A super soft, fluffy, moist sponge cake with a delicious egg flavor! This dairy-free Castella cake is made with minimal ingredients. If you follow my instructions, you can make this dessert at home! You can also make this with regular dairy milk too.
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Castella cake is an airy and moist yellow sponge cake with an egg-like flavor that is not overly sweet. It's a very popular cake in Asia, specifically in Taiwan, Japan and Korea.
Many Asian bakeries and select Asian grocery stores sell this fluffy delight. The texture of this unlike any other regular cake and the best part is that it's only made with six ingredients!
When you nudge the cake, it jiggles and when you open it apart, you can see how tender this cake is. This is one of my favorite Asian cakes to enjoy with my husband!
Where did it originate?
This cake was first given to the Japanese as a gift from Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name originates from Portuguese Pão de Castela, meaning “bread from Castile”.
Later, it was 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 it!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Large Eggs: this is optional but for a very yellow cake, use eggs with omega 3's!
- All Purpose Flour: a general-use white wheat flour.
- Cornstarch: aka cornflour. Or substitute with potato starch. Do not substitute with rice flour, arrowroot starch or tapioca starch.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Plain Oat Milk: or substitute with plain almond milk, macadamia milk or a nut milk without any strong flavors. Avoid using coconut milk. If you're not dairy-free, substitute with regular dairy milk.
- White Granulated Sugar
Required Equipment
- Kitchen Scale: these are fairly inexpensive and are a fantastic investment for baking.
- Digital Instant Read Thermometer
- Electric Hand Mixer
- 8-inch / 20cm Seamless Square Baking Pan (do not use a cake pan with a removable base or the batter will leak through)
- Seamless Larger Baking Pan that can fit a 20 cm / 8-inch square baking pan!
- Mixing Bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
Expert Tips
- It's very important to use a kitchen scale for this recipe for accurate measurements for best results.
- Use seamless baking pans without any breaks or removable bases or the cake batter or hot water will leak out.
- Separate the egg yolks and egg whites using the egg shells or an egg yolk separator tool.
- Use a digital instant read thermometer to accurately check the temperature of the hot oil and the hot water.
- Beat the egg whites until you have soft peaks! To check for soft peaks, stir the meringue with a whisk, lift it up and look for a wiggly tail. If you over beat, the stiff peaks will cause cracks in the cake. If you under beat, it will cause dents.
- Switch to a spatula to mix the batter with the meringue so it's fully incorporated.
- Do not over mix the batter or the meringue will quickly deflate, which will cause dents in the cake.
- Remove air bubbles in the cake by tapping the pan on a table and smooth out the top with a spatula. This ensures the cake comes out with a smoother surface.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make dairy-free castella cake:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Then line a seamless 20-cm / 8-inch square baking pan with a large sheet of parchment paper so the paper sits a few inches taller than the pan. This will shape the cake as it rises.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Place the egg whites in a larger mixing bowl for later. The egg yolks can be placed in a smaller bowl. Set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl, sift together all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 80 seconds until it's 90 degrees C using digital instant read thermometer or 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 the milk into the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Next mix in your egg yolks into the batter, followed by the rest of the milk. The batter should be a bit runny. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites with an electric hand mixer and gradually add the white granulated sugar in three equal 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 the meringue with the whisk and lift it up. If it forms a wiggly tail at the end of your whisk that doesn't fall, the meringue is ready.
Combine Batter with Meringue
- Gently whisk a large dollop of the meringue into the batter until combined to loosen it up. Then add another dollop and whisk again. Then pour the rest of the meringue in and gently whisk until it's just combined. Don't over mix.
- Now switch to a spatula to mix and gently fold the batter, scraping the base of the bowl to ensure it's thoroughly mixed.
- Pour the cake batter into the lined baking pan. Tap the pan on a flat surface to release any bubbles and smooth out the top with a spatula.
- Then fill a larger baking pan filled with 70 degrees C hot water and then place the square cake pan into the larger one.
Bake
- Bake the cake in the middle rack for 85 minutes until you poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Carefully remove the cake from the pan and peel away the sides of the parchment paper. While the cake is hot, slice into squares. This cake can be served warm or cold.
