A Real Nagasaki Castella Recipe

True real Nagasaki Castella does not contain any added oil, which makes Ong's recipe unique. There are also several other techniques in traditional Castella that I don't use here: sprinkling the batter with coarse sugar that settles at the bottom and makes a dark, sweet bottom crust, taking out the cake halfway through baking and disturbing it to destroy the air bubbles and make the cake dense, and baking in a covered container to steam the cake. You will also notice there is a slight fall in the cake, which creates a raised rim of crust. This didn't bother me, but if you don't like the effect, you can cool the cake upside-down: just be careful to do so on a greased surface so you won't lose any of the precious crust.

Ingredients:

• 88g (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• pinch of salt
• 126g (1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 42g (1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons) honey
• 22g (1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons) canola or other neutral oil

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Spray an 8-inch round pan with baking spray and line the bottom and sides with parchment. Don't spray the parchment after lining. Sift the flour onto a sheet of wax paper or a bowl and set aside. In a heatproof bowl, add the eggs, egg yolk, salt, sugar, and honey. Place this over a saucepan of simmering water and beat on medium speed with a hand mixer for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and beat on high speed for at least 6 more minutes using a hand mixer. The batter will be cool, pale and form very thick ribbons that take a very long time to sink completely into the surface of the batter.

Gently fold in the flour into the batter in 3 additions. Take about 1/2 cup of the batter and whisk it into the oil until completely homogeneous, then drizzle it back into the batter, folding continuously as you add it.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, then turn the heat down to 150°C and continue baking for 18-25 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few very fine crumbs. Cool the cake completely. Unmold to a serving platter.