Japanese cotton sponge cake Castella

Step-by-step preparation

Cooking time: 1 hr 30 mins

1. STEP 1

   

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

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.

3. STEP 3

   

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

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.

5. STEP 5

   

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

6. STEP 6

   

   And cool the resulting mixture to 50-60°C. It's better to check with a cooking thermometer.

7. STEP 7

   

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

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.

9. STEP 9

   

   You should get a homogeneous viscous mixture.

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.

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.

12. STEP 12

    

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

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. Lay 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.

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. You should also cool the biscuit 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.

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!

Comments on the recipe

Victoria

30.08.2023

4.9

I really love homemade biscuits. I was looking for some simple recipe for sponge cakes and I found it. The biscuit looks so delicious that I immediately wanted to try it. I read about Castella, I know that it is a popular biscuit in Japan. I prepared it exactly according to the recipe, just baked it in a slow cooker. The biscuit turned out perfect. Well baked, the surface is smooth, the crust is not hard. The biscuit cuts well, does not crumble, and is not too dry. Castella seemed to me a little denser than a European sponge cake, but at the same time it was soft, tender, and pleasant to chew. Castella is more moist, unlike the biscuits that I baked. The biscuit turned out very tasty. This tastes like a real good biscuit. I happily ate the Castella with whipped cream, mandarin orange and a cup of hot chocolate. This biscuit is delicious on its own and can be eaten without any additions. But I would advise those with a sweet tooth to serve Castella with something sweet, for example, condensed milk, jam, honey. And next time I want to make a cake with Castella, I think it will turn out great. Thank you for the recipe, it was delicious!

Accident

30.08.2023

5

Although I haven’t baked a sponge cake using this recipe yet, I believe that it turns out amazing (you can see from the photo). I'll definitely try it. And here is my favorite recipe for squirrel biscuits.

Esenija

30.08.2023

4.5

what a beautiful biscuit it turned out... I really wanted to try it