This Asian fresh fruit cake is the light, elegant dessert you’ll find in Asian bakeries — a delicate sponge cake layered with stabilized whipped cream and topped with vibrant fresh fruit. It’s not too sweet, which makes it just as at home with an afternoon cup of tea as it is at a birthday or celebration table. It takes a bit more care than a everyday cake — leveling layers, stabilizing the cream — but the result looks (and tastes) like it came from a bakery case.
Serving Suggestions
If you’re building out a dessert table, this cake pairs nicely with other light, not-overly-sweet options like Matcha Tiramisu.
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Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks.
In a medium bowl: Combine 4 egg yolks and ¼ cup of sugar. Beat for 3-4 minutes or until smooth and light yellow. Add vanilla extract, canola oil, milk and mix.
Add flour, baking powder & salt to the bowl. Make sure that you sift the dry ingredients before mixing them into the wet ingredients.
Mix everything together.
In a separate large bowl: add the 4 egg whites and whip for 4-5 minutes until soft peaks begin to form. Continue to whip while adding 2 tbsp sugar to the bowl, then add the other 2 tbsp of sugar while whipping until stiff peaks. Add cream of tartar, vanilla extract and whip until stiff peak forms.
Use a spatula and fold the ¼ of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Repeat this step 3 more times and fold them together until consistent and smooth. Divide the batter into 2 round pans (8″). Use a toothpick: make zig zag lines to remove air bubbles. Lift and tap the pans a few times to remove extra air bubbles from the batter.
Bake for 25 minutes. Remove cake pan from the oven and let sit on a baking rack (1″ above a flat surface) for 15 minutes. Remove cake from the pan and let completely cool on the baking rack.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
Place a metal bowl & whisk attachments in the freezer for 1 hour. Just right before you remove the bowl from the freezer. In a small bowl: combine cold water, gelatin and mix until well combined. Microwave the gelatin in 45-60 seconds or until it becomes liquid forms & set aside. Add cold heavy whipping cream to the bowl and whip for 6-8 minutes until stiff begins to form. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and whip until well combined. Slowly add warm gelatin mixture (microwave again if needed) and whip until stiff peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble
Cake Syrup – In a small bowl: add 2 tbsp sugar and 4 tbsp boiling hot water. Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved. Use a cake leveler- slice the cake into a level layers. Place cake on a clean plate/cake tray. Brush a generous amount of cake syrup on top of the 1st layer cake
Then add a thick layer of whipped cream on top.
Add sliced strawberries on the cream. Carefully add the 2nd layer cake on top of the strawberries, then brush with the rest of the syrup.
Spread whipped cream on top and sides of the cake.
Use a cake scraper to level and smooth the cream. Place cake back in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Fruit Syrup – In a small bowl: add 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp boiling hot water. Mix until the sugar is fully dissolved and set aside. While the cake is in the refrigerator: rinse, clean & pat dry the fresh fruits with a paper towel. Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Decorate the cake with fresh fruits, then brush the syrup on top of the fruits. Place the cake back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Just before serving decorate with whipped cream.
Slice & Enjoy!
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Asian Fresh Fruit Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Cake
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup cake flour
- ½ cup (divided) granulated sugar
- ½ cup whole milk room temp
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
Stabilize Whipped Cream
- 2 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp gelatin no flavor
Cake Syrup
- 4 tbsp hot water
- 2 tbsp sugar
Fruit Syrup
- 2 tbsp hot water
- 2 tbsp sugar
Fruits
- 1 lb fresh strawberries clean & slice
- Toppings – strawberries, kiwi , blueberries, blackberries, raspberries
Instructions
Cake Preparation
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare two 8" round pans with parchment paper and cooking spray. Separate eggs.
- Combine egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar, beat 3–4 minutes until light yellow. Add vanilla, oil, and milk. Sift and add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix thoroughly.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites 4–5 minutes until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining sugar (2 tbsp at a time) while whipping. Add cream of tartar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
- Fold ¼ of egg whites into yolk mixture; repeat three more times until smooth and consistent.
- Divide batter between pans. Use a toothpick to create zig-zag lines removing air bubbles. Tap pans to release additional air.
- Bake 25 minutes. Cool on a rack 15 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- Chill metal bowl and whisk 1 hour. Combine water and gelatin; microwave 45–60 seconds until liquid.
- Whip cold cream 6–8 minutes until stiff peaks begin forming. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Slowly incorporate warm gelatin while whipping until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until needed.
Assembly
- Prepare cake syrup by dissolving 2 tbsp sugar in 4 tbsp boiling water. Level cake layers using a cake leveler.
- Place first layer on a plate/tray. Brush generously with cake syrup, add a thick whipped cream layer, then sliced strawberries.
- Top with second cake layer, brush with remaining syrup. Spread whipped cream over top and sides; smooth with a cake scraper. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- Prepare fruit syrup (2 tbsp sugar + 2 tbsp boiling water). Rinse, dry, and arrange fresh fruit on cake. Brush syrup over fruit. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.
- Add final whipped cream decoration before serving.
Enjoy!
Video
Storage
Because of the fresh whipped cream and fruit, keep this cake refrigerated at all times and serve within 2–3 days for best texture and appearance. Cover loosely to protect the fruit topping.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make this cake ahead of time? Yes — bake the sponge layers up to a day ahead and store wrapped at room temperature. Assemble with whipped cream and fruit closer to serving time, ideally the same day, since the fruit topping looks and tastes best fresh.
Can I use a vegetarian substitute for the gelatin? Yes — agar agar can work as a stabilizer, though it behaves differently than gelatin and may need adjusting in quantity. If you’re not concerned with holding structure for multiple days, you can also skip the stabilizer and use a straightforward stiffly whipped cream instead.
I don’t have cake flour — what can I use? For every 1 cup of cake flour, substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons, replaced with 2 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted together. It won’t be quite as light as true cake flour, but it’s a close substitute.
Can I use frozen fruit for the topping? Fresh fruit is strongly recommended for this recipe — frozen fruit releases liquid as it thaws, which will make the topping watery and can cause the whipped cream to slide.
Baked Goods
Asian Recipes
