Taiwanese Castella Cake

If you are a fan of soft, fluffy cakes, Taiwanese cakes may just be your next favorite. These types of cakes are a bit difficult to bake without ending up with cracks on top. Of course, even though they often crack on top, they are still tasty.

I have made two videos of this cake, one is a simple recipe video which is just 3 mins, and the other one is a detailed recipe video which is 8 mins total.  The two videos are aimed at different types of bakers, those who just enjoy baking a tasty cake but don’t mind if it looks perfect and those who want to make a flawless one.

Frequently asked questions

Q. My cake didn’t rise well. Why?

A. The reason for this is that your meringue was too soft or you over mixed the cake batter and meringue. The more you mix the cake batter, the more the meringue bubbles will break and the less your cake will rise up.

Q. My cake rises well but shrinks a lot after it cools down. Why?

A. The reason for this is that your cake was not baked enough, or that your meringue was over whipped, or your meringue was made of big air bubbles so it’s fragile. To make your meringue stable, make sure your meringue is very cold, and add all of the sugar at first and whip at medium speed. If you use a stand mixer, at medium low would be better. But if you whip by hand, you shouldn’t add all the sugar at once, instead add in three parts.

Q. My cake rose too much and the top cracked. Why?

A. The reason for this is that your cake batter is too fluffy. When your cake batter is very fluffy, it will rise well but also tend to crack on top. Make your meringue a bit softer for the next time.

・How to adjust your cake pan

1. Multiply the length of your pan ×  the width(cm) of your pan(cm). (ignore the height) = A
2. Divide A by 225 (my recipe pan size) = B  
3. Multiply each ingredient by B = the amount of ingredient you need(grams)

Another way

1. Fill your pan with water and weigh. (grams)= A
2. A ÷ 1125 = B
3. Multiply each ingredient by B = the amount of ingredient you need(grams)

Recipes

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Taiwanese Souffle Castella Cake

Servings 15 cm/6-inch squared pan

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• 75 g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 75 g (1/3 cup) unsalted butter
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) milk
• 70 g (1/3 cup) sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Line the cake pan with baking paper. If your pan comes in two pieces like mine, cover the bottom completely with aluminum foil. Preheat the oven to 150 or 300℉. Bring some water to a boil for a water bath. Sift the flour into a big bowl.

2. Put the unsalted butter and milk in a small saucepan, heat to around 80℃/175℉.

3. Remove from the heat and add to the sifted flour, mix to combine well. It will look like it has separated, but that’s totally fine, it will combine well when you add the egg yolks. 

4. Add the egg yolks and mix well to combine. Then mix in the vanilla extract.

5. Add the sugar to the whites, and start whipping at medium speed. Whip until medium soft peaks form.

6. Add half of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture, mix with a rubber spatula. Before adding the rest of the meringue, whisk it a little by hand to make it smooth again, because it has separated a bit. Meringue will start to separate as soon as you finish whisking. Then add to the mixture, folding gently from bottom to top. Be careful not to over mix.

7. Pour into the prepared pan, and tap once to remove big air bubbles in the cake batter. Place the paper towel or kitchen towel onto a baking tray to prevent a deep tray from slipping, then place the deep tray for a water bath. Place the cake onto it, and pour the hot water into the deep tray.

8. Bake in the preheated oven and bake for 50min.

9. After taking it out from the oven, remove from the pan and remove the paper. This prevents the cake from getting wrinkles on the sides of the cake. 

The short video

The long video

Helpful Tips

You can keep this cake up to one day at room temperature, three days in the fridge, and one month in the freezer. Keep in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap.