How to Make a Castella Cake recipe (with Lime and Coconut)

Are you a fan of desserts that are both soft and spongy, with just a touch of sweetness? If so, then the Castella Cake is definitely something you should try! Originating from Japan, this fluffy and moist sponge cake has gained popularity across the world. This recipe includes desiccated coconut and lime giving a fresh citrussy flavour. It tastes just like summer should be. It’s easy to make and attractively elegant to look at, everything a tea-time cake should be. Try it!

The traditional version of this recipe doesn’t include lime or coconut and probably wouldn’t be iced but it does make a lovely teatime-style cake. If you’ve never tried it before, Castella Cake is a type of sponge cake and I can’t recommend it highly enough. In taste and texture, it’s not dissimilar to a Madeira cake. One thing is certain, however, it goes beautifully alongside a good cup of coffee or tea.

Castella Cake or “Kasutera” in Japanese, is a very popular sweet cake in Japan and the traditional recipe, which doesn’t include lime and coconut was introduced to the country in the 17th century by Portuguese merchants. The light texture, the airiness and the restrained sweetness make it a perfect candidate for a few subtle additions, which is how I came to experiment with lime and coconut.

Features of this Castella Cake Recipe

• This Japanese Cake recipe makes a sponge-style cake which is not dissimilar to a Madeira cake. This one is cooked in a loaf tin although it could be cooked in a circular cake tin for a different look.
• I’ve added lime juice, zest and desiccated coconut to the traditional recipe. These are two flavours that go really well together and add a delicious zinginess to the whole thing. I’ve also added an optional lime-flavoured glace icing but you can omit it if you prefer. The cake is flavourful enough without it.
• The eggs are whipped meringue style. This may take a few minutes to do but it is what makes the cake rise. The recipe doesn’t use baking powder or any other raising agents to achieve its light, airiness.
• This cake is cooled upside down, unusual? It’s definitely a talking point but this is what gives it its characteristic rectangular shape. The bottom becomes the top. This is not a ‘domed’ cake, that rises high in the centre. This is an elegant cake that’s understated and rectangular.
• The recipe uses strong white flour (bread flour), which contains more gluten, rather than all-purpose (plain flour) or self-raising flour, which is responsible for its wonderful texture. (See notes below about other flours that can be used successfully with this cake recipe.)

Ingredients for Castella Cake

These are the ingredients you need to create the best castella Cake.

• eggs – these are necessary to create the lightness of texture that this cake has. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and whisk them until you have firm peaks incorporating lots of lovely air.
• strong white bread flour – this is used for the structure of the cake and gives it the characteristic texture of a Castella Cake.
• sugar – I use caster sugar in this recipe which is responsible for the sweetness and helps keep the cake light and airy.
• lime – used as a bright citrusy contrast to the sweetness of the cake.
• butter – I use butter for its flavour as much as for the structure but if you’d prefer to use margarine then this recipe will be just as successful if you use a margarine that’s suitable for use in baking.
• desiccated coconut – this gives both texture and flavour and goes so well with the lime flavours in this cake.

Tips for a Perfect Cake

• Always use strong white bread flour for its higher gluten content. This is important for the texture of the cake. Sieve the flour before using it, as it aerates the flour and makes sure there are no lumpy bits.
• Quality Ingredients: To achieve the best flavour and texture, use high-quality eggs and flour.
• Always melt the butter at the beginning of starting to make the cake. That way it has time to cool a little before you introduce the egg yolks.
• Crack the eggs and carefully separate the egg whites into a clean (grease-free bowl) and the yolks into another. You do not want any of the egg yolks mixing with the whites so take your time.
• I use a hand whisk for this, it’s hard work making meringue. To make this meringue mixture, which doesn’t take very long, whisk the egg whites until frothy, then add the sugar gradually until it forms firm peaks.
• Gently, fold the sieved flour into the mixture containing the whipped egg whites, you want to keep all the air that you’ve beaten in.
• You could just grease the loaf pan but I prefer to line it with baking parchment so that it is easy to remove the loaf at the end.
• Temperature Control: Keeping an eye on the baking temperature and time is crucial to prevent over or under-baking the cake.
• Definitely check that the cake is completely cooked through before you remove it from the oven. This will prevent it from sinking in the middle.
• Bang that pan! Ok, don’t get too excited… once you pour the batter into the loaf tin, bang it on the work surface a few times to remove any air bubbles in the batter. Whilst you want the batter to incorporate air… you don’t want bubbles in the batter which will spoil the final result.

