Japanese cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Castella (Kasutera)

A delicate honey sponge cake from Nagasaki, baked slowly in a loaf tin – moist, dense, and completely fat-free.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 6 eggs
• 200g sugar
• 180g flour
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Line a 25cm loaf tin with parchment paper so it overhangs the edges, and preheat the oven to 160°C top/bottom heat.
2. Stir the honey with the milk and warm gently until it's thin and fully dissolved.
3. Whisk the eggs with sugar and salt over a warm water bath for 10–12 minutes until very pale and thick, until the mixture falls off the whisk in wide ribbons.
4. Fold in the honey milk, then sift in the flour in three additions, folding each time only until the batter is just smooth.
5. Pour the batter into the tin, drag a wooden skewer slowly through it several times to pop large bubbles, and bake for 50–55 minutes, until the top is deep golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
6. Turn the cake out immediately, wrap it in plastic wrap while still warm, and let it rest in a cool place overnight – only then slice it finger-thick and serve.