Strawberry Shortcake 苺ショー @ Pâtisserie Glacé

The Japanese Strawberry Shortcake is a favourite among most Singaporeans and hence a common candidate found in most cake shops in Singapore. With so many versions, the recent discussion in my cbox brought up the issue of how authentic the local strawberry shortcakes are in Singapore and one of the recommendations made was Chef Yamashita's Strawberry Shortcake 苺ショー ($4.80).

As described in Pâtisserie Glacé's website, this has been a standard in any de rigueur Japanese Cake Shop and the basic criteria lies in the freshness of the strawberries, the fresh cream used and how good the sponge cake is.

Till date, the most memorable strawberry shortcake I had was the one from Arinco King. Sad to say, the place has closed down since they are unable to cope with the demands after the opening of 3 stores in Japan. Indeed a waste, I must say.

To non-strawberry cake lovers, like Yuan, most strawberry shortcakes will be ordinary since it is a standard combination of cream and sponge and don't be surprised, the 4 leaves' version is good enough to satisfy him. For me, I am picky and having ate a couple lately, my brain starts to do the comparison to hunt for my favourite.

Before I continue, let me relate to my dad's recent experience in baking a sponge cake (that affects my thoughts towards this cake). For those who baked, to get a good sponge is not easy and somehow or rather emusifiers is a magical tool. They make the sponge even and soft. The same recipe without emusifier makes the sponge porous and dry. In a way, having to witness the difficulty of making a good sponge that makes me appreciate cakes even more.


Back to Chef Yamashita's Strawberry Shortcake; visual impression, the 2 layers of sponge is very even despite the layer of cream. Not exceedingly sweet with a soft but not porous sponge, the most important factor, they are not soaked. Cream is very light but lacks the "milky" and creamy taste Tampopo's has. So depending on your criteria, some may find this heavenly while other will find it average.

Personally, I will say this is definitely one of the better strawberry shortcakes I have encountered but to say this is my favourite, it lacks the x-factor that Arinco King has. Lastly, the cakes at Pâtisserie Glacé sell very fast and by 6pm, one will be surprised the shelf is close to empty. Don't forget to reserve a few slices should you pop by late.

Pâtisserie Glacé
12 Gopeng Street,
#01-33/34 Icon Village
Singapore 078877.
Tel: 6400 0247

Operating hours: 11am to 7pm (Mon to Fri)
11am to 6pm (Weekends and P.H)
Website