I see the idea of Christmas in Japanese cakes, but I don’t feel the spirit.
Christmas cakes in Japan are a mishmash of whipped cream and unseasonal fruit. A true holiday dessert should boast warming spices and that comforting density that makes you loosen your belt for just a smidge more of that brandy-baked hug. Christmas cakes should also be solid enough to last beyond one meal at room temperature rather than leftovers limply disintegrating in the fridge.
What follows is a fruit cake of sorts, but not the traditional kind either. The zest and orange fortified with cooking mirin make for a fun, marmalade-ish glazed fruit base; and the meringue topping tips its hat to pavlova and, in combination with a heavy dose of spice, evokes eggnog or mulled wine.