Who need a sheet cake or layer cake when you’re able to guttle a gash — or several — of this bouncy , honey - scented treat ?
Jake Sternquist
It ’s not imprinted in my DNA , but my taste of desserts is much genetic . My Mom ’s countertop recipe card aggregation is at least 75 % sweet and less than 25 % Micromeria juliana , and no holiday — especially birthday — was complete without dessert . Often , the dessert spread involvedScotcheroos , her signatureSnickerdoodles , orPuppy Chow(true to our Midwest source ! ) , but if it was a natal day , there was always cake . Ice Cream Cake , Angel Food Cake , Sheet Cake , Poke Cake , Sponge Cake , Dump Cake ; whatever the birthday celebrant asked for , they shall receive .

Credit:Jake Sternquist
One cake that I had yet to adjudicate until my XXX , but like I discovered sooner : Castella Cake . After our Test Kitchen perfected and shared this tender , moist , bouncy , and surprisingly well-fixed patty recipe with me , it immediately jumped to the top of mybirthday cakerequest list .
What Is Castella Cake?
Castella Cake is a Nipponese love sponge cake that was brought to Asia by Lusitanian missionaries in the mid-1500s . At that time , it was a Portuguese dinero calledpão de Castela(in honor of Spain ’s Kingdom of Castile ) . Over time , Nipponese bakers transform that original dinero formula into the sweet , bouncy , moist , and airy patty it is today .
A Nipponese Castella Cake recipe is what we have for you below . Taiwanese Castella Cake formula also exist and take issue due to their soufflé - like nature and fixings tilt . ( Taiwanese variations call for cake flour , butter , vanilla extract , Milk River , and some form of pane , either acetum or maize juice . ) To achieve the cloud - corresponding grain , Taiwanese Castella Cake recipes take separate the egg , whip the nut Stanford White , then folding the fluffy whites back into the batsman . It ’s also baked in a water bath .
This Nipponese Castella Cake is light on the ingredient and prep time , making it one of my favorite weekday cake recipes now that I ca n’t outsource the baking duties as easily to Mom ( since she live 3 hours aside ) ! It ’s also a show - stopple every time I partake it with pals .

Credit:Grant Webster
Castella Cake Ingredients
To make this easy Castella Cake recipe , you ’ll need :
Test Kitchen Tip : Traditionally , this cake contains a small amount of mizuame which is a pasty starch syrup . It is a very thick , unmortgaged syrup commonly used in Japan as a sweetener for beverages , candy , and bake . In baked goods , the sirup helps to retain wet . Since the syrup can be hard to witness in the United States , we developed this bar without using it and found that it cultivate and make a slightly dry cake , but still satisfactory . If you recover your cake is too ironic , drizzle with a little extra honey or sugar syrup .
Tips for Making This Castella Cake Recipe
A bare 5 ingredients transform into one of the effective , bakery - caliber patty recipe we ’ve ever developed thanks to the unique process for make Castella Cake . Do n’t vex , it ’s not too sturdy — it just involves a couple extra footprint beyond the usual mix - dump - bake scheme . We ’ll walk you through the unique steps for how to make Castella Cake :
Ingredients
2tsp.coarse effervescent boodle
3Tbsp.honey
2Tbsp.water

Credit:Grant Webster
1/4tsp.salt
3eggs , at room temperature
1/2cupgranulated gelt

Credit:Grant Webster
3/4cupplus2Tbsp.bread flour , strain
Directions
Grant Webster
Prep Pan
Preheat oven to 350 ° F . Grease an 8 1/2x4 1/2 - column inch loaf of bread cooking pan and line bottom and all side with sheepskin paper . spit sanding dough evenly in the bottom of the prepared genus Pan ; typeset aside . fill up a clean spray bottle with water .
Make Honey Syrup
In a diminished trough whisk together dear , water , and common salt .
Beat Eggs
In the pipe bowl of a stand mixer fit with the whisk broom adhesion , aggregate eggs and sugar . Beat on high speed for 5 minute of arc ; mixing will be pale in colour , quadrupled in intensity , and should fall from the whisk in ribbons when lift . contribute beloved salmagundi to the hitter and ticktock on modest speed just until combined , about 30 seconds .
Add Flour
With the mixer on low speed , whisk in flour just until combined , about 30 seconds .
Pour Into Pan
Remove stadium of batter from mixer . Using a spatula , scrape side of mixing bowl and shut down mixing a few time . pelt batter into inclined pan . Lift cooking pan about 2 inches above countertop and knock off it onto the control surface to remove any air bubbles ; repeat once more .
Swirl Batter
Place pan in oven and set a timer for 2 minutes . Working promptly once the timer go off , spritz the top of the cake with water two times . Use an offset spatula to call down the batter in the cooking pan in a rotary move , about 20 strokes total , so that the batter at the bottom of the goat god is circulated to the top and frailty versa , taking care to not commove the sparkling bread on the bottom of the pan . Close oven door and set the timekeeper for another 2 minute . recapitulate this mental process three more meter . After the fourth time , run a skewer or the offset spatula vertically through the batter to eliminate any remaining air travel bubbles .
Bake
carry on baking patty about 30 minutes more or until the top saltation back when lightly touch . Cake will appear wrinkly on top if over adust . take cooking pan from oven and cautiously neglect the pan onto the countertop twice to release any trap steam . Invert cake onto a silicone baking lustrelessness or piece of lambskin newspaper publisher ; do not remove parchment paper . Let cool fully , about 1 hour .
Test Kitchen Tip : We recommend using a silicone baking mat for this footstep because the patty is less potential to stick .
Chill and Serve
Wrap cooled cake , still in parchment newspaper , tightly in plastic wrap and chill at least 12 hours . To assist , unwrap cake and discard lambskin paper . If desired , using a delicately serrated tongue , cautiously trim the brown insolence from the 4 sides of the cake ( leave golden dark-brown crust on the top and bottom of the patty ) . fade cake crosswise into 3/4 - column inch thick slice .
Castella Cake Topping Ideas
This bar is treat enough on its own , but for an extra festive touch and even more flavor , deliberate doctoring up your slice with :
How to Store Castella Cake
If you ’re favourable enough to have leftover Castella Cake , incubate it in plastic wrap , then hive away in the refrigerator for up to 3 day . For drawn-out storage , pop the cake into a zip - top freezer travelling bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month .
Nutrition Facts(per serving)
- The % Daily Value ( DV ) tell you how much a nutrient in a intellectual nourishment serve contributes to a daily diet . 2,000 nutritionist’s calorie a day is used for world-wide nutriment advice .

Credit:Grant Webster

Credit:Grant Webster

Credit:Grant Webster

Credit:Grant Webster

Credit:Grant Webster