberry Chiffon Cake.

Fresh fruit cream cake on a white cake stand in a sunlit dining room. — To make this cake roll into a round "birthday cake", please click photo to my new recipe.