Kasutera (カステラ), also known as Castella Cake, is a very popular confection in Japan, a Japanese-style sponge cake that is soft, and moist, with a nice chewy texture with a hint of honey! It’s perfect for any occasion & quickly comes together!
Kasutera (Japanese Castella Cake)
Today I am sharing a traditional Japanese-style Sponge Cake recipe called ‘Kasutera’ or ‘Castella’, a delicious cake with a dark brown top, chawy texture, and mild sweetness.
Kasutera was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese and then the Japanese adapted it to suit their taste. It is now a specialty of the Nagasaki prefecture and has become a special part of the Japanese food culture.
Kasutera is a simple cake that you can make with 3 ingredients rather easy to access: flour, eggs, and sugar without butter or any fat. Honey is perhaps the most popular flavor in Japan that gives the cake its dark brown color on the outside.
You’ll find, here, an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step instructions, helpful info, and tips. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and enjoy it with your loved ones!! It will be your new favorite. It pairs well with green tea, black tea as well as coffee.
Are you looking for more cake recipes?
Take a quick look at the recipe collection HERE
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Beginner-friendly step-by-step recipe for making a light 4-ingredient oil sponge cake. You just need eggs, flour, sugar, and oil.
Kasutera – A Bit of History!
What exactly is Kasutera and how did it become part of Japanese history?
It is said that Kasutera was introduced to Japan by Portuguese who came to Japan (Nagasaki) for trade and missionary work in the 16th century and it was derived from a Portuguese cake known as Pão de Ló. Since Pão de Ló is also known as pão de Espanha (bread from Spain) or pão de Castela (bread from Castille), the Japanese people started calling it Castella or Kasutera.
※ “Pão’ means bread in Portuguese, however, Pão de Ló is more like a sponge cake than bread. ※ Castella was a kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula (931-1479) where it is now considered northern-central Spain. However, it is said that the region (Castella) did not have any cake named Castella.
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How Do You Make Kasutera?
I did some research on how this Japanese Kasutera is made and then realized that there are mainly two methods to prepare it. You can prepare the cake batter either by beating the egg yolks and whites together or beating them separately.
I prefer the no-egg separation method that doesn’t involve egg separations and beating egg whites separately. It is an old-fashioned way of making sponge cake and a more straightforward method that will give you good results.
Ingredients
- Eggs: Room-temperature eggs are whipped better than cold eggs.
- Sugar: White granulated sugar.
- Flour: Bread flour to achieve a chewy texture.
- Honey: A small amount of honey to flavor the cake.
- Water: A small amount of water to dissolve the honey.
Bread flour vs all-purpose flour
Japanese Kasutera is traditionally made with bread flour that gives a nice chewy texture. You can use all-purpose flour, but you won’t get the same texture. Using cake flour is not recommended as this is not a melt-in-the-mouth type of cake. But, if you want to make a gluten-free version, try it with rice flour.
Type and size of pan to use
I use a 21 x 6 x 5 loaf pan to bake this cake. You can use a similar size of square pan. When the cake pan size differs, you must adjust the baking time accordingly.
Useful Tips
- Use a large bowl that holds at least 5 times the volume of the unbeaten eggs.
- Place the mixing bowl over a hot water bath (40°C/100°F) to keep the eggs warm. The volume of the eggs will increase faster if the egg/sugar mixture is warm.
- Beat the eggs with an electric mixer at low to medium-high speed as it is better than high speed to yield a smooth egg mixture, just it takes a few minutes longer.
- It is very important to beat the eggs to the “ribbon stage”. You can test the consistency by lifting some of the batter with the whisk and the batter should drop down in the trail and remain visible before disappearing into the batter.
- Lift the cake pan and drop it a few times to the table right after baking as it helps to minimize shrinkage. This cake shrinks badly if you do not drop it a few times on the table right after removing it from the oven.
- Immediately, flip the cake upside down on top of a greased parchment paper. When you leave it with the top facing down, it will become flat due to its weight.
- Wrap the cake while it’s still warm. Be careful not to let the cling wrap touch the surface. It will stick and ruin the surface. Leave it in a cool place at room temperature or the fridge for 1 day or so. This storage method helps to retain moisture.
Serving Suggestions
Kasutera is served as is without any cream or topping. But this cake is so fantastic that it will pair well with all kinds of different toppings, so just experiment with the toppings you choose. It goes well with a cup of green tea, black tea, or coffee for a simple treat.
Storing Suggestions
You can keep this cake at room temperature in an air-tight container for 3 to 4 days or in the fridge for a week or so. It is also freezable. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and keep them for about one month in the freezer.
More Cake Recipes to Try
A Beautiful No-Bake Fruit Flower Jelly Cheesecake! A truly impressive yet easy-to-make cheesecake.
Bibikkan (Sri Lankan Coconut Cake) is flavored with an amazing blend of coconut, jaggery, fruits, nuts, and spices.
This classic Butter Cake is a buttery, rich, and moist cake, a perfect accompaniment to a nice hot cup of tea or coffee.
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Kasutera (Japanese Castella Cake)
Step-by-Step Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Servings 8
Equipment
21 x 6 x 5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp of Zarame or sanding sugar (see the notes)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tbsp warm water
- 90 g bread flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
Notes
Typical Kasutera has some sanding sugar (Zarame) at the bottom of the cake. I like it but some people don’t like the sugar at the bottom, so it is up to you.
Instructions
Preparations
Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease the baking pan and then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
Sprinkle the sanding sugar at the bottom of the mold.
Sift the bread flour with salt and set aside. It will aerate the flour while removing the lumps making it easier to mix into the batter at a later step.
