Japanese Castella Cake

 Japanese Castella Cake 

This is a Japanese Castella Cake (Kasutera) – a soft, fluffy, and moist sponge cake with a golden brown top. It’s made with very simple ingredients but has a unique texture from the method used.

Ingredients

• 7 large eggs (room temperature)
• 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 200 g (1 ½ cups) bread flour (sifted)
• 5 Tbsp honey
• 5 Tbsp warm milk

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan

Line a 9x9 inch (23x23 cm) square pan or loaf pan with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F).

2. Whisk eggs & sugar

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with sugar using a hand mixer on high speed for about 7–8 minutes until the mixture becomes thick, pale, and triples in volume.

3. Mix honey & milk

In a small bowl, mix warm milk with honey until dissolved.

Add this mixture slowly into the egg batter and whisk gently.

4. Fold in flour

Sift the bread flour and add it gradually into the batter.

Fold carefully with a spatula to avoid deflating the mixture.

5. Pour & smooth

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Tap the pan lightly on the counter to remove air bubbles.

6. Bake

Bake at 160°C (320°F) for about 50–60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.

7. Cool

Remove from oven, place parchment over the cake, and flip it upside down onto a flat surface.

Wrap in plastic wrap while still warm and let rest for at least 6 hours (or overnight) before slicing.