Chocolate Taiwanese Castella Cake Recipe - Chocolate Castella (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between Taiwanese and Japanese Castella cake? ›

Taiwanese castella cake (or Taiwanese soufflé castella) is an adaptation of Japanese castella cake. It's jiggly, eggy, and pillowy soft while the Japanese version is denser. Taiwanese castella is similar to a soufflé, where you separate the egg yolks and whites, then whip the egg whites to medium peaks.

Castella is a Japanese take on Western sponge cake. As is typical with Japanese pastries, it's lighter, airier, and less sweet than its Western counterpart. The interesting thing about Castella is that it's not always classified as cake, per se.

Introduced to the Japanese by Portuguese merchants in the 16th Century and now a speciality of the Nagasaki region, Castella sponges have a finer, more compact texture than traditional sponge cakes, while still being lighter than pound cakes or butter cakes.

Taiwanese castella cake, like all soufflé type cakes, will shrink/ deflate slightly after removing from the oven. To prevent the castella cake from deflating significantly, make sure the meringue is whipped to medium peak and that the cake is baked through.

Fènglísū are Taiwanese pineapple cakes, one of the country's most popular desserts and souvenirs. The cakes consist of a buttery, crumbly crust that is filled with a tangy, slightly sweet pineapple jam.

Castella (Kasutera in Japanese) is a sponge cake produced in Japan. It is made of sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup, very common at festivals and as a street food. It was originally produced in Portugal during medieval times, and when the Portuguese reached Japan they gave some of it to the Japanese nobility.

Castella is adored for its subtle sweetness (typical for wagashi and other Japanese desserts) and for its moist, fine-grained texture. The taste profile of Castella is a carefully struck balance of sweet and savory, making it an ideal accompaniment to tea (especially Japanese green tea, of course).

Refrigeration and Best Before Date

All of our cakes and desserts taste the BEST within the day of delivery, however they can be stored in refrigerator (under 7C) for 7 days.

The name is derived from Portuguese Bolo de Castela, meaning "cake from Castile". Castella cake is usually sold in long boxes, with the cake inside being approximately 27 cm (11 in) long. Its closest relative is pão-de-ló, a Portuguese cake.

What is Baumkuchen cake? ›

Baumkuchen (German pronunciation: [ˈbaʊ̯mˌkuːxn̩]) is a kind of spit cake from German cuisine. It is also a popular dessert in Japan. The characteristic rings that appear in its slices resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, Baumkuchen, which literally translates to "tree cake" or "log cake".

Taiwanese vs. Japanese castella cake

Taiwanese castella cake uses cake flour and is light and fluffy, similar to a chiffon cake or souffle-style sponge cake. Japanese castella cake uses bread flour and has a more dense and chewy texture. It's also sweeter than its Taiwanese counterpart.

The cake didn't rise as it should.

You probably overmixed your cake batter and deflated it to the point that there weren't enough air bubbles to lift your cake during baking. Castella sponge cake is much like Genoise sponge cake – no baking powder or baking soda and both rely on air from the whipped eggs.

Incorporate too little air and your cake won't rise enough. Too much air and your cake will collapse because it simply can't hold onto all that air. Overbeating can add too much additional air and/or large air bubbles which the cake can't support, causing it to collapse in the oven.

Unlike the Japanese style of traditional mochi which is filled with red beans, Taiwanese mochi (also called “Muah-chi” in Hokkien) is usually rolled in toppings such as toasted peanuts or black sesame.

Unlike a traditional sponge cake in the United States, there's no baking soda or baking powder, and instead, it's the eggs that give the cake its fluffy texture. There's also no oil or butter in this recipe, unlike many American baked goods recipes.

The Japanese cakes are made with very simple ingredients: flour (all-purpose flour or cake flour), baking powder, eggs, milk, sugar, and neutral-flavored oil (such as vegetable oil). While Chinese steamed bun called Mantou (饅頭) uses yeast as a leavening agent, Japanese steamed cakes use baking powder.