Castella cake, a soft and fluffy Japanese sponge cake that doesn’t require any oil or leavening agents, is one of my favorite cakes to eat. I’ve had a lot of success with this recipe, but it requires eight eggs and I don’t always have enough eggs in my fridge to make it.
Lately I’ve seen a ton of castella cakes on various blogs and I thought it would be a good time to try a new recipe, with less eggs. This particularly recipe requires 5 eggs if using the castella loaf pan which I don’t own, or 2 eggs for a smaller 7 x 3 pan.
The technique is a little different too. The technique I learned required whipping eggs for about 20 minutes under warm conditions. This one requires you to whip the egg whites first until stiff and then add in the egg yolks, which also cause the egg mixture to be very thick just like when you mix the eggs on high speed under heat.
I do wish I had made the whole 5 egg recipe because a 7 x 3 pan yields very little cake, especially after you cut away the sides which is always needed for castella cakes. This cake was gone in no time. I have to confess I ate almost the entire loaf by myself.
The cake came out nice and fluffy. It didn’t quite have the bounce or texture of the one I previously made. I still prefer the one I previously made, but this one is a good recipe for when I have a limited supply of eggs. The two egg recipe can be found at Roti & Rice.
Castella Cake
Ingredients
- 2 egg whites at room temperature
- 2 egg yolks at room temperature
- 5 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup bread flour sifted
- 1 tbsp honey thinned with 1 tbsp hot water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 7x3 loaf pan with aluminum foil. Line the foil with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until foamy, about 30 seconds or so. Add the sugar to the eggs in 2 to 3 batches and beat them together until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.
- Adjust the mixer speed to low and add the egg yolks one at a time until well combined. Add the flour and beat until just combined. Add the honey mixture and beat for one minute.
- Strain the batter through a fine mesh sieve into the baking pan. You may need to use a spatula to press the batter through the sieve. Rap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles in the batter and then smooth the top of the batter. There should be no bubbles on the surface of the batter.
- Bake the cake for 45 minutes or until the top is browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and drop it, from a distance of about one foot, onto the counter. This will help keep the cake from shrinking as it cools.
- Cool the cake in the pan and once it’s cool enough to handle, remove it from the pan. Remove the parchment and wrap it in a new piece of parchment. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store the cake at room temperature overnight. This will allow the flavor of the cake to develop fully.
- To serve, first remove the browned edges of the cake from the sides (leave the top and bottom with the crust) with a sharp knife. Use a serrated knife to slice the cake into slices.
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
Hi, just to let you know that Castella cake is, in fact, a Portuguese cake (Pão de Ló), taken to Japan with the first Portuguese navigators. Please check it out:
https://www.food.com/recipe/portuguese-sponge-cake-pao-de-lo-413007
I do love your recipes though!!!
Thanks for the helpful information. I didn’t know it had Portuguese roots, but now I do.