Strawberry Cloud Cake
Time:
2h
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Loot:
1 cake
This recipe took my family 10 years…
I really wish I was lying, This was a cake my mom requested every year for her birthday. Growing up in Korea, she used to stare longingly at the elegantly decorated spongecakes in the bakery windows, with towers of carefully placed fruit. Always imagining what just one slice would taste like. So my dad always tried to grant her this wish. But, he soon learned that Asian cakes are a little more…finicky. For about 10 years, every birthday, every mother’s day, every anniversary, he tried and tried. His cakes deflated, crumbled, and even burned quite a few times. But despite all the discarded batter and quiet cussing, he was resolute in his quest for the perfect sponge.
Then, a few months ago, a few failures into the development of my Swiss roll cake recipe, my mom picked up one of my scraps, and her eyes widened (think that scene in Ratatouille with Anton Ego). To my surprise, she just said, “This is it.” And just like that, entirely by accident, we’d finally found the sacred recipe.
This cake uses a chiffon base (pretty similar to my Swiss Roll cake). It gets its rise and sweetness from a sweetened egg white meringue, that really makes or breaks its texture. It’s a perfect balance of dense, moist, and fluffy with a subtle sweetness that is beautifully accompanied by the delicate saengcream (whipped cream) and a picturesque layer of strawberries. And really, with springtime finally (maybe) coming around in Chicago, I think it’s a perfect time to make one.
So, go for it! And reap the fruits of 10 years of intense labor.
Pan Size: 8” cake pan
Word to the Wise
Make sure your egg whites are at soft peaks. If you beat too much air into your meringue, the cake will collapse and be dry and crumbly. If you want an Angel’s Food cake, sure thing! But if you’re going for the Asian bakery chiffon-taste, better stay on the softer side. Remember: it should form an upside down “J” on your whisk.
Fold your whites and yolk batter mixture gently: A lot of the reasons these cakes tend to collapse is because of knocking the air out of the meringue/egg white mixture during mixing. Slowly, gently, from bottom to top.
Check the crust before you take the cake out! Yes! Use the toothpick test. But this stuff traps a lot of moisture when it cools. Make sure the crust is golden-brown and bounces back before you take it out. Otherwise it’ll be a little soggy.
Cool your cake in the pan upside-down: I know, right? This cake is kind of a spoiled brat. But if you cool it right side-up, it deflates a little bit and gets a little soggy. If you want it to stay puffy, moist, and not soggy, let it get to room temp upside down.
Cut your strawberries flat: You can go a little thicker if you want! Love the aesthetic. But remember it’s gonna mean a thicker layer of whipped cream in the middle. Don’t blast yourself with too much whipped cream in every bite. The cake will get jealous.
Whip your chantilly/whipped cream/saengcream (whatever) into stiff peaks. The strawberries and the cake carry a lot of moisture already with them. If you don’t want a melty mess and want to keep a neater look, make sure the cream is stiff.
Ingredients
Cake
6 egg yolks
6 egg whites
4 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
⅓ cup whole milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup cake flour*
½ tsp cream of tartar
5 tbsp granulated white sugar
⅛ tsp kosher salt
12 strawberries (don’t go in the cake, don’t worry)
Simple Syrup
½ granulated white sugar
½ cup water
Whip/Saengcream
3 cups heavy whipping cream
¼ cup granulated white sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
Line (2) 9x13 baking pans with parchment paper. Cut a line down each of the corners to ensure that it stays upright.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Separate your egg yolks from your egg whites into two bowls. Place the egg whites in your stand mixer bowl.
Combine milk and oil in a separate bowl. Using a sieve, sift in your flower and whisk until combined.
Add the yolks to the flour mixture and whisk until just combined. It should be thick, smooth, and drop into thick ribbons. Drop in the vanilla and salt and mix until just incorporated.
In your stand mixer bowl, wipe down the sides of the bowl and make sure there is absolutely no oil. Whip your whites on high for about 1 minute or until foamy and bubbly.
Add in your cream of tartar and 2 tbsp of the sugar.
Whisk on high until the mixture turns white and solid. Add in 2 tbsp more of the sugar and keep whisking.
When it drips into ribbons, fold in your final 1 tbsp of the sugar. Stop whisking AT SOFT PEAKS. Any further and it’ll collapse the cake.
Pour out ⅓ of your whites mixture into the yellow, and fold gently with a spatula from bottom to top until smooth and one color.
Pour in your mixture into the rest of the whites and fold from bottom to top until fully combined. Smooth, not over mixed, palish yellow.
Pour out half of your mixture into each of your two 9-inch pans. Make sure to run a bench cutter or a spatula across the top to ensure you have a flat batter. Drop each pan from about an inch off the ground about 3-4 times to pop any lingering air bubbles.
One at a time, bake each cake for about 20-22 minutes until the top is golden, lightly crusty, and the cake springs back fully when you push down on the surface. Do your first checks at 20 minutes since oven temperatures can vary.
Immediately remove your cake pan from the oven and place it upside-down on a wire rack.
Simple Syrup & Strawberries
Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Pour in your water and bring it to a light simmer (not necessary, just make it hot).
Pour in your granulated sugar and whisk constantly until the sugar thoroughly dissolves and the liquid sticks to the back of your spoon/whisk after taking it out.
Let it cool to room temperature.
Wash and cut 12 strawberries of relatively similar size. Make sure they have a relatively equal height.
Slice off the tops and lay them on their flat sides. Vertically slice the “bumpy” parts off the sides and cut each strawberry into two flat pieces. Pat them down with a paper towel to remove any excess juice.
Whip/Saengcream
Pour 3 cups of heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl (stand mixer bowl if possible).
Add in your sugar and vanilla.
Using a machine on a high setting (8) or by hand, whisk intensely until your cream forms stiff peaks.
Assembly & Decorating
Gently run a knife along the sides of each of your cake pans. Carefully flip them over onto the wire rack, and peel back the parchment.
Brush the tops of each of your cakes with a light layer of simple syrup.
Syrup side facing up, place one cake onto a decorating plate (turntable if you have one). With an offset spatula gently apply a small layer of whipped cream.
Using a piping bag, a ziplock bag, or a spatula, carefully pipe one or two lines of whipped cream along the border of the cake.
Leaving a little space in between each one, carefully place strawberries of equal heights along the whipped cream border. Continue placing strawberries in a straight line from each of the berries you placed along the border. Ideally, aim to get 2-3 strawberries in every slice.
Using your piping bag or a smaller spatula, gently apply a thin layer of whipped cream along the top over your strawberries.
With the syrup-brushed side facing down, place your top layer onto your cake. Run your spatula along the sides of your cake to clean up any excess cream that might be dripping out.
Top your cake with the rest of your whipped cream. Run your offset spatula along the top and the sides to get a smooth whipped cream pattern.
Decorate as you please with a few extra strawberries on top. Keep running your spatula along the sides of the cake to clean it up.
This part is optional, but use a small butterknife or your spatula to scrape cream of the sides of your strawberries to make them visible on the exterior of the cake. This’ll help you get the bakery look.
Serving
Serve immediately if possible. Otherwise, keep it stored in the fridge to chill and maintain its shape.