Dairy-Free Castella Cake. A super soft, fluffy, moist sponge cake that is totally addictive. Great for dessert.
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What is Castella Cake?
Castella Cake is jiggly moist sponge cake is very popular in Asia specifically in Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Many Asian bakeries carry this fluffy delight. The texture of this unlike any other. It's very soft, jiggly when you nudge it and so moist. The taste of castella cake is egg-like and it's not overly sweet.
This sponge cake has become very popular recently especially in Asia. It was actually given to the Japanese first as a gift from Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name originates from Portuguese Pão de Castela, meaning “bread from Castile”. It was then brought to Taiwan where it became widely popular, hence why it's often called a Taiwanese Castella Cake.
I love this cake so much I had to make it dairy-free for me! I'm intolerant to dairy so I wanted to create a dairy-free castella cake so I could enjoy this wonderful dessert.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Eggs: yolks and whites separated
- All Purpose Flour
- Corn Starch
- Neutral oil: like vegetable oil or avocado oil
- Oat milk or a nut milk
- White Granulated Sugar
Required equipment
- kitchen scale
- digital cooking thermometer
- electric hand mixer
- 20cm Square Baking Pan (seamless and do not use a cake pan with a removable base)
- Large baking pan to hold the square pan
- Mixing bowls
How to Make Dairy-Free Castella Cake
Line Baking Pan
Line your 20cm square baking pan with parchment paper with tall edges that sit a couple inches above the pan.
Separate Egg Whites from Yolks
Separate your egg yolks from the whites into two bowls. Place the egg whites in a larger mixing bowl for later. The egg yolks can be placed in a smaller bowl.
Sift Flour and Cornstarch
In another large mixing bowl, sift together all purpose flour and corn starch. Whisk until well combined.
Heat Oil
Heat vegetable oil in the microwave for 80 seconds until it's 90 degrees C using a thermometer to measure the temperature. If you don't have a microwave, heat the oil in a small pot until it reaches the same temperature.
Mix Oil & Milk into Flour Mixture
Then immediately pour the hot oil into the flour mixture and mix well. Add in half the portion of your milk into the flour mixture and mix until combined.
Mix Egg Yolks into Batter
Then mix in your egg yolks into the batter. Followed by the rest of your milk.
Mix Batter
The batter should be viscose and a bit runny. Set the batter aside.
Preheat Oven
Preheat your oven at 300 degrees F.
Beat Egg Whites
Beat egg whites with an electric hand mixer and add your white sugar to it in three portions. The meringue should reach a soft peak, not a stiff peak or this will cause large cracks in your cake.
If you under whisk, you cake will have dents. In order to tell if it's a soft peak, stir your meringue with the whisk and lift it up. If it forms a wiggly tail at the end of your whisk that doesn't fall, your meringue is ready.
Gently whisk a large dollop of the meringue into the yellow batter until combined.
Then add another dollop and whisk again. Then pour the rest of your meringue and gently whisk until it's just combined.
Switch to a spatula to mix and fold the batter, scraping the base of the bowl to ensure it's thoroughly mixed properly.
Pour Cake Batter into Pan
Pour the batter into your lined baking pan. Tap the pan on a table to release any bubbles and smooth out the top with a spatula.
Place Cake Pan into Larger Pan
Fill a larger baking pan filled with 70 degrees C hot water and then place the cake pan into the larger one.
Bake
Bake the cake for 85 minutes until you poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
Remove from Cake Pan
Remove the cake from the pan and remove the parchment paper and slice the cake while hot. This cake can be served warm or cold.
Notes for Dairy-Free Castella Cake
- You may see some dents or cracks in your cake but the cake is still delicious!
- It is normal to see the castella cake deflate after it is removed from the oven.
- If you notice that the castella cake not rising, then the meringue was not whisked enough. But that's okay, it's all about taste and your cake will still be yummy just not as fluffy.
Storage & Reheating
Leftover dairy-free castella cake will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat the cake, microwave for 30-60 seconds until warm.
Other recipes you may like!