Beat the eggs
Put the eggs in a large bowl. Place it over a deep tray with warm water (around 50 to 60C). Beat the eggs for about one minute at low speed. You can do this using a hand or stand mixer with a whip attachment.
Then increase the speed to medium-high and add sugar in 3 batches, about 1-minute intervals each time.
Beat until the mixture is tripled or even quadrupled in volume. This may take about 10 minutes or so if using a hand mixer.
It is very important to beat the eggs to the “ribbon stage”. You can test the consistency by lifting some of the batter with the whisk and the batter should drop down in the trail and remain visible before disappearing into the batter.
Incorporating Honey Mixture
Mix the honey with warm water. Add the honey mixture to the egg mixture and whip on low speed until combined about 20 seconds or so.
Incorporating Flour Mixture
First, sieve 1/3 of the flour into the batter and mix over low speed. You can incorporate the flour either with the mixer or manually. If you use the mixer, make sure to beat on low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds or so. Do not overmix.
Then add the next 1/3 and then the remaining flour and continue mixing. The flour may not be thoroughly combined and you will still see some on the side of the mixing bowl. Don’t beat them until they are combined.
Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure all the flour has incorporated evenly with the batter. Once it is smooth without lumps, stop mixing as over mix will deflate the batter causing the cake to have a dense texture.
Bake the Cake
Pour the batter into the pan from a high point above the base. It should be only about 3/4 full to let the cake have enough space to rise in the oven. Tap the pan on the counter 3-4 times to break the air bubbles. Use a skewer or toothpick to draw a zigzag to pop any smaller bubbles inside the batter.
Lower the temperature to 170C and bake for 10 minutes. Then lower it again to 160 C. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until the cake is no longer jiggly and the top is dry to the touch and feels bouncy. If you are not sure if it is cooked or not, insert a wooden skewer from the side to the center, and no undercooked batter is sticking to the skewer, it’s done.
Cool Down and Unmold the Cake
Remove from the oven and drop the pan on the counter 2-3 times to minimize shrinkage. Spread a parchment paper on a counter. Brush some oil on the parchment paper. Flip the cake upside down on top of it. (Trim off excess parchment paper that extends up so it won’t ruin the surface of the cake when you flip it over later) Remove the loaf pan and let the cake cool down for about one hour. When you leave it with the top facing down, it will become flat due to its weight.
Age the cake
Once it has cooled down, wrap it in plastic wrap (If you don’t want the plastic to touch the cake directly, do not peel the parchment paper off the cake) to prevent it from drying out. Leave it in a cool place at room temperature or the fridge for 1 day or so.
To serve
Carefully remove the plastic wrap and parchment. Trim the browned sides and slice with a serrated knife to serve. Wipe the knife with a damp cloth after each use.
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Kasutera (Japanese Castella cake)
Equipment
- 21 x 6 x 5 loaf pan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp of Zarame or sanding sugar see the notes
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tbsp warm water
- 90 g bread flour
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease the baking pan and then line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- Sprinkle the sanding sugar at the bottom of the mold.
- Sift the bread flour with salt and set aside. It will aerate the flour while removing the lumps making it easier to mix into the batter at a later step.
- Put the eggs in a large bowl. Place it over a deep tray with warm water (around 40C). Beat the eggs for about one minute at low speed. You can do this using a hand or stand mixer with a whip attachment.
- Then increase the speed to medium-high and add sugar in 3 batches, about 1-minute intervals each time.
- Beat until the mixture is tripled or even quadrupled in volume. This may take about 10 minutes or so if using a hand mixer.
- It is very important to beat the eggs to the “ribbon stage”. You can test the consistency by lifting some of the batter with the whisk and the batter should drop down in the trail and remain visible before disappearing into the batter.
- Mix the honey with warm water. Add the honey mixture to the egg mixture and whip on low speed until combined about 20 seconds or so.
- First, sieve 1/3 of the flour into the batter and mix over low speed. You can incorporate the flour either with the mixer or manually. If you use the mixer, make sure to beat on low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds or so. Do not overmix.
- Then add the next 1/3 and then the remaining flour and continue mixing. The flour may not be thoroughly combined and you will still see some on the side of the mixing bowl. Don’t beat them until they are combined.
- Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure all the flour has incorporated evenly with the batter. Once it is smooth without lumps, stop mixing as over mix will deflate the batter causing the cake to have a dense texture.
- Pour the batter into the pan from a high point above the base. It should be only about 3/4 full to let the cake have enough space to rise in the oven. Tap the pan on the counter 3-4 times to break the air bubbles. Use a skewer or toothpick to draw a zigzag to pop any smaller bubbles inside the batter.
- Put the pan in a preheated oven, middle rack. First, lower the temperature to 180C and bake for 10 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 160 C. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes or until the cake is no longer jiggly and the top is dry to the touch and feels bouncy. If you are not sure if it is cooked or not, insert a wooden skewer from the side to the center, and no undercooked batter is sticking to the skewer, it’s done.
- Remove from the oven and drop the pan on the counter 2-3 times to minimize shrinkage. Spread a parchment paper on a counter. Brush some oil on the parchment paper. Flip the cake upside down on top of it. (Trim off excess parchment paper that extends up so it won’t ruin the surface of the cake when you flip it over later) Remove the loaf pan and let the cake cool down for about one hour. When you leave it with the top facing down, it will become flat due to its weight.
- Once it has cooled down, wrap it in plastic wrap (If you don’t want the plastic to touch the cake directly, do not peel the parchment paper off the cake) to prevent it from drying out. Leave it in a cool place at room temperature or the fridge for 1 day or so.
- Carefully remove the plastic wrap and parchment. Trim the browned sides and slice with a serrated knife to serve. Wipe the knife with a damp cloth after each use.
Notes
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