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Honey Castella~Kasutera Cake



The Castella~Kasutera bug has gone viral and I'm grateful to Biren of Roti n Rice for resurrecting this recipe of a popular Japanese sponge cake made with sugar, bread flour, eggs, syrup but without any oil or  raising agent.  I first saw the post of Castella cake on Nasi lemak lover followed by Anncoo Journal but both of them used the wooden mould to bake this cake which sadly I do not have.  Then when Biren posted hers without using the wooden mould but only using a loaf pan, I welcomed it with glee!   I hopped over to Yummyworkshop and watched the video that Biren had linked up with her post and here's my first attempt at Castella~Kasutera Cake.




See the last pair of pictures ..... Yummyworkshop's recipe calls for  optional Turbinado sugar to be sprinkled on the parchment paper at the base of the pan and since I didn't have that, I googled for substitute and found that light or brown sugar and Demerara sugar could be used.  Since I had the latter, I  happily used that.  But when I removed the piece of parchment paper on inverting the cake, lo and behold, the melted Demerara sugar got stuck onto the parchment paper and left me with a botchy and pale face base! That explains the reason why my cake did not have a dark coloured base like the surface.  What a shame!









Think I didn't bake this cake long enough, only baked for 45 mins.(I got worried when the top was so brown) and perhaps that explains why the cake was a bit sticky and hard to slice up. Will remember to bake for another 5  to 10 mins. on my next attempt.

Recipe for Honey Castella~Kasutera Cake   (adapted from Yummyworkshop with slight modification)

Ingredients
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 4 egg whites
  • 100 gm caster sugar
  • 100 gm bread/high protein flour, sifted
  • 50 ml honey + 2 to 3 Tbsp hot water (I used 3 Tbsp)
  • 15 gm Turbinado sugar to be sprinkled on the base of the pan (optional)
Method
  1. Line a 7 inch square pan with foil both the interior and exterior.  Place a piece of parchment paper at the base.
  2. Dissolve honey in hot water, stir well and let cool.
  3. Whisk egg whites on high speed till foamy, add in sugar in three batches and beat till stiff but not dry peaks form.
  4. Add in egg yolks one at a time, beat on low speed till batter is thick and soft peaks form when the whisk is drawn up.
  5. Add sifted flour in three batches and mix on low speed till just combined but with no traces of flour visible.
  6. Add honey mixture and mix on low speed.
  7. Pour batter through a sieve into prepared cake pan, use a spatula to help the thick batter go through the sieve.  Use the spatula to smooth out air bubbles.
  8. Tap the pan lightly on the worktop to remove any more air bubbles.
  9. Bake in a preheated oven @ 160 deg C for about 50 to 60 mins. till golden brown.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.
  10. Take pan out  from the oven and drop it on the counter from about a foot high to prevent shrinkage, thrice.
  11. Cool cake in pan.  When cool enough to handle, invert the cake onto a clean sheet of parchment paper. 
  12. Remove foil and wrap up the warm cake with the parchment paper to ensure the cake has a moist texture.  Put the wrapped cake in a plastic bag, chill it in the fridge overnight, upside down to preserve moisture and to avoid uneven or dense layer at the bottom.
  13. To serve, trim off the sides of the cake with a sharp serrated knife in a 'sawing' motion, then cut up into neat slices. 
  14. Serve with hot or cold unsweetened tea.



Do visit other bloggers' posts on Castella cake @

I'm submitting this post to  Weekend Herb Blogging  # 325  hosted by

Comments

  1. Oh yes.. this cake is viral.
    I caught the virus during the last epidemic few years back when Little Teochew made a beautiful one. Maybe I should get infected too this time

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow ... you also caught the bug. I am more privileged - I tried the cake by Anncoo when we met for coffee yesterday. Yeah ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How I envy you, Chris, no need to slog and get to taste it, what's more from Ann, the talented baker!

      Delete
    2. haha ... somebody is jealous. You move to Singapore lah ...

