Japanese castella

A honey sponge with an elastic, fine crumb.

The baker slices rested castella, showing its even yellow crumb and brown top.
Makes
One 19 cm square cake
Heat
170°C → 160°C conventional
Baking time
15 min + about 50 min

Reduce after 15 min; check the second stage early.

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Japanese castella

Makes
One 19 cm square cake
Heat
170°C → 160°C conventional
Baking time
15 min + about 50 min

Reduce after 15 min; check the second stage early.

Japan · Egg-foam cakes

Japanese castella

A honey sponge with an elastic, fine crumb.

Method

  1. 01 · Prepare

    Before mixing

    Use: Pan; coarse sugar

    Line pan; scatter coarse sugar across base. Preheat oven.

    Ready when: Liner secured

    A baker scatters coarse sugar into a paper-lined square cake pan.
    01 Line the panSecure the liner and scatter optional coarse sugar across the base.

  2. 02 · Whip

    About 8 min

    Use: Eggs, sugar

    Warm bowl briefly over hot water; remove. Beat until pale and thick.

    Ready when: Ribbons remain visible

    The baker lifts stopped beaters above thick pale egg foam.
    02 Whip the eggsBeat the warmed eggs and sugar until thick ribbons remain visible.

  3. 03 · Syrup

    1 min each speed

    Use: Honey, hot water; foam

    Dissolve honey in water. Beat into foam on high, then low.

    Ready when: Fine, glossy foam

    The baker pours a thin stream of dissolved honey into pale egg foam.
    03 Add the honey syrupBeat dissolved honey into the egg foam, then finish on low speed.

  4. 04 · Flour

    About 2 min

    Use: Foam; bread flour

    Mix in flour at medium speed; pour into pan and sweep through batter to release large bubbles.

    Ready when: Smooth batter

    The baker sweeps a skewer through smooth batter in the lined square pan.
    04 Fill the panMix in the flour, pour into the pan and release large bubbles.

  5. 05 · Bake

    About 50 min more; check earlier

    Use: Filled pan

    Bake 15 min at 170°C; reduce to 160°C and finish.

    Ready when: Set crumb; skewer slightly moist, no raw batter

    The baker checks the golden castella with a skewer after removing it from the oven.
    05 Check the bakeBake until set, with a slightly moist skewer and no raw batter.

  6. 06 · Rest

    1 day

    Use: Cake

    Unmould, invert, wrap, cool and refrigerate before trimming and slicing.

    Ready when: Moist, even crumb

    The baker slices rested castella, showing its even yellow crumb and brown top.
    06 Rest and sliceWrap, cool and refrigerate for a day before trimming and slicing.

What to look for

StageLook / feel forNeeds attention
FoamThick, pale ribbonsThin or rapidly collapsing foam
BakeSet top and moist crumbsLiquid batter or dry skewer

Troubleshooting

If you see thisLikely causeWhat to do nowNext time
Large tunnelsOversized air bubblesSweep batter before bakingFinish mixing more slowly
SinksFoam lost or centre underbakedCheck centre before removingMeasure ingredients; avoid premature removal
Dry slicesOverbakingKeep wrapped during its restCheck before the maximum time

Use an oven-safe cake pan. Pan material may change baking time. No chemical leavener.

Ingredient choices & substitutions
IngredientSpecified typeBrandStatus
FlourBread flourNo brand requiredtype preferred
Base sugarCoarse sugar crystalsChuzarato or demeraraoptional
IngredientAlternative / ratioAdjust handlingLikely outcome
Bread flourAll-purpose flour1:1 weightBase author permits itLess elastic crumb
Coarse demeraraCoffee sugar crystals1:1 volumeScatter across lined baseSimilar crunchy base

Match the ingredient’s function and weight. See the flour, gluten, yeast and salt guide.

Other approaches to this recipe

Both use bread flour and whole-egg foam. The mizuame and early oven-mixing method belongs to Chen’s separate formula and is not added here.

