If you love soft fluffy cakes, this recipe is for you! This Taiwanese Castella Cake is light and soft like cotton and not overly sweet, perfect just plain but it also goes well with whipped cream, jam, or freshly cut fruit!
And it’s super easy to make at home and you just need a few ingredients; oil, flour, milk, eggs, and sugar. If you follow my recipe with step-by-step photos and a lot of useful info and tips, you will be rewarded with a light soft fluffy sponge cake and it will become your next favorite.
What is Taiwanese Castella Cake?
Taiwanese Castella Cake is a souffle-like sponge cake known for its soft, fluffy texture and is a very popular cake in Taiwan as well as in some other countries. It’s also known as Taiwanese soufflé castella.
In bakeries and cafes, this cake is typically baked in large meter-long pans. And then slice the big cakes into large rectangular slices and place them in boxes to sell.
One of the reasons that Taiwanese castella cake turns out super soft is using a good amount of whipped egg whites to make it. And unlike regular sponge cakes, you need to bake this castella cake in a warm water bath.
About Taiwanese Castella Cake RECIPE
This Taiwanese Castella Cake is made with oil and oil helps to make lighter cakes and keeps the cake super moist. I always use rice oil in my baking as it’s a healthy type of flavorless ‘neutral’ oil. Taiwanese Castella cakes are commonly baked in square pans but I made this cake in a small-size round pan and the cake came out well.
One of the most satisfying things about baking Taiwanese Castella Cake is making a perfect soft fluffy tall cake with a crack-free nicely-browned smooth surface. But, to tell the truth, I actually failed a few times before making such an aesthetically pleasing cake. But let me say this, even if the castella cake has cracks on the top, it will taste just as good because the issue is mostly aesthetics.
It is a simple cake recipe but the thing is it’s tricky to make a soft fluffy cake with a smooth nicely-browned top without cracks like those you can see on the internet or you can buy at restaurants. In this post, I have put together the findings I have learned from my mistakes, which probably will help you to make a perfect Taiwanese Castella Cake.
Taiwanese Castella Cake-About the pan
In this recipe, I used a small (18cm/7-inch) round cake pan with tall sides. A pan with tall sides helps the cake to rise as it bakes. You can adjust the height of the pan with parchment paper.
You can also use a square pan or a loaf pan, however, make sure to use the right size pan and adjust the baking time accordingly.
A pan with a removable bottom is preferable as it will help you to remove the cake easily without damaging the cake as this cake is very delicate.
In case, if you use a springform or removable bottom pan, you need to wrap the bottom tightly with aluminum foil as much as you can. Because you bake this cake in a water bath so you need to take precautions to prevent water is coming in.
If you use a pan without removable bottom, you can use a few pieces of parchment that protrudes above the baking pan by an inch which will later help you remove the cake easier.
Taiwanese Castella Cake-INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- Oil: I used rice oil however you can use any flavorless oil. Oil adds fat keeping the cake extra moist. However, you can also use melted unsalted butter or use a mix of oil and melted butter to give the cake a bit of richness.
- Flour: I used cake flour. Cake flour has less gluten content than all-purpose flour/plain flour and makes lighter softer cakes. However, you can also use all-purpose flour or plain flour.
- Milk: I used whole dairy milk at room temperature. Milk is used to thin out the batter as well as to give a nice flavor to the cake.
- Eggs: I used large eggs. (each egg is about 60-65 grams with the shells). Make sure to separate the eggs when cold and keep the egg whites in the fridge. Egg yolks are used to make the batter and egg whites are whipped into a soft peak meringue. The meringue makes a soft fluffy cake while yolks add richness to the cake.
- Sugar: I used white fine granulated sugar. Sugar adds sweetness and helps strengthen the meringue.
- Cream of tartar: Cream of tartar is an acid that helps stabilize the meringue and you just need a tiny amount of it. You can also use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar as a substitute.
- Vanilla extract: In this recipe, I didn’t use vanilla extract but you can use it if you like to give an extra flavor. If you use it, add it after mixing egg yolks.
Tips for Making the Best Castella Cake
Tips for Making the Base Mixture
Heat the oil-Heating oil is one of the techniques for achieving a cotton soft sponge cake that is known as the ‘cooked dough’ method. However, when heating oil keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t overheat. If it is too hot it can overcook the dough.
