Castella cake came to Korea by way of Japan, where the cake was inspired by a similar one made by the Portuguese. This sponge cake is deliciously light and fluffy, and it goes great with afternoon tea and some marmalade or jam. My recipe is based on one that my mother used to make for our family. It is not difficult to make, but you do need to pay attention to every detail and not rush the process, which is specifically designed to give the cake lift and airiness. That includes sifting the flour, slowly adding ingredients over time, and baking it at a slightly lower temperature than you’d expect. If you don’t have a sifter, shake the flour through a wire mesh strainer or beat it with a wire whisk or a fork. The key is to aerate the flour to give the cake that perfect lift.
I like to serve this with Korean jujube “tea jelly,” which is essentially jujube jam, sold jarred in Korean and Asian markets. Jujubes, or daechu, are sweet, maroon berries that look a lot like dates—in fact many people call them Korean dates.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Yield
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spray the loaf pan liberally with the cooking spray and then line the bottoms and sides with parchment paper.
Step 2
Using a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment (or a hand-held mixer or an egg beater), beat the eggs on medium speed until well blended. Turn up to medium-high speed and with the motor running, add the sugar one-third at a time over about 10 minutes. Don’t rush this process: It is important to go slowly to ensure airiness.
Step 3
In a small saucepan, combine the milk and honey and heat over very low heat just to lukewarm, stirring constantly until the honey melts, about 15 seconds. If too hot, the milk will curdle.
Step 4
Lower the speed to medium, then add half of the warm milk mixture to the egg mixture and beat it in for just a few seconds. Then add half of the bread flour and the salt, beating at low speed until it is completely incorporated.
Step 5
Add the rest of the warm milk mixture, beating at medium speed until it is well incorporated. Then add the remaining bread flour, and beat until it is well incorporated. (At this point, the batter should be fluffy, and light yellow ribbons should form when you lift up a beater. If your batter is not light and fluffy, you might end up with a dense Castella cake that’s more like pound cake than sponge cake, but it will still taste good.)
Step 6
Gently pour the batter into the prepared pan and tap it to get rid of air bubbles. Then bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Step 7
Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert it onto on a wire rack. Once the cake has cooled completely, slice into thick rectangles and serve. (Cake or leftover slices can be frozen for up to a month, then defrosted. They’re best warmed in a toaster oven.)
Recipe notes
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