- Double Chocolate Avocado Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Oat Bread
- Pandan custard cake
- Hawaiian Butter Mochi
- Dairy-free Vanilla Bundt Cake
📖 Recipe
Dairy-Free Castella Cake
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs yolks and whites separated into two bowls
- 105 g All Purpose Flour
- 15 g cornstarch
- 95 g vegetable oil or avocado oil
- 90 g oat milk or nut milk
- 85 g white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Line your 20cm square baking pan with parchment paper with tall edges that sit a couple inches above the pan.
- Separate your egg yolks from the whites into two bowls. Place the egg whites in a larger mixing bowl for later. The egg yolks can be placed in a smaller bowl.
- In another large mixing bowl, sift together all purpose flour and corn starch. Whisk until well combined.
- Heat vegetable oil in the microwave for 80 seconds until it's 90 degrees C using a thermometer to measure the temperature. If you don't have a microwave, heat the oil in a small pot until it reaches the same temperature. Then immediately pour the hot oil into the flour mixture and mix well. Add in half the portion of your milk into the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Then mix in your egg yolks into the batter. Followed by the rest of your milk. The batter should be viscose and a bit runny. Set the batter aside.
- Preheat your oven at 300 degrees F.
- Beat egg whites with an electric hand mixer and add your white sugar to it in three portions. The meringue should reach a soft peak, not a stiff peak or this will cause large cracks in your cake.If you under whisk, you cake will have dents. In order to tell if it's a soft peak, stir your meringue with the whisk and lift it up. If it forms a wiggly tail at the end of your whisk that doesn't fall, your meringue is ready.
- Gently whisk a large dollop of the meringue into the yellow batter until combined. Then add another dollop and whisk again. Then pour the rest of your meringue and gently whisk until it's just combined. Switch to a spatula to mix and fold the batter, scraping the base of the bowl to ensure it's thoroughly mixed properly.
- Pour the batter into your lined baking pan. Tap the pan on a table to release any bubbles and smooth out the top with a spatula.
- Fill a larger baking pan filled with 70 degrees C hot water and then place the cake pan into the larger one.
- Bake the cake for 85 minutes until you poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Remove the cake from the pan and remove the parchment paper and slice the cake while hot. This cake can be served warm or cold.
Notes
- You may see some dents or cracks in your cake but the cake is still delicious!
- It is normal to see the castella cake deflate after it is removed from the oven.
- If you notice that the castella cake not rising, then the meringue was not whisked enough. But that's okay, it's all about taste and your cake will still be yummy just not as fluffy.
Katerina | Once a Foodie
Wowee, this looks so fluffy and delicious, Christie! How have I never heard of this cake before? Definitely a must try - bookmarking right now. Thank you!
Dennis Yannakos
It looks so fluffy and bouncy. This cake is never a bad idea for breakfast or snack for my family <3
Best Kitchen Utensils
Never Ending Journeys
What an incredibly delicious treat! I have never heard of castella cakes before, but it looks and sounds simply irresistible!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Your castella cake really does look beautiful!! It's such a fabulous light dessert for almost any occasion!
Rosemary
This is so fluffy I am so impressed!
Taili
I know it says dairy free but I am having a hard time finding oat milk at I able to use regular milk?
christieathome
Absolutely! You can definitely use regular milk.
Van
Hi! How can the recipe be adjusted for an 8 inch round pan?
christieathome
Hi there, if you have a 9 inch round pan, that can be substituted for this recipe. Unfortunately since I haven't tested the recipe in a 8 inch round pan, I'm unable to share an adjusted version without knowing the results. Sorry I can't be of more help!
Natalie
I made the cake with 2% milk and it turned out beautifully! I also added vanilla extract into the yellow egg batter. Thanks for this yummy and easy-to-follow recipe 🙂
Do you know what the measurements would be for each ingredients in cups/tablespoons?
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Natalie! So happy that it turned out well! With any baked good recipes, I always share the measurements in grams for accuracy as I find that US imperial system to not be as accurate and can lead to error. A kitchen scale is a great and affordable way to measure in metrics and they can be found online for as little as $12.