Taiwanese Castella Cake

(FOOL PROOF CASTELLA CAKE)

Ingredients:

• Cake flour – 1 cup –(minus) 1 tblsp
• Granulated sugar – ½ cup
• Salt – ½ tsp
• Cream of tartar – ½ tsp
• Baking powder – ½ tsp (optional)
• Eggs – 6 nos (room temperature)
• Canola oil – ½ cup
• Milk – ½ cup(room temperature)
• Vanilla essence – 2 tsp

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 300˚F
• Separate the Egg yolks and whites (ref pic)

• Add the canola oil and milk into a sauce pan and bring it to boil (ref pic)

• Sieve the cake flour, salt and baking powder and add the hot milk mixture (ref pic) and mix well without any lumps

• Beat the egg yolks along with vanilla essence and add little by little (ref pic) and mix well (ref pic)

• Beat the egg whites along with ½ tsp of cream of tartar; by adding the sugar in between 3 times (ref pic)

• Once the egg whites (meringue) achieved its texture (soft peak – ref pic)

• Add the egg yolk mixture into the meringue mixture and fold it gently without any lumps (ref pic)

• Pour the cake batter into a parchment lined 8x8x2 inch pan(ref pic) and tap it twice over the counter top to remove the air bubbles

• Also, using a wooden skewer gently into the cake batter in clockwise direction to remove the air bubbles
• Place the baking pan over a sheet pan filled with HOT WATER (ref pic) and bake it for about 60 mins or insert a toothpick in the center of the cake comes out clean

• The very light,super spongy, soft and tasty “TAIWANESE CASTELLA CAKE” is ready

NOTE/TIP:

• The baking time might vary, some of the oven takes only 45-50mins; so bake accordingly
• The meringue consistency is the most important thing
• Adding BAKING POWDER and CREAM OF TARTAR are totally optional
• Serve when the cake is hot (if the meringue consistency is not attained properly then the chances are high for the finished cake to become deflated)