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A tall loaf of Japanese castella cake with a smooth brown top and fine golden crumb.

Japanese Castella Cake

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A tall Japanese honey sponge with a smooth brown top and fine, moist, springy crumb.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Wrapped resting 12 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
 
 

Cake
  • 6 large eggs at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup bread flour sifted twice
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • 2 tbsp whole milk warm
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil

Equipment

  • 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Fine-mesh sieve
  • Instant-read thermometer

Method
 

Prepare:
  1. Heat the oven to 320 F (160 C). Line the loaf pan completely with parchment, leaving enough overhang to lift out the cake.
  2. Stir the honey, warm water, milk, and oil together until smooth.
Mix the Batter:
  1. Whip the eggs and sugar on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes until pale, very thick, and able to hold a ribbon on the surface.
  2. Sift in the bread flour in three additions, folding gently after each. Fold in the honey mixture just until no streaks remain.
Bake and Rest:
  1. Pour into the pan and run a skewer through the batter once to remove large air pockets. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until the top is evenly brown and the center reaches about 200 F (93 C).
  2. Cool for 5 minutes, lift out, and peel away the parchment. While slightly warm, wrap tightly. Rest for at least 12 hours before trimming and slicing.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 65mgSugar: 27g

Notes

  • Bread flour gives castella its characteristic resilient crumb.
  • Fold slowly from the bottom of the bowl so the dense flour and honey do not settle.