Cook / recipeUseWhat differs
Chef (name not disclosed)Cooking with DogCastella (Moist and Gooey Kasutera Cake)BaseHoney-water syrup; warm whole-egg foam; two oven temperatures.
Namiko Hirasawa ChenJust One CookbookJapanese Castella CakeComparisonMizuame syrup and repeated early bubble removal; different pan and heat.

The working ingredients and method form one recipe. Different formulas are compared without averaging their quantities or rise schedules.

Cooking with Dog · Chef (name not disclosed)

Recipe

Japanese castella

A honey sponge with an elastic, fine crumb.

How do I make it?

  1. Get ready

    Before mixing

    Line the pan, secure the paper and scatter the optional coarse sugar over the base. Heat the oven to 170°C, conventional.

    A baker scatters coarse sugar into a paper-lined square cake pan.
    Secure the liner and scatter optional coarse sugar across the base.

    Ready when: Liner secured

  2. Beat the eggs

    About 8 min

    Warm the bowl of eggs and sugar briefly over hot water, then remove it. Beat for about 8 minutes, until pale and thick enough that falling batter leaves a visible ribbon on the surface.

    The baker lifts stopped beaters above thick pale egg foam.
    Beat the warmed eggs and sugar until thick ribbons remain visible.

    Ready when: Ribbons remain visible

  3. Add honey

    1 min each speed

    Dissolve the honey in the hot water and beat it into the egg mixture. Beat for 1 minute on high, then 1 minute on low, until the foam is fine and glossy.

    The baker pours a thin stream of dissolved honey into pale egg foam.
    Beat dissolved honey into the egg foam, then finish on low speed.

    Ready when: Fine, glossy foam

  4. Add flour

    About 2 min

    Mix in the bread flour at medium speed for about 2 minutes, until smooth. Pour into the pan and sweep through the batter to release large bubbles.

    The baker sweeps a skewer through smooth batter in the lined square pan.
    Mix in the flour, pour into the pan and release large bubbles.

    Ready when: Smooth batter

  5. Bake

    About 50 min more; check earlier

    Bake for 15 minutes at 170°C, then reduce to 160°C and bake for about 50 minutes more, checking earlier. A skewer should be slightly moist, with no raw batter, and the cake should be set.

    The baker checks the golden castella with a skewer after removing it from the oven.
    Bake until set, with a slightly moist skewer and no raw batter.

    Ready when: Set crumb; skewer slightly moist, no raw batter

  6. Rest before slicing

    1 day

    Take the cake out of the pan, turn it upside down, wrap and cool. Refrigerate for 1 day before trimming and slicing so the inside is evenly moist.

    The baker slices rested castella, showing its even yellow crumb and brown top.
    Wrap, cool and refrigerate for a day before trimming and slicing.

    Ready when: Moist, even crumb

What can go wrong, and how can I fix it?

What you noticeLikely causeWhat to do
Large tunnelsOversized air bubblesSweep batter before baking Finish mixing more slowly
SinksFoam lost or centre underbakedCheck centre before removing Measure ingredients; avoid premature removal
Dry slicesOverbakingKeep wrapped during its rest Check before the maximum time
Useful recipe notes

Use an oven-safe cake pan. Pan material may change baking time. No chemical leavener.

See the detailed method and ratios in , or follow ingredients through the .

Ingredient proportions & recipe details

Japanese castella at a glance

Makes
One 19 cm square cake
Heat
170°C → 160°C conventional
Baking time
15 min + about 50 min
How do the ingredient proportions compare?

Percentages compare each listed weight with the combined flour weight (100%). These are ingredient ratios, not dough hydration; milk, eggs and fillings contain other ingredients as well as water.

Formula componentGramsFlour = 100%
Eggs without shells300 g200%
Sugar200 g133.3%
Bread flour150 g100%