      Delete
    3. This type of challenging cake leave it to the experienced baker to try and experiment. haha I can only handle straightforward cakes.

      Delete
  3. Wow...yours came out beautifully as well! Matcha kasutera next? :) Thanks for the mention and link back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're most welcome, Biren. Yes, Matcha kasutera is next in line!

      Delete
  4. I shared your link on my Facebook page. Do check it out when you have the time :)

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roti-n-Rice/242815743598

    ReplyDelete
  5. Cheah, Thumbs UP for you for your first attempt!!!
    Your castella cake looks so perfect. I'm going to make this recipe with matcha flavour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Yes, patiently waiting for your post!

      Delete
  6. Wow! very nicely done, I love the smooth skin on the top! I've made a small cake for experiment yesterday and didn't keep it in the fridge as instructed lol!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So, it was a bit dry? Seems keeping it in the fridge, wrapped up will help retain the moisture.

      Delete
  7. Hi, besides Nasi Lemak Lover & Anncoo Journal, I've seen this cake being posted on Jane's Corner recently, who also made this cake very successfully with & without the wooden mould.

    Your castella cake was risen high & evenly! I've bought the wooden mould on my recent visit to HK & now is waiting patiently to get it shipping over here! Will go to watch the video clip later. thanks for sharing this popular recipe! Glad to become your latest follower! Will visit you more often in the future!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your compliment. Hope to see you more in the future. Will hop over to your blog soon.

      Delete
  8. Made a couple of them last week ;-)
    Yours looks terrific!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking forward to your posts re this cake, Angie.

      Delete
  9. Bookmarked! Always keen to learn more Asian cakes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you should try this when you have the time. It's quite a challenge.

      Delete
  10. hi cheah, nice to read abt your experiences in making this castella. i just saw jeannie's one this evening. All look very good..just curious..is this something like a sponge cake and taste honey?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup, it is a sponge cake but a bit different from the normal sponge cake, tastewise and texturewise. You should try and then you'll know.

      Delete
  11. Cheah...you did a good job considering it is your first attempt :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm admiring your castella cake. Like you, I saw Biren's, Ann's and Sonia's posts and I had caught the flu of wanting to bake a castella cake too but have too many "commitment" to bake right... Hope that I will time to bake my own castella cake too :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, hope you'll find the time to try this out. To me, it's an achievement.

      Delete
  13. I think you did a beautiful job with the cake. It really sounds wonderful and you've made me anxious to try it. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...MAry.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow Cake looks so lovely and nice pics!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your compliment. Will hop over to your blog soon!

      Delete
  15. Glad the recipe turned out so nice for you! Thanks for the link to my blog :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're most welcome, Betty. Thanks so much for sharing!

      Delete
  16. Really look good!! :) I wish I can reach out for one slice now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Must agree that it's indeed very nice. Try to bake one and see for yourself.

      Delete
  17. Oh wow Cheah, I'm too infected! haha.... Feel like making one right away. You did it beautifully. Kudos!
    Have a lovely evening.
    Kristy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kristy. You better bake one too, I know you can.

      Delete
  18. This cake is very hot among bloggers now, hehehe.. Actually i planning to make this again since my last attempted still not that perfect..

    ReplyDelete
  19. The Castella Cake virus is in the air. Have not caught it yet:D You castella cake looks nicely done although you said it should have the dark color base. I am sure you will get it perfect on your second attempt. I am glad to know that this cake can still be done without the wooden mould.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, the castella fever is in the air. Credit must go to Biren of Roti n Rice for first making the castella without the wooden mould.

      Delete
  20. I thought bread flour is not suitable for making cake. I notice you are using bread flour in this cake.

    Regards,
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In this recipe, it is bread flour because the taste of kastella cake is different from other cakes.

      Delete
  21. Hi I tried it yesterday and got an awesome castella cake. Thank you very much

    ReplyDelete

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