5 from 4 votes

Try making Matcha Castella Cake with this easy recipe! Mix the batter until airy and bake slowly to achieve its light texture. Enjoy this delicious Japanese cake with a subtle hint of matcha flavor!

Looking for matcha recipes? Try my Vegan Matcha Cake, Matcha Cookies, or Matcha Pudding!

Featured Comment

From Diane: “This cake has to be my favorite! It even beats all my chocolate varieties!”

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

Why You Will Love This Recipe

This matcha castella cake is incredibly soft and airy.
It’s a one-bowl recipe where you mix all the ingredients together in one bowl.
This recipe is easy to follow, with simple instructions and just 5 ingredients.

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.

Matcha

Matcha is traditional Japanese green tea made by grinding down whole green tea leaves called Tencha into an ultra-fine powder. Unlike regular green tea, where you steep the leaves and discard them, matcha provides you with all the goodness and nutrients that leaves contain.

With its vibrant green color, matcha holds a special place in Japanese culture. It’s commonly used in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies but is also found in various desserts like matcha ice cream and cakes. Find more delicious matcha recipes here.

Recipe Ingredients

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

Matcha powder is graded according to quality. While ceremonial-grade matcha is used for traditional tea ceremonies, culinary-grade matcha is a good choice for making matcha latte and dessert at an affordable price. Please note that some other types of matcha powder contain sugar.
Flour: You can use all-purpose flour, cake flour, bread flour, or rice flour (for a gluten-free option). I use cake flour in this recipe.
Sugar: Any type of sugar works well. I prefer using cane sugar in this recipe, but Kurozato (Japanese black sugar), with its deep flavor, is also a great option.

How To Make Matcha 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 matcha powder 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.

It’s time to enjoy this delicious matcha cake! Slice it and enjoy this fluffy cake with your favorite tea!

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.

Storage

many slices of Japanese castella cake in a container

Once you cut it, put the slices in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

You can also freeze them. Wrap each piece in cling wrap and keep them in the freezer for one month. When eating, warm it in the microwave; it will be fluffy again.

Variations

Replace the matcha powder to create a variety of delicious variations!

Chocolate Castella
Strawberry Castella
Sweet Potato Castella
Plain Castella (Discard matcha powder)

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many slices of matcha castella on an oval plate

More Matcha Recipes You Will Love

Leave a Rating!

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

a slice of matcha castella on a plate with a folk

Matcha Castella Cake Recipe (Japanese Sponge Cake)

5 from 4 votes

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Prep: 10

Cook: 40

Total: 50

Servings: 14 slices

Author: Juri Austin

Equipment

1 Cake pan 15×15 cm (6×6 inches) , or loaf pan
1 Hand mixer , or stand mixer
1 Large bowl

Ingredients

Instructions

Preparation: Preheat oven to 180C/356F. Place parchment paper on a square cake pan.
Whip eggs: Put eggs and sugar in a large bowl, place it over a tray with hot water (or a double boiler), and whip using a hand mixer on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until the mixture is thick.
Add honey: Mix honey and water in a small bowl, add it to the large bowl and whip on low speed until combined.
Add flour: Sift the all-purpose flour and matcha powder and stir with a spatula until combined.
Bake at 180C/356F: Pour the batter into the cake pan, tap the pan a few times to let the air out, and bake for 15 minutes at 180C/356F.
Bake at 160C/320F: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 160C/320F
Wrap: Let the cake cool, remove the parchment paper, wrap it in plastic wrap, turn it upside down and leave it for at least half a day before cutting.

Video

Notes

Storage: It will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge and one month in the freezer.
Substitute: You can substitute all-purpose flour with cake flour, bread flour, and rice flour.
Let your eggs come to room temperature before using them in your cake batter because they blend more easily with the other ingredients.
You can eat the cake right away, but it will be more moist and tasty by leaving it for a half day.
When baking, if the surface color is not brown enough, please extend the baking time until brown.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 2.1g

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: castella cake, matcha desserts

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

5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

6 Comments

Betty says:

Nov 5, 2024 at 2:20 PM

What size is your square cake pan?

1. Juri Austin says:
  
  Nov 6, 2024 at 5:49 AM
  
  I used 15×15 cm (6×6 inches) for this recipe!
  
Paul Sventek says:

Aug 6, 2023 at 3:19 AM

Sugoi, oishii! 🙂

(That’s about the extent of my Japanese!)

1. JURI says:
  
  Aug 6, 2023 at 4:28 AM
  
  Haha, arigato, Paul! I’m so glad you like the cake!^^
  
Diane says:

Feb 18, 2022 at 2:09 AM

This cake has to be my favorite! It even beats all my chocolate varieties!

1. JURI says:
  
  Feb 18, 2022 at 4:33 AM
  
  Thank you, Diane! I’m so glad you love it!