Japanese Cotton Sponge cake with fresh cream

When I was living in Bangkok decades ago I used to love patisserie at a Japanese Bakery called Yamazaki. I have a vivid memory that cakes I consumed from Yamazaki was so divine - the softness, the slightly sweet and creamy topping - they also looked as beautiful as the taste.

 

When I moved to the UK, I found Victoria sponge cake and the rest of the cakes you get here were very heavy and ultra sweet. And I dreamt and I wished I could have one of those cakes at Yamazaki again. The thing is, those days I didn't know what it was called - I tried to explain to people how light and delicate it was - my friends who baked had tried and tried to bake sponge cakes for me to try but none of them remotely resemble my Japanese's Yamazaki cakes

All these years, I have been haunted by the memory of the cakes I once had. And that memory seems to polish the experience to become almost mythical. 

Recently, I found a cooking video on YouTube, someone baking a cake that I felt it could be what I once loved. "The Japanese Cotton Sponge Cake" 🎂

I only baked once or twice in my life -  it was a long time ago and I didn't make a good job of it. I didn't find baking easy, all of these measuring, whipping and whisking so I didn't bother. But after watching the video on YouTube I had the inspiration that perhaps after all these years I could create something to make peace with my Yamazaki's memory. So I went and bought baking equipment and the ingredients.

On Sunday night at approximately 21:15 I started baking my Japanese Cotton Cake - it was the first time I used electric hand whisk to turn egg white to meringue - there are things I've learnt from this baking expedition  - everything takes much longer than on the video and baking is tiring. I didn't finish it until midnight and by that time I was too tired to get excited about it. I put the cake in the fridge and when I woke up in the morning I ate a slice - just to find that ...either my baking skills has not improved or I have put Yamazaki cakes in the pedestal far too long - the cake gave me an indigestion and it was kind of mediocre.

Still, I'm glad I have done it. I'm sure my younger self would disagree and said, "Nothing mediocre about Japanese cakes they are gorgeous.  Just your cake is crap!" 😁😂

PS can I make amend here. After the exhaustion, the excitement, the anticipation and the overwhelming of the baking has disappeared. Taking the cake out of the fridge and sat down eating it - it was gorgeous! I gave a slice to my neighbour next door and the following day she said, "Oh, it was the most delicious cake I've ever had in my whole life!" hurrah for the Japanese Cotton sponge cake - the most delicious cake in the world