Keep the base mixture warm-Keep the base mixture made with oil, flour, egg yolk warm until you mix it with the meringue.
Tips for making/folding the Meringue
Whip the egg whites to medium-soft peaks-One of the most important tips to make a perfect castella cake is to whip the egg whites to medium-soft peaks that are stable enough to help the cake rise enough while giving it a fluffy texture without cracks on the top.
How to test medium soft peak meringue: Medium peaks hold their shape fairly well, but the tip of the peaks curl down slightly at the ends when you lift up your beaters. (Please refer to the photo in the step-by-step recipe to see what a medium peak looks like.)
What will happen if you use soft peaks meringue-Soft peaks meringue barely holds its shape, and the peaks flop over as soon as the beaters are lifted. So if use soft peaks meringue, your cake will over-rise probably creating cracks, and then shrink a lot after baking.
What will happen if you use stiff peaks meringue– When using stiff peaks meringue, it can cause the cake to rise rapidly while baking and create some cracks on top.
Fold the meringue correctly-Folding egg whites into a batter creates a light and fluffy consistency, however, If you stir them into the batter incorrectly, you could end up with a deflated cake.
Tips for Making medium-soft peaks Meringue
Use chilled egg whites-Chilled egg whites whip up to a more stable meringue.
Use some cream of tartar– Adding cream of tartar helps to make a stable meringue. To substitute, use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar for every ½ teaspoon of cream of tartar.
Add all of the sugar at once– Add the sugar when the egg whites are just foamy.
Beat the egg whites on medium-high speed– After adding the sugar, beat egg whites on medium-high speed as it aerates the meringue without creating large bubbles that will help to make a smooth cake batter.
Tips for Baking the Cake
Bake the cake at a lower temperature-Baking the cake at a lower temperature keeps the surface smooth, without cracking.
Every oven is different-Every oven is different in some ways, so make sure to adjust the oven temperature and baking time as needed.
Bake the cake in a warm water bath-Baking the cake in a warm water bath keeps the baking temperature even. Use warm water around 60C but not too hot or boiling water, and put enough water into the water bath that covers 1/2 to 3/4 of the cake pan.
How to test the doneness-To check if the cake is done, insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. It should come out clean or with very few crumbs. If it’s not clean, bake the cake for 5 to 10 minutes more as needed.
Taiwanese Castella Cake-Serving Suggestions
I personally love this cake when it is fresh out of the oven just plain while still warm soft and fluffy. You can also enjoy this castella cake at room temperature, after chilling in the fridge, or after toasting in the oven or toaster. Frozen castella cake also tastes good. You can top the slices with whipped cream and fresh fruit or jam and peanut butter. It also goes well with red bean paste and whipped cream.
Taiwanese Castella Cake-Storing Tips
You can keep this cake for up to 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container, in the fridge for about 5 days in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 2 months after wrapping well and placing them in freezer-friendly bags.
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Taiwanese Castella Cake
Step-by-Step Recipe
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 50 to 60 mins
Servings: 2 to 4 poeple
Equipment
- 18 cm round springform pan
Ingredients
- 60 g rice oil
- 70 g cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 60 ml whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice
- 80 g sugar
Preparation
- Prepare some hot water and a pan or tray that’s larger than the round cake pan for the water bath.
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- Separate the egg white and egg yolk into two different bowls. Place the egg whites in the refrigerator to chill. Eggs can be easily separated when cold.
- Grease and line the pan with parchment paper and then over the bottom of the pan with a few pieces of aluminum foil.
Gather the ingredients.
Make the egg yolk batter
Sift the flour to remove any clumps. Set aside.
Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a clean dry small pot and heat until the oil reaches 75-80°C (but not smoking)
Place the hot oil in a clean dry bowl. I used a warm water bath (around 50°C) to place the bowl with oil.
Add the sifted flour into the heated oil and mix well with a balloon whisk or spatula. The heated oil cooked the flour slightly making a sticky batter. This is one of the crucial parts of this recipe.
Pour milk (at room temperature) into the flour mixture and mix well.
Add all the egg yolks (at room temperature) and mix until smooth. Set aside.
