Japanese Sponge Cake - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Cake
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (optional, see comments above)
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional, see comments above)
Filling and Topping
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons sugar (use sifted powdered sugar if not serving immediately)
various fruit (strawberries, peaches, cherries, etc)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F Grease and line a 7-inch (18 cm) round cake pan with parchment paper.
Whisk eggs very well in a bowl. Place bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with warm water to make a warm water bath. Continue to whisk eggs. Add sugar a little at a time, whisking all the while.
When the egg mixture is a light yellow color, sift the flour and add it to the eggs along with the baking soda (if using) and mix in lightly.
Warm the milk in the microwave; add butter and stir until melted. Add milk mixture and vanilla (if using) to egg mixture and stir in gently.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350\u00b0 F for 25-35 minutes (cake should be springy in center when gently pressed with fingers).
Remove cake from pan and cool on wire rack.
When cake is cool, slice in half horizontally to make 2 layers.
In a large bowl, whip cream and sugar together until fairly stiff. Divide whipped cream into two portions; set one half aside.
To remaining half of whipped cream, add chopped fruit as desired. Spread fruited whipped cream over the bottom half of the cake. Top with upper half, and spread whipped cream over top, and sides of cake if desired (or leave them uncovered if preferred). Garnish top with additional fresh fruit and serve.