Textual Chef Textual Chef

Castella Cake

A traditional Japanese sponge cake known for its delicate texture, golden crust, and sweet honey flavor.

65 minMediumServes 8190 cal/serving

JapaneseDessertOvenVegetarianHalal-friendlyNut-FreePork-FreeAlcohol-FreeLow-SodiumNightshade-FreeCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup bread flour, sifted
  • 6 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp warm water

Instructions

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C) and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.

  2. 2

    Whisk 3 tbsp honey and 2 tbsp warm water together in a small bowl until dissolved.

  3. 3

    Beat 6 room temp large eggs and 1 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer for 10 minutes until thick and pale.

  4. 4

    Add the honey mixture and gently fold in 1 cup sifted bread flour until smooth with no lumps.

  5. 5

    Pour batter into the lined pan and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.

  6. 6

    Remove from oven, wrap tightly in plastic film, and chill before slicing.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

What is Castella Cake?

A traditional Japanese sponge cake known for its delicate texture, golden crust, and sweet honey flavor. This reference files it under Japanese dessert: made in the oven, rated medium and about 65 minutes start to finish.

Why fold instead of stir in Castella Cake?

Step 4 reads: "Add the honey mixture and gently fold in 1 cup sifted bread flour until smooth with no lumps." Folding keeps the air you just beat in. Stirring at step 4 would knock it out and the result would come out dense.

What equipment do I need for Castella Cake?

Beyond a knife and a board, the method uses a hand mixer (step 3), a loaf pan (step 1) and parchment paper (step 1). If you do not have one, a whisk and a few minutes of effort replace the electric mixer.

What can I use instead of bread flour in Castella Cake?

The entry for Castella Cake calls for 1 cup bread flour, sifted. In its place: All-purpose flour works. The crumb will be a little softer and less chewy.

Can I make Castella Cake gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Castella Cake is 1 cup bread flour, sifted. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

Does Castella Cake contain eggs?

Yes: 6 large eggs, room temp. The full allergen list for this entry is gluten and eggs. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Japanese entries

All Japanese recipes · All Dessert recipes · All Eggs recipes