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 6 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Castella cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. To freeze: let the cake slices cool down, then wrap each slice in plastic wrap to prevent them from sticking to each other, and store the cake slices into a freezer-safe bag. To reheat, thaw the cake slices overnight in the fridge and microwave each slice for 60 seconds.
Pairing Suggestions
Castella cake serves well with:
- coffee, milk, tea, or boba tea
- fresh fruit
- mochi's
- baked goods like pastries or cookies
- cakes like Dairy-free Vanilla Bundt Cake, Pandan custard cake or Hawaiian Butter Mochi
- other desserts like Chocolate Zucchini Oat Bread or Double Chocolate Avocado Banana Muffins
- ice cream or gelato
FAQ
Can I make this in advance?
Castella cake can be made up to 6 days in advance and stored into an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave each slice for 30-45 seconds or until hot.
Why are there dents or cracks in my castella cake?
If you see dents in the cake, it means the egg whites were not beaten enough into soft peaks. If you see cracks in the cake, it means the egg white were over beat into stiff peaks.
Is it normal for my castella cake to deflate after baking?
It is normal for the castella cake to deflate after it's removed from the oven so don't panic here.
Why is my castella cake not rising as it bakes?
The castella cake is not rising as it's in the oven because the meringue was not beaten enough into soft peaks, but don't panic, the cake will be delicious but the texture will not be as airy and soft.
📖 Recipe
Dairy-Free Castella Cake
A super soft, fluffy, moist sponge cake with a delicious egg flavor! This dairy-free Castella cake is made with minimal ingredients. If you follow my instructions, you can make this dessert at home! You can also make this with regular dairy milk too. Note: It's important to use a kitchen scale for accuracy in this recipe - please use ounces (not fluid ounces) for US measurements and grams for Metric measurements
Ingredients
Note: Use a kitchen scale to measure in Ounces (not fluid oz) or in Grams where applicable
- 8 large eggs
- 3.70 oz all-purpose flour
- 0.529 oz cornstarch aka cornflour
- 3.35 oz vegetable oil or avocado oil
- 3.15 oz oat milk or plain almond milk (or sub with regular dairy milk if you're not dairy-free)
- 3 oz white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Then line a seamless 20-cm / 8-inch square baking pan with a large sheet of parchment paper so the paper sits a few inches taller than the pan. This will shape the cake as it rises.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Place the egg whites in a larger mixing bowl for later. The egg yolks can be placed in a smaller bowl. Set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl, sift together all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a heatproof bowl in the microwave for 80 seconds until it's 90 degrees C using digital instant read thermometer or 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 the milk into the flour mixture and mix until combined.
- Next mix in your egg yolks into the batter, followed by the rest of the milk. The batter should be a bit runny. Set aside.
- Beat egg whites with an electric hand mixer and gradually add the white granulated sugar in three equal 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 the meringue with the whisk and lift it up. If it forms a wiggly tail at the end of your whisk that doesn't fall, the meringue is ready.
- Gently whisk a large dollop of the meringue into the batter until combined to loosen it up. Then add another dollop and whisk again. Then pour the rest of the meringue in and gently whisk until it's just combined. Don't over mix.
- Now switch to a spatula to mix and gently fold the batter, scraping the base of the bowl to ensure it's thoroughly mixed.
- Pour the cake batter into the lined baking pan. Tap the pan on a flat surface to release any bubbles and smooth out the top with a spatula.
- Then fill a larger baking pan filled with 70 degrees C hot water and then place the square cake pan into the larger one.
- Bake the cake in the middle rack for 85 minutes until you poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
- Carefully remove the cake from the pan and peel away the sides of the parchment paper. While the cake is hot, slice into squares. This cake can be served warm or cold.
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
Suggested Equipment & Products
Nutrition
Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
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.
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!
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.
Rosemary
This is so fluffy I am so impressed!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
Your castella cake really does look beautiful!! It's such a fabulous light dessert for almost any occasion!
Never Ending Journeys
What an incredibly delicious treat! I have never heard of castella cakes before, but it looks and sounds simply irresistible!
Dennis Yannakos
It looks so fluffy and bouncy. This cake is never a bad idea for breakfast or snack for my family <3
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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!