5 from 8 votes

Japanese Castella Cake is a simple and fluffy cake that you can make with 4 ingredients! Let’s learn how to make it.

Looking for easy recipes? Try my Rice Flour Pancake, Banana Cake, or Rice Flour Chocolate Muffins!

2 slices of Japanese castella cake on a dessert plate

I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy them!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This castella cake, a traditional sponge cake, is light and flavorful.
All you need are 4 ingredients: eggs, flour, honey, and sugar.
It’s a one-bowl recipe where you mix all the ingredients together in one bowl.

Castella

Castella is a popular traditional Japanese sponge cake known for its moist and fluffy texture, rectangular shape, and beautiful brown top. It is made with simple ingredients such as eggs, sugar, flour, and honey or syrup. The batter is beaten for a long time to create a fluffy texture, then baked slowly.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Castella Cake:

Flour: You can use all-purpose flour, cake flour, bread flour, or rice flour for a gluten-free option. Cake flour is ideal for a soft, fine texture, which is why I use it in this recipe
Sugar: Any type of sugar works, but I use cane sugar for its clean sweetness. For a deeper, more complex flavor, Kurozato (Japanese black sugar) is a great alternative.

How To Make Castella Cake: STEP BY STEP

Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, go to the printable recipe card below.

Step 1

Blend egg, sugar, and honey using a hand mixer.

Step 2

Add flour and stir until smooth.

Step 3

Pour the cake batter into the cake pan and bake.

Step 4

Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and rest.

Now it’s ready to serve. Cut it and dive into this jiggly sponge cake! I hope you will enjoy the sweet aroma and savor every bite!

Recipe Tips

Let your eggs come to room temperature before using them in your cake batter because they blend more easily with the other ingredients.
If the surface color is not brown enough, please extend the baking time until brown.
You can eat the cake right away, but it will be more moist and tasty by leaving it for a half day.
If you want a fluffy texture similar to chiffon cakes, beat the egg whites and egg yolks separately.
You can use a loaf pan, any similar size cake pan, or an oven dish. When the cake pan size differs, you must adjust the baking time accordingly.

Storage

many slices of Japanese castella cake in a container

Slice the cake, put them in a container, and store them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

You can also freeze them. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and keep them for one month in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, heat it in the microwave oven, and it’ll be as fluffy as ever.

Variations

a slice of matcha castella on a plate with a folk

These variations sound delicious and are sure to add some unique flavors to your Castella cake. Enjoy!

Matcha Castella: Add 2 tsp matcha powder (green tea)
Chocolate Castella: Add 1 Tbsp Cacao powder
Strawberry Castella: Add 1 Tbsp strawberry puree
Sweet Potato Castella: Add 1 Tbsp Japanese sweet potato puree

You can also add a little vanilla extract for extra flavor.

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2 slices of Japanese castella cake on a cutting board

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Leave a Rating!

I hope you enjoy this Castella Cake! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughts—I love hearing from you!

4 Ingredients! Japanese Castella Cake

5 from 8 votes

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Prep: 10

Cook: 40

Total: 50

Servings: 14 slices

Author: Juri Austin

Japanese castella cake is a moist and sweet sponge cake that can be made easily with 5 ingredients! Let’s learn how to make it!

Equipment

Cake pan 15×15 cm (6×6 inches) (or loaf pan)
Hand mixer (or stand mixer)

Ingredients

Instructions

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Line a square cake pan with parchment paper.
Whip Eggs: In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sugar. Place the bowl over a tray of hot water (or use a double boiler) and whip with a hand mixer on high speed for 3–4 minutes until the mixture becomes thick.
Make the Batter: In a small bowl, mix honey and water. Add this to the egg mixture and whisk on low speed until combined. Sift the flour over the mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula until just incorporated—be careful not to deflate the batter.
Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on the counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 180°C (356°F) for 15 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil and continue baking at 160°C (320°F) for 25 minutes.
Wrap & Rest: Let the cake cool slightly, then remove the parchment paper. Wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap, turn it upside down, and let it rest for at least 12 hours before slicing. This step helps develop its signature moist texture.
Serve: Remove the wrap, slice the cake, and enjoy its soft, fluffy texture!

Video

Notes

Storage: It will last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge and one month in the freezer.
Substitute: You can substitute all-purpose flour with rice flour.
It is easier to mix by adding it twice instead of adding it all at once.
If the surface color is not brown enough, please extend the baking time until browned.
You can eat it right away, but leaving it for half a day will make it more moist and tasty.
How to make it is the same as matcha castella (without matcha powder), so please check out this video for instructions.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.6g | Protein: 1.8g

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: Japanese castella cake

Did You Make this recipe?Please Leave a star rating!

5 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

2 Comments

Caroline says:

Sep 24, 2022 at 7:01 AM

I believe there is an error in your recipe. 200 grams of flour? I had closer to bread dough. Then I looked at video for match castella. That listed 100 grams of flour. Also, have you tested for alternative flours?

1. JURI says:
  
  Sep 24, 2022 at 10:22 AM
  
  Hi Caroline, I’m sorry about the error>< I just fixed it to 100g. This recipe works well with rice flour too!

4 Ingredients! Japanese Castella Cake