Yuzu Honey Castella (Kasutera) Cake 柚子蜜糖长崎蛋糕, and Giveaway..

Finally i managed to taste the real Castella cake in Osaka..And i realized that the texture is quite difference from the earlier recipe that i tried..Thanks to Alan aka Travellingfoodies inspired me to get this Yuzu powder and guide me where to get Castella cake in Osaka..



Here are my experiences on real Castella cake, i tasted two difference brands.
Before i found the shop that Alan told me, i found this quite cheap Castella cake in a supermarket. The texture is light and fluffy, but the taste was very sweet and not that fresh.. Luckily i could enjoyed it with a cup of green tea from the hotel..Ya, take note that hotel in Japan usually don't provide coffee..if i know this earlier, i am sure bring some coffee along .

The 2nd Castella cake I tasted was from this shop that Alan told me. A bakery shop just specialized in Castella cake..They have many flavours but i bought the orignal flavour and also the cake was freshly bake from the oven the other day and we need to finish within 4 days..

So this is the real Castella cake i tried..the cake was moderate light, quite fluffy, moist, rich in honey aroma and not too sweet..

I found the texture was not as fine as per the recipe I tried earlier. Difference method thus resulted difference form of texture..

Also they add Turbinado sugar at the bottom, very nice thought!

  
After came back home from Japan trip, I try the recipe that Biren (Roti and Rice) adapted from Yummyworkshop and compare which recipe is close to that real castella cake that i tasted. I would said the recipe adapted by Biren is very close to the real castella cake..But from the ingredients mentioned in the packing, Yummyworkshop's recipe is lacking of milk, butter and millet jelly (Thanks to Yee helped me to do the translation) . Maybe one day i will try to add these ingredients to check the result (if i can find the millet jelly)..
This time i also added Yuzu powder that i bought in Kyoto, so this Castella has mild citrus aroma, very refreshing indeed. I am also planning to use this yuzu powder to make chiffon, swiss roll and buttercake..stay tuned..

Again I bought extra Yuzu powder, and I would like to giveaway to my readers who currently residing in Malaysia and Singapore only (sorry to other country's readers because the distance and postage cost)..To enter, just leave your comment in this post and closing date is on this Sunday 8th July 2012. Please identify yourself if you are under Anonymous. Two winners will be selected by random.org. Gift will be sent using normal post delivery. Good luck !!

So here is the recipe that i tried with Yuzu powder, but i have to omit Turbinado sugar as i could not find it here. I also did not drop the pan from one foot height as per suggested, instead i just upside down the cake. If you do not own a wooden box like me, you can just follow to the orignal recipe that using square pan.
This recipe is quite simple to make, just need a stand mixer to mix all ingredients and very similar like making a chiffon cake.



Yuzu Honey Castella Cake 柚子蜜糖长崎蛋糕

(Recipe source: Inspired by Roti and Rice, adapted from Yummy Workshop)

4 egg white (157g)

5 egg yolks (86g)

125g fine granulated sugar

100g Bread flour and 3tsp Yuzu powder, sifted twice

15g Turbinado Sugar (I omitted)

50g Honey (diluted with 2tbsp hot water)

Method

1. Pre-heated oven to 160C.
2. Pre­pare pan: line insides and bottom of wooden box with baking paper and wrap bottom with foil.
3. Place egg whites in mixing bowl and mix with a mixer on high speed for about 30sec-1min (at KA mixer speed 8) and start adding sugar in spoon by spoon. Beat until firm peaks are formed (take about 2mins at KA mixer speed 6)
4. Add yolks one by one and mix on low speed until well combined.
5. Add sifted bread flour and yuzu powder and mix on low speed until just combined.
6. Add honey and hot water mix­ture and mix on low speed until mixed.
7. Pour batter through a sieve into cake pan, use a spatula or whisk to help the thick batter go through the sieve.
8. Tap pan on the counter to remove any large bub­bles in the batter.
9. Bake in pre­heated oven for 60mins or until golden brown on top (at middle to top rack).
10. Once the cake is done, remove from oven, place a non-stick parchment paper on top of the cake and follow by another cake pan, turn up side down the cake. Cool on a wire rack.
11. When the cake is cool enough to handle but still warm (~15mins), invert the cake again, remove the pan and wooden box. Continue to cool on a wire rack.
12. Once cake is cooled, wrap nicely with paper and film. Chill in the fridge overnight before serving (This step is critical to ensure the Castella has a moist texture).

Also Thanks to Helena for given these two lovely cups !