Variations to the Cake recipe

There are only a very few things that you can do to this cake recipe before it becomes something quite different. I sometimes substitute an orange, the zest and the juice for the lime and don’t bother with icing it. It is lovely like this. Lemon is another citrus fruit that will work really, really well. If I use lemon then I do keep the icing. Nothing quite beats lemon for a light, fresh, flavour.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy the Castella Cake on its own or with a cup of hot tea for a delightful treat. You can also serve it with fresh fruits or a dollop of whipped cream for an extra treat. As the basic recipe contains coconut using coconut cream or even a coconut Greek yoghurt goes really beautifully with the cake. (Add a little extra grated lime zest to the yoghurt for a lovely addition. It needs to be finely zested for this to work well.) This Castella cake with Lime and coconut can be served in lots of ways so this is a recipe that I don’t think you’re going to tire of.

Eat it as a cake in its own right or if it’s un-iced, serve it alongside your favourite ice cream, or whipped cream and some delicious fresh fruit or summer berries. It makes a wonderful dessert.

Storing Castella Cake

Once the Castella Cake is cooled, wrap it in parchment/greaseproof paper or cling film/plastic wrap to maintain its moisture.

The iced cake stores well for 3 – 4 days, in an airtight container. It will last a few days more if you omit the icing. The icing tends to dry out a little and crack which doesn’t look quite so pretty.

Using leftover Castella Cake

If you have a little leftover cake that has begun to be a little dry, you can slice off the icing from the top and discard that. Then you can slice up what remains of the cake into ‘fingers’ and use it as a base for a summer trifle or line individual glasses with the sponge, and top with berries and yoghurt. Drizzle with a little fruit compote for a little extra moisture and a lovely sweet fruity flavour hit.

FAQs about this Castella Cake Recipe

A few questions and answers that may help you when baking this simple but iconic cake.

• Can I use a different type of flour for the Castella Cake recipe? Yes, you can use plain/all-purpose flour if you don’t have bread flour on hand. However, the texture may be a little different.
• What is the purpose of tapping the baking pan before baking? Tapping the pan helps remove air bubbles trapped in the batter, resulting in a smoother cake texture. The texture is a lot like that of a madiera cake.
• Can I add other flavourings to the Castella Cake batter? Absolutely! You can experiment with other flavours like matcha, cocoa powder, or other citrus zest. Lemon is lovely for example. Please note that both cocoa and matcha powder will alter the colour of the cake. Some matcha powders can make things look quite green which some people find a little off-putting.
• How do I know when the Castella Cake is fully baked? You can perform the toothpick test. (I use a toothpick as it leaves barely any sign that you’ve used one, a skewer or something larger can leave a biggish hole and spoil the look of the cake. ) This is really simple tp do, just insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
• Can I make a gluten-free version of Castella Cake? Yes, you can replace the bread flour with gluten-free flour suitable for baking. Again the texture may change slightly.

Keep in Touch

As always if you try one of our recipes we’d love to know how you got on – just use the comments below and we’ll get back to you. Keep baking!

If you like what you’ve read here, why not follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram

If you like this… you make like…

• Blueberry Muffins
• Lemon and Poppy seed Muffins
• Classic Rock cakes
• Banana Loaf Cake
• Honey Cake
• Blueberry Crumble
• Blackberry and Apple Cobbler
• Zucchini Bread (Courgette Bread)
• Shortbread
• Easy Cranberry White Chocolate Muffins Recipe

Why not Pin this Castella Cake Recipe for later