Matcha Castella Cake
Castella cake is fluffy and airy, with a very prevalent sweetness. It was introduced originally to Nagasaki from Portugal in the 16th century, and the recipe has been slightly modified to Japanese taste. The name is derived from the Portuguese term Pão de Castela, which means "bread from Castile (a historical region in Spain)." For this recipe, you can use two half gallon cartons of milk or juice. Simply rinse, dry, cut, and staple them to make two cake pans, then line with aluminum foil. You can make two different flavors (plain and matcha) by dividing the batter in two. Simply pour the plain batter into one pan and add two tablespoons of matcha powder to the remaining batter.
Ingredients
- 8 egg whites
- 9 oz sugar
- 10 egg yolks
- 4 tablespoons boiling water
- 2 liquid oz honey
- 7 oz bread flour, sifted
- 2-4 tablespoons matcha powder, sifted
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 320℉.
- Put 8 egg whites in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer.
- Add the sugar in four parts, beating with high speed till soft peaks form when you lift the mixer.
- Beat yolks with a whisk and add to egg white in three parts, mixing well with a whisk.
- Add the boiling water to the honey and gently mix. Add the honey water to the egg mixture and mix well.
- Add the flour to the egg mixture in three parts, gently folding with a spatula (if you want to make all matcha flavor, add 4 tablespoons of matcha here).
- Pour the plain batter into one pan. Add 2 tablespoons of matcha powder to the remaining batter and mix well. Pour into a separate pan.
- Lift the pans two inches above the countertop and gently drop a few times to make the surface even.
- Put the pans on a cooking sheet (if you are using the milk cartons, you may want to line the sheet with aluminum foil because the ink from the cartons could stick to the sheet) and bake for 70 to 80 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and cool. When cool enough to touch, remove the cakes from the pan and wrap with plastic wrap. Set it aside for half a day. (You can cut it and serve when it is cool, but ideally, you should rest the cake so that it will be more moist and the shape settles)