Kasutera: Japanese Honey Cake, much like a fluffy cloud
The first ever homebaked cake I received (birthday cakes not counted) was a butter pound cake when I was in primary school. Right, I ain’t being totally honest with you because I so didn’t receive it. Out of greed, I paid a classmate just under ten bucks for the ingredients and her time in the kitchen to prepare one just for me. (Would you believe it if I told you I was a bit of a school bully in kindergarten? I bullied boys, never girls mind you) At that time, we didn’t own an oven, only a hand-me-down Japanese microwave. I was young and didn’t know how to bake then. Cakes weren’t a common thing for us in my house either. In fact, they were equivalent to rare yeti sightings. Far, few, and almost…well, impossible to spot! We were only allowed them on birthdays when our parents would splurge a little on a ridiculously over-decorated and over-iced cake. It didn’t matter that the cake was often more cream than sponge, mightily topped with cloyingly sweet jelly pops – a dentist’s nightmare. Nonetheless, that to us was the most special, most beautiful most wonderful cake in the world. Of course, in my childish understanding, it almost felt like a round structure of cream, sugar dusting and sponge was the utmost expression of my parents’ love for me. I know better now that’s for sure but it isn’t strange to think that a cake could stand for so much. It’s symbolic power is immense, especially to a child with a wonderfully innocent and simplistic mind.
To slice your own over-embellished birthday cake with Mama’s hand to guide you was such a precious feeling. I can feel a sigh of nostalgia just bubbling up at the back of my throat. I can’t quite forget the taste of those cakes of my childhood. And I can’t forget the taste of that beautifully buttery, dense and vanilla-ry pound cake I received back in primary school. You know how all things rustic and homemade get to me.
The memory of this cake, the demand-and-supply nature of our friendship (between that girl baker and I), the simplicity of a butter cake are all things engraved deep in my mind, heart and tastebuds. A cake of simply and few ingredients; it reminded me of other equally simple and basic cakes such as yellow cake, a butter cake, a pound cake, a British madeira, a plain chiffon, a Chinese steamed cake. They are different types of cake but essentially still cake! And cakes very accessible to everyone because of their basic and non-exotic components. Think of them as essential as a cream cardigan. A wardrobe necessity, even more so than the LBD and ever so hard to fault. And then it occurred to me how I loved them all, whatever the rendition of cake, as much as I love different types of photographs such as the beautifully styled ones, the soft-focused ones channelling the aesthetics of vintage photos and of course, the well-lighted macro shots of food (as you can see I’ve cheesily tried to achieve the above ‘types’ in this post’s photographs).
I love the fanciful cakes available in patisseries, the delicately decorated and styled birthday cakes, and sure enough, things like macarons and whoopie pies, etc. BUT. My point is, there’s something mysteriously heartwarming and humble about a slice of cake produced from just a mere few ingredients. And to pay homage to how the combination of few ingredients can produce something quite so delightful and life-changing is this post on Kasutera, a cake that oh-my-dear doesn’t even use butter!
Kasutera, a Japanese honey cake otherwise known as Castella in English, is a cake derived from the Portuguese pao de Castela. I know not much about the history of this cake except that it is now a Nagasaki specialty and often found in wagashi stores or in the sweets section of Japanese grocery stores. It’s light but its flavour is unique, fragrant and very likeable, thanks to the honey syrup it incorporates.
I’ve been terribly eager to give this recipe a go. It was well-received and according to my parents who sat about tasting them forever, kasutera tastes like a non-butter cake of their childhood! I felt very flattered and quite pleased to have brought a slice of their good ol’ days on a plate to savour. But also rather envious of the variety of sweet treats they might have experienced back in them days.
This cake is simply delicious despite being uncomplex. It is light as cotton fluff and with zero butter in the mixture, feels slightly less decadent and a little more ‘healthy’ to eat. Unfortunately, when removed from the oven with a plate left to flatten the top for 5 minutes, one shouldn’t leave it to cool too long in the cake tin. Once the cake is no longer oven-hot but warm enough to handle, remove from cake tin and let it stand on a wire rack to cool. The consequences of doing otherwise (as mine is proof of that) is a cake that is soggy, a little sunken and difficult to slice. Shame on me for trying to do more than two things at once!
I will be making this again and again until I get it right. Minimal ingredients, batter tastes amazing no matter what and quick to whip up. There’s no excuse to say no to round II. Practice makes perfect anyway!
Kasutera カステラ
(Recipe from 我♥和菓子：57 wagashi recipes – Japanese Title: かんたん！和菓子レシピ by 山崎彩 Aya Yamazaki )
Ingredients
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
80g caster sugar
15g raw honey
10ml water
60g cake flour
15g coarse brown sugar
Line the bottom and sides of a small loaf tin with baking parchment. Sprinkle coarse brown sugar in an even layer on the bottom of the tin on top of the parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 160d Celsius.
Lightly mix the honey and water together in a small bowl to form a thick syrup. Set aside.
In a bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the sugar and beat on high until the mixture pales and thickens. The mixture should be ready when the electric whisk leaves a slow dripping, thick trail when lifted, taking a while to disappear into the rest of the batter. (after reading more recipes for kasutera, the general feedback was to whisk for a long time until soft peaks are formed, around 15mins; I think I whisked mine for about 5-7 mins. Will give this method a try next time round for a fluffier cake.)
Mix in the honey syrup. Then sift in the cake flour (you may want to double sift this cake flour before adding to the batter) and lightly beat this in. Set aside the electric mixer, using a rubber spatula, use the folding method to gently mix until incorporated. Ensure no pockets of flour are left.
Pour the batter from a high point into the prepared loaf tin. Use the rubber spatula to slice the batter in the middle from top of the tin to the bottom in a straight line. Then, using both hands, pick up the tin and lightly tap the bottom on the table to release excess air bubbles.
Place loaf tin on a flat cookie tray and bake in the oven for 30mins, or until cake tester when inserted comes out clean.
Once baked, remove from oven and place loaf tin on a wire rack. Top the cake surface with a piece of baking parchment and place a long flat dish over it to keep the cake surface flat for 5 mins. Thereafter, remove the dish and parchment paper and let cool in the tin for a little while (another 5mins thereabouts) until cool enough to handle with your hands but still warm. Tip the cake out from the tin, baking parchment and all. Place the cake into a plastic ziplock or using clingfilm, wrap it up. This is apparently to seal the moisture within the cake. Letting it cool completely standing on its own will dry out the cake a little.
To serve, use a sharp knife and make 1inch slices from the cake. Carefully slice away the sides to reveal the inner crumb. Be very neat when slicing, because obviously I ain’t at all.
