Castella Cake recipe with Lime and Coconut

An iced castella cake with icing drips and the grated zest of a lime sprinkled on the top

Castella Cake recipe with Lime and Coconut

3 from 2 votes

Castella Cake is a popular cake in Japan. This version includes lime and coconut which are brilliant flavour partners. It has the texture of a Madeira cake and is delicious as a sweet ending to a meal or if it isn't iced, teamed up with ice cream, whipped cream, or greek yoghurt for a delicious dessert.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Servings: 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Japanese, Portuguese

Calories: 242

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

4 medium eggs separated
3/4 cup white bread flour strong flour
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 lime juice and zest (30ml juice needed)
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup desiccated coconut

Lime Glace Icing (optional)

1 cup icing sugar
4 teaspoons lime juice and zest

Equipment

1 lb loaf tin
whisk
handheld whisk - mechanical whisk

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4/160C Fan
Melt butter and set aside to cool. Line a 1 lb (pound) loaf tin with baking parchment.
Separate the egg yolks and the egg whites into different bowls.
Whisk egg whites until frothy, then gradually add in the caster sugar and continue until it is all used up. Keep whisking until the egg whites form firm peaks.
In the bowl containing the egg yolks, mix in the melted butter, desiccated coconut, lime zest and juice. Stir this gently into the meringue (egg-whites) mix.
Now, gently fold in the flour a little bit a time until it is all used up. Stir until the batter is smooth and well mixed.
Add the batter to the lined loaf tin. Gently level the mixture out and bang on the worktop a few times to remove any air bubbles.
Bake for 40 minutes. Turn the loaf tin around halfway through the baking time. Check that the cake is done before removing it from the oven. (Use a skewer or cocktail stick - insert it into the centre of the cake. When it is removed it should be clean with only a few crumbs clinging to it).
Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing it. Tip it out upside down and leave it to cool completely before cutting into it or icing it. (The base of the loaf cake becomes the top, which is how to gets its flat rectangular shape.)
If you are going to ice the cake do so once it is cool. Follow the instructions below.
If you do not ice the cake consider serving it with ice cream, whipped cream, fresh fruit or even a butterscotch sauce.

Optional Lime Glace Icing

Add the icing sugar, lime juice and zest into a bowl and stir until it is completely smooth. It needs to be fairly stiff to ice the cake but if it seems too stiff and a 1/2 teaspoon of water and stir again until you get a consistency that you like. If it too runny, add a little more icing sugar until it firms up a little.
Spread this lime icing across the castella cake and allow it to drip down the sides for a rustic look. Decorate with extra lime zest if you wish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 242kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 124mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 288IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 40mgIron: 1mg

Notes

Nutritional Information is computer generated and is intended as a guideline only. (The values shown include the icing.)

Serving the Castella Cake

This Castella cake with Lime and coconut can be served as a sweet ending to a meal or if you omit the icing, served with ice cream, whipped cream, greek yogurt and/or with summer fruits and berries. It is delicious served alongside a good cup of coffee or tea.

Storing the Castella Cake

This cake stores well for 3 – 4 days, if iced, 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.

What to do with 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.

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