A classic Japanese sponge cake made with eggs, low-gluten flour, corn oil, and milk, baked gently in a water bath to yield a moist and tender texture. The cake is sweetened with fine sugar and flavored with lemon juice and vanilla extract, incorporating a light meringue for airiness.
Dessert https://cookandmark.com/recettes/190/castella-cake 8 eggs 120 g · Low-gluten flour · cake flour 95 g · Corn oil · heated to ~70°C 95 g · Milk 80 g · Fine granulated sugar 5 g · Lemon juice 1 tbsp · Vanilla extract 10 g · CornstarchSeparate the 8 eggs, placing the whites in a clean, grease-free bowl without any yolk contamination. Refrigerate the egg whites until use.
Line a square baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 140°C (285°F).
Heat the corn oil to approximately 70°C (158°F). Combine it with the low-gluten flour and mix until smooth and free of lumps. Add the milk and blend thoroughly. Incorporate the egg yolks and mix until uniform. Let the batter rest.
Add the fine granulated sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract to the chilled egg whites. Whip the mixture until soft trails start to form. Add cornstarch and continue whipping at medium-low speed until soft peaks with large curls form.
Gently fold one-third of the meringue into the yolk batter until just combined. Pour this mixture back into the remaining meringue and fold carefully until homogeneous without streaks.
Pour the batter from a height into the prepared pan. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to release large air bubbles or pop them with a toothpick.
Place the filled pan inside a larger roasting tray. Pour about 1 cm of hot water (approximately 70°C) into the outer tray to create a water bath.
Bake in the preheated oven at 140°C (285°F) for 70 minutes. If the surface browns too rapidly, cover loosely with foil during baking.
Immediately after baking, remove the cake, unmold it while still warm by peeling back the parchment on all sides to release steam, then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before slicing.