Whip the egg whites
Place the cold egg whites in a clean large bowl. First, beat the egg white on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar and beat for about one minute until foamy. Next, add all the sugar at once and continue beating on medium-high speed for about 3 to 4 minutes or until medium-soft peaks form.
How to test medium-soft peak meringue? Medium peaks hold their shape fairly well, but the tip of the peaks curl down slightly at the ends when you lift up your beaters.
Combine the two mixtures
Add about one-fourth of meringue to the yolk mixture and whisk well until no streaks are seen. This step helps the rest of the meringue to combine smoothly.
Very gently fold in one-third of the rest of the meringue into the yolk flour mixture until well combined. At this stage, I usually use a balloon whisk. Be gentle as much as you can not to deflate the meringue too much and make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
Transfer the base batter into the large bowl with the rest of the meringue. Gently scoop the batter from the bottom to the top with a spatula until the mixture is even with no white streaks while rotating the bowl.
Bake the cake
Pour cake batter into the prepared pan at a height of 10 to 15 cm to break any air bubbles and gently shake the pan to level the batter out. Don’t add the batter stick to the spatula and bowl.
Next, pour warm water (around 60°C) to cover ¾ of the cake pan in water. Bake at 150°C for about 60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If it is still wet, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes as needed.
Remove the water bath and the foil and then leave the cake in the oven for another 5 minutes or so to dry up. Take the cake out of the oven and cool it on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.
Then carefully remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment.
Super Easy Taiwanese Castella Cake Recipe
Super Easy Taiwanese Castella Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 18 cm round springform pan
Ingredients
- 60 g rice oil
- 70 g cake flour or all-purpose flour
- 60 ml whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar or 1 tsp lemon juice
- 80 g sugar
Instructions
PREPARATION
- Prepare some hot water and a pan or tray that’s larger than the round cake pan for the water bath.
- Preheat the oven to 150°C.
- Separate the egg white and egg yolk into two different bowls. Place the egg whites in the refrigerator to chill. Eggs can be easily separated when cold.
- Grease and line the pan with parchment paper and then over the bottom of the pan with a few pieces of aluminum foil.
MAKE THE BASE BATTER
- Sift the flour to remove any clumps. Set aside.
- Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a clean dry small pot and heat until the oil reaches 75-80°C (but not smoking)
- Place the hot oil in a clean dry bowl. I used a warm water bath (around 50C) to place the bowl with oil.
- Add the sifted flour into the heated oil and mix well with a balloon whisk or spatula. The heated oil cooked the flour slightly making a sticky batter. This is one of the crucial parts of this recipe.
- Pour milk (at room temperature) into the flour mixture and mix well.
- Add all the egg yolks (at room temperature) and mix until smooth. Set aside.
WHIP THE EGG WHITES
- Place the cold egg whites in a clean large bowl. First, beat the egg white on low speed for about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar and beat for about one minute until foamy. Next, add all the sugar at once and continue beating on medium-high speed for about 3 to 4 minutes or until medium soft peaks form.
- How To test Medium Soft Peak Meringue? Medium peaks hold their shape fairly well, but the tip of the peaks curl down slightly at the ends when you lift up your beaters.
COMBINE THE TWO MIXTURES
- Add about one-fourth of meringue to the yolk mixture and whisk well until no streaks are seen. This step helps the rest of the meringue to combine smoothly.
- Now, very gently fold in one-third of the rest of the meringue into the yolk flour mixture until well combined. At this stage, I usually use a balloon whisk. Be gentle as much as you can not to deflate the meringue too much and make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Now transfer the base batter into the large bowl with the rest of the meringue. Gently scoop the batter from the bottom to the top with a spatula until the mixture is even with no white streaks while rotating the bowl.
BAKE THE CAKE
- Pour cake batter into the prepared pan at a height of 10 to 15 cm to break any air bubbles and gently shake the pan to level the batter out. Don’t add the batter stick to the spatula and bowl.
- Pour warm water (around 60°C) to cover ¾ of the cake pan in water. Bake at 150°C for about 50 to 60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If it is still wet, bake for another 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Remove the water bath and the foil and then leave the cake in the oven for another 5 minutes or so to dry up. Take the cake out of the oven and cool it on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.Then carefully remove the cake from the pan and peel off the parchment.
- You can serve the cake warm, after cooling the cake completely, or chilling the cake t in the fridge.
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