Japanese Cheese Cake 日本芝士蛋糕

Japanese Castella Cake, or Kasutera (カステラ) in Japanese, is a popular Japanese honey spongecake which was originally introduced by the Portuguese merchants to Nagasaki area in the 16th century.  The name is derived from Portuguese Pão de Castela, meaning “bread from Castile”.  Castella is made of just 4 basic ingredients: bread flour, eggs, sugar, and honey.

A dark brown top and bottom crusts with a creamy yellow center gives a beautiful contrast to the sponge cake. This delicate cake is very moist, smooth, bouncy, and has just enough sweetness with a fragrance of honey.