Taiwanese Cream Cheese Castella

This is very soft cake, light cottony and fluffy with a hint of cream cheese in it…delicious just as it is or if you prefer with fresh cream, fruits or jams.

Due to the lock down to keep my mind out of this unreal situation I have been baking lots of cake…and so far this cake is one of the best I have ever baked…even my husband gave 11 out of 10…he liked so much that I already made 3 batches and have send a few to our neighbors/friends.

– What is Taiwanese Castella Cake?

According to the internet Taiwanese Castella cake was originated from , it is the simplest cake made with just a handful of ingredients.

My mom tells me that when castella cake reached Taiwan it was considered a delicacy since most of the sweets/desserts at the time was made using rice and sugar, therefore desserts made egg and flour was a real treat.

– Why Taiwanese Castella Cake is different?

Now, Castella cake is a staple in Taiwan, we find people lining up to buy freshly baked cake just out of the oven and cut in front of you…how much fresher can it be?

This cake in spite of just a few ingredients is super light, soft and fluffy…resembling a . This cake does not use any rising agent such as baking powder…only the foam produced by the egg white.

– Is it hard to bake Castella cake?

Not at all, once you have the right ratio of ingredients, there is no room for mistake. It is true that you will need a few bowls and more gadgets to wash, but all the efforts are well worth it. Once you get to bake this cake you will be hooked, and many versions can be made using the basic ingredients…any citrus, chocolate, coffee, cheese, carrot, sweet potato and so on… – Cream cheese in the cake batter?

Yes, the small amount of cream cheese in the cake batter will give this cake a creamier texture with a lightly hint of cheese…

– Did I convince you to try baking Castella cake?

Ingredients:

6 large eggs (total weight of approximately 300g) separated, (make sure the bowl with egg white does not contain any trace of grease) 120 g cream cheese 70 g vegetable oil (I used sunflower) 70 g milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 90 g cake flour 1 pinch salt 10 g white vinegar 95 to 115 g white sugar (depending on your taste)

Method:

Preheat oven at 285oF

In a small bowl melt together the cream cheese and milk over a double boiler. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Place the vegetable oil in a small pan, heat (low) the oil until approximately 85oC to 90oC (185oF to 194oF). Remove the pan from the heat and pour into the sifted cake flour, mix well to form a thick paste.

Add the cream cheese/milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir, then add the egg yolks 3 at the time, mixing well into the batter each time.

Add the vanilla extract and the salt, the mixture will resemble a batter.

In a large bowl of a hand-held mixer or stand mixer whisk the egg white with the vinegar until large bubbles form.

Add the sugar slowly into thirds. Whisk until soft peaks form (very important that the egg whites are SOFT PEAKS). Do not over beat, the should be shiny and form soft peaks.

Add about ⅓ of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture and mix gently until all the egg white is incorporated to the batter.

Pour the egg yolk mix to the remaining meringue and fold gently until all the egg white is combined to the batter. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into 2 loaf pans (20 cm x 7 cm or 7 ¾ x 2 ¾ inch) lined with parchment paper. Tap gently the pan to remove excess of air bubbles.

Place the pan into a tray and fill with approximately 2 cm or ¾ inch of room temperature water and place into the oven. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes and increase the temperature to 300oF and bake for another 5 minutes.

Remove the pans from the oven and the cake from the pans. Let is sit on a wire rack.

Gently remove the parchment paper and let it cool completely on the wire rack.

Serve at room temperature or cold.

Keep the cake at room temperature for about 3 days and in the refrigerator for up to 7 days, but I guarantee you that it will be gone way before the 3 days.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do…

– Looking for more light desserts? Check these out…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!