Castella cake: Japanese sponge cake has an extraordinary flavor

From Japan comes a sweet with an extraordinary flavor, the Castella cake (or Kasutera), which is a particular sponge cake.

From the East comes the preparation of the famous Japanese sponge cake, which has already conquered the whole world. Its Italianized name is Torta Castella and it is an incredibly good and compact dough, which does not crumble . Made with few ingredients, it is processed in a totally different way. The result is so light that it only contains 100 calories per serving.

The name describes the origins of this dessert and derives from the Portuguese name “pão de Castela”, or ” Castile bread “. According to tradition, in fact, it would be a recipe imported to Japan by Portuguese merchants. Subsequently, at home it took the name of Kasutera. The original recipe calls for cooking it in a wooden mold, but we use a common aluminum pan.

Preparation of the recipe for the Castella cake

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the butter cut into pieces. Put on the stove and start heating to melt the butter, without reaching a boil .
2. Sift the flour and pour it into a bowl, adding a pinch of salt.
3. Pour in the hot mixture of milk and butter and mix with a hand whisk.
4. Divide the yolks from the whites. Incorporate one egg yolk at a time into the mixture; then, also add the vanilla essence.
5. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, adding the sugar a little at a time .
6. Add this white foam to the previous mixture, mixing gently with a spatula and with movements from the bottom to the top .
7. Take a mold and line it with baking paper. Pour the mixture inside, leveling the surface. Cover the mold externally with aluminum foil.
8. Place this mold in the center of another baking sheet and fill the bottom of this with about 3 cm of water .
9. Bake the Japanese dessert in a preheated and ventilated oven at 150 ° C for 50 minutes or a little more.
10. As soon as it appears cooked, unmold and place on a serving dish. This cake should be served hot and cut into slices .

storage

Consistent and sweet, the Castella cake is excellent even without filling. Its taste is extraordinary and you can accompany it, to make it more delicious, with a ball of ice cream. Keep this typical product under a glass bell for 3-4 days .

Are you a lover of oriental cuisine? Here is the recipe forokonomyaki , Japanese pancakes with vegetables.