Baby Castella
Light, spongy Japanese sponge cake baked in a loaf pan until golden. This simple egg-based cake rises beautifully and tastes slightly sweet with a tender, moist crumb.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 195
- Protein
- 4g
Ingredients
- 4 whole eggs, large
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g all-purpose flour
- 60 ml whole milk
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- 1
Set the oven to 320°F and wait until the indicator light tells you it is fully heated, about 10 minutes.
- 2
Line a loaf pan (roughly 8×4 inches) with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the sides so you can lift the cake out later.
- 3
Separate the egg whites from the yolks by cracking each egg into a small bowl, tipping the yolk back and forth between shell halves, and letting the white fall into a separate clean bowl. Repeat with all 4 eggs.
- 4
Sift the flour through a fine-mesh sieve directly into a third clean bowl to remove lumps, then set it aside.
- 5
Pour the milk and vegetable oil into a small bowl, then stir with a fork until they are fully combined and the mixture looks uniform.
- 6
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 30 grams of the sugar together until the mixture is pale yellow and thick enough to form a ribbon when you lift the whisk, about 2 minutes.
- 7
Slowly pour the milk-and-oil mixture into the egg yolk mixture while whisking gently until no streaks of oil remain and the mixture looks smooth.
- 8
Sift the flour directly over the wet mixture, then fold it in using a rubber spatula: lift batter from the bottom of the bowl up and over the flour, rotate the bowl a quarter turn, and repeat until no dry flour streaks are visible.
- 9
Stir in the vanilla extract until it is evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- 10
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (they should look foamy and white, with peaks that flop over when you lift the beaters), about 3 minutes.
- 11
Gradually sprinkle in the remaining 70 grams of sugar while the mixer runs, beating continuously until stiff peaks form (the peaks should stand upright and look glossy), about 3 more minutes.
- 12
Pour one-third of the meringue into the batter bowl, then fold it in using a rubber spatula with the same lifting-and-rotating motion until no white streaks remain.
- 13
Pour the remaining meringue into the batter and fold gently until the mixture is uniform and fluffy, being careful not to stir too hard or you will deflate the bubbles.
- 14
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, filling it about three-quarters full, then gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to release large air bubbles.
- 15
Place the loaf pan into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- 16
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then grip the parchment paper on the sides and carefully lift the cake out onto a wire cooling rack.
- 17
Allow the cake to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, before slicing and serving.
Tools you’ll need
- 8×4-inch loaf pan
- parchment paper
- fine-mesh sieve
- small bowls (4)
- rubber spatula
- electric mixer or whisk
- wooden toothpick
- wire cooling rack
- oven
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