Best 2 Castella Japanese Sponge Cake Recipes

CASTELLA - JAPANESE SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 C). Use parchment to line the bottom of a 10-inch tube pan, preferably with a removable bottom or 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans. Grease the parchment. In a large bowl, whisk 1 cup sugar, honey, vanilla, lemon extract, and salt into egg yolks. Place bowl in a large pan of hot water. With an electric mixer, beat about 5 minutes on medium-high speed until pale yellow and doubled in volume. Gently fold in sifted flour.
• Wash beaters. In a large bowl, beat egg whites in electric mixer on a low speed 1 minute, increasing speed to medium-high. When foamy, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon sugar and cream of tartar. Beat until stiff but not dry. With a spatula, fold the egg whites in thirds. Pour batter into pan. Tap gently on the counter to remove air bubbles.
• Bake on middle rack of oven 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. When done, cake sides will pull away from pan slightly; top will be flat and feel spongy when pressed with finger. Cool 20 minutes. Run a small knife between edge of cake and pan. Remove from pan carefully. Pull off parchment and cool completey. Serve or store airtight.

TAIWANESE CASTELLA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a 9-inch square cake pan with enough parchment paper so that it overhangs all four sides of the pan; this will make removal of the cake easier.
• Heat oil and milk in a small pan until warm. Pour sifted cake flour into the pan and whisk until combined; batter will be pretty sticky. Whisk in egg yolks, one at a time. Add vanilla and salt and whisk until well combined. Make sure there are no air bubbles.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until foamy. Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.
• Pour egg yolk mixture on top of the stiff egg whites. Gently fold everything together using a spatula until batter is light and foamy. Slowly pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Knock cake pan against the kitchen counter twice to remove all air bubbles and smooth out the top with a spatula.
• Set the baking dish into a deep baking pan. Add enough hot water to the baking pan so that the baking dish sits 1/2-inch deep in water.
• Bake in the preheated oven in the hot water bath until the cake is set, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and lift cake from the pan using the parchment paper. Serve warm or allow to cool before serving.