Christmas Cake - Christmas Around the World for Kids - Japan

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This is the seventh activity in our Christmas Around the World for Kids series! We're going to head over to Japan for today's visit AND tomorrow's activity!


Japan is a country in Asia made from over 6800 islands! There are 6 main islands and over 400 islands with people:




Christmas in Japan is a time of year to celebrate family, friendship, and happiness! It's not an official national holiday, but decorations and celebrations abound--much like Valentines Day in the United States. Decorations include lights, Santas, trains, and other popular decorations. One of the most popular traditions is the Christmas Cake!

The Christmas Cake is round, has white frosting and red strawberries (the same colors as the Japanese flag), and is usually eaten on Christmas Eve with family and friends. The cake itself is a sponge cake, often sliced in half and "filled" with a strawberry cream layer.



I'll put the recipe I use below, but you can use any sponge cake recipe you like. When it finishes cooking, cut it in half horizontally so you have two layers. "Frost" the bottom layer with whipped cream and strawberries. Then add the top layer, cover the whole thing with whipped cream, and top with strawberries!


After we made and ate our Christmas Cake, we put our Japan cake "stamp" in our "passports!"

Our homeschool is learning about Christmas around the world this year with 12 different activities--this was the seventh one!  I would LOVE if you joined us!! I will be linking all the activities to THIS PAGE, so you can pick and choose which to do. There's also a link to get the passport that I made there (for free) and a giveaway that will run from December 1st-16th!  And, I'll be linking to a new Christmas Around the World for Kids activity each week day until all 12 are up!

Here's the recipe I'm using for our Christmas Cake:

Ingredients:

** 1/3 cup flour
** 3 tablespoons honey+3 tablespoons sugar free syrup (total 1/3 cup sweetener)
** 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
** 2 tablespoons butter
** 3 eggs

* 2 cups heavy whipping cream
** 1/4 cup sugar-free syrup
** 2 cups sliced strawberries

Directions:

1- Grease an 8-inch pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2- Whisk eggs and 1/3 cup sweetener.

3- Add flour, baking powder, and melted butter, and mix gently.

4- Pour the batter into your pan and bake for about 25-35 minutes.

5- After it cooks, let it sit for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely.

6- Cut the cake in half horizontally.

6- Beat the heavy whipping cream until it thickens to form "soft peaks." Add the syrup and whip well until it forms "hard peaks."

7- Mix half the strawberries into 1/3 of the whipped cream. Spread it like frosting on top of the first layer. 

8- Place the top layer on the cake. Cover the cake with whipped cream. Add the strawberry slices in whatever design you'd like, and enjoy your Japanese-inspired Christmas Cake!



And if you're looking for more homeschool unit studies, be sure to check out our growing collection here!



Happy Educating,
Carla & the kids who don't sit still!

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