Bored With Shortcake? Try The Viral Strawberry Sandwich
Strawberry shortcake is the perfect not-too-sweet dessert. Whipped cream and fresh berries meet a crumbly shortcake for balance in every bite. It would be unfair if fans of this dessert went without knowing about strawberry sandwiches — the snack-like alternative to strawberry shortcake and one of many sandwiches you'll want to make every day of the week. Strawberry sandwiches originated in Japan and first appeared in cafes in the early twentieth century. Today, they are found in just about every Japanese konbini (convenience store) and are eaten as a cheap and sweet snack. They're even making their way to the US.
This Japanese treat features whipped cream and strawberries in between two slices of crustless milk bread. The strawberries are whole — only the stems are cut off — and the whipped cream is spread to fill up the space between each berry, making this sandwich a sweet mouthful. It's no wonder that it's having a viral moment across social media right now. One viral TikTok shows a newly-opened Japanese sandwich shop in Manhattan, Elly's Pastry, whose head chef was raised in Japan. It offers sandwiches with a variety of fruits, like orange and kiwi. Strawberry and whipped cream, however, is a combination hard to resist. This sandwich is packable, snackable, and uses simplicity as its superpower.
Quality matters in this simple sandwich
Another viral TikTok shows how since there are only a few ingredients to this sandwich, their quality and how they are assembled matter. The sandwich starts with Japanese milk bread, which uses milk, butter, and a small amount of sugar to make it softer and more flavorful than regular white bread. This type of bread may not be available in your average grocery store, and viewers of the TikTok expressed this concern in the comments, wondering if there are any worthy replacements. The truth is, other sandwich bread is just not the same as milk bread, and if you don't live near an Asian grocery store or bakery, making milk bread at home will do the most justice for this sandwich.
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The strawberries make all the difference, too. A berry that is neither juicy nor sweet comes as a great disappointment. It's important to know how to choose the best strawberries — always look for a vibrant red color and fresh green leaves. A good batch of berries will provide extra sweetness to the sandwich, meaning you can add less sugar to the whipped cream. If they're carefully placed along the diagonal of the sandwich, a triangle cut will reveal a flawless cross-section of juicy berries. The strawberry sandwich is just as adorable as it is tasty.