Fluffy Japanese Castella Sponge Cake

Fluffy and delicious, made from simple ingredients, it just melts in your mouth! Japanese cotton sponge cake Castella cannot be compared with any other sponge cake. It is very airy, very soft, very weightless, it seems as if you are eating a delicate aromatic cloud. A lot of eggs make the dough airy and starch tender.
cook time: 1h 30 min
Ivy Ramsay
Fluffy Japanese Castella Sponge Cake

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

281
Calories
16g
Fat
25g
Carbs
8g
Protein

Ingredients (6 portions)

Basic:

Sugar 115 g
Wheat flour 115 g
Butter 115 g
Milk 115 g
Corn starch 2 tbsp
Eggs 7 pc

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to make Japanese castella cotton sponge cake at home? First, prepare the necessary ingredients.

Step 2

Step 2
First, prepare the flour mixture. Take flour with a protein content of no more than 10.3 g. Then, to reduce the gluten in the flour, remove 2 tbsp from the bowl. l. flour, and instead add 2 tbsp. l. corn starch.

Step 3

Step 3
Sift the resulting mixture through a sieve 2-3 times. This is necessary for even distribution of starch in the flour.

Step 4

Step 4
Separate the eggs into whites and yolks into clean and dry bowls, being careful not to get a drop of yolk into the whites. If there is yolk or water in a bowl with whites, the whites will not whip into foam. Place the whites in the refrigerator immediately.

Step 5

Step 5
Pour milk into a saucepan, add butter. Heat everything over low heat until the oil dissolves. Then remove from heat.

Step 6

Step 6
And cool the resulting mixture to 50-60°C. Itʼs better to check with a cooking thermometer.

Step 7

Step 7
Pour the milk-butter mixture into a bowl with sifted flour and stir with a whisk until smooth.

Step 8

Step 8
Add the yolks in parts, stirring thoroughly with a whisk or mixer at low speed after each portion. It is better not to beat the dough at high speed to avoid many large air bubbles.

Step 9

Step 9
You should get a homogeneous viscous mixture.

Step 10

Step 10
Beat the egg whites with a mixer until stiff peaks form, gradually adding sugar. The consistency of the whipped egg whites should be soft, airy but stable. There is no need to vigorously beat the whites until they become very dense. The sponge cake will not turn out airy.

Step 11

Step 11
Gently fold the protein mass into the flour mixture with a spatula in small portions, being careful not to let the dough settle and reaching with the spatula to the very bottom of the bowl.

Step 12

Step 12
You should get this airy, homogeneous, finely porous dough.

Step 13

Step 13
Line the bottom and sides of a baking dish (Ø 18-20 cm) with parchment. If the mold is made of thick silicone, there is no need to line it with anything. It is advisable to take a solid mold, not a split one, so that water does not get inside and spoil the biscuit. Pour out the dough and smooth it out. Fill another mold or a baking tray with a larger diameter with water and place the mold with the dough in it so that the water level is approximately 2 cm.

Step 14

Step 14
Bake the Castella sponge cake in an oven preheated to 150°C for about 70 minutes. Do not open the oven, otherwise the biscuit will settle. The biscuit should also be cooled in a closed oven that is turned off. It is important to consider that everyone’s oven is different and baking time may take more or less. Therefore, be guided by your oven and often check the condition of the biscuit through the closed door.

Step 15

Step 15
Remove the finished Japanese sponge cake from the mold onto a plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into pieces. The photo shows that along the bottom edge the biscuit is denser and yellower, and on top it is more porous and lighter. This is normal, because the bottom of the biscuit pan was in boiling water. Hence the color and consistency. At the same time, the biscuit is completely baked and equally tender throughout its entire depth. Bon appetit!

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