Giggly and Fluffy Taiwanese Castella: A Cotton-Soft Delight Made with Just 5 Simple Ingredients!
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What is Taiwanese Castella?
Taiwanese sweets, like bubble tea, have become incredibly popular around the world. But recently, another treat is stealing the spotlight: Taiwanese Castella Cake.
When you hear “castella,” you might think of the traditional Japanese version with its golden-brown top, rich sweetness, and dense yet moist texture. However, Taiwanese Castella is a completely different experience. It’s baked in giant pans and has the soft, jiggly texture of a chiffon cake. Once baked, the massive cake is flipped onto a tray, sliced into generous pieces, and enjoyed fresh.
This cotton-like, fluffy delight is not only fun to watch as it jiggles but also melts in your mouth with every bite. It’s no wonder it’s becoming a must-try dessert for sweet lovers everywhere!
Homemade Taiwanese Castella: Easy and Delicious in a Loaf Pan
Have you ever wanted to make that fluffy, jiggly Taiwanese Castella at home? The idea is exciting, but let’s face it—most of us don’t have a huge baking pan, or an oven big enough to fit one, and finishing a massive cake might be a challenge. While a square pan works perfectly fine, this time I decided to try a loaf pan for a more manageable, family-friendly option.
The result? The same irresistibly fluffy texture, but in a smaller, easy-to-slice size. Plus, Taiwanese Castella is best enjoyed fresh and warm, straight out of the oven. Baking it in a smaller pan means you can finish it while it’s at its peak deliciousness.
With just a few simple ingredients—eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and oil—it’s a dessert you can whip up on a whim, much like pancakes. Bake it, slice it, and enjoy it immediately. Perfect for cozy homemade treats anytime!
How to Make Taiwanese Castella
The ingredients for Taiwanese Castella are incredibly simple:
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Cake flour
• Milk
• Vegetable oil
That’s it—just five ingredients! Chances are, you already have everything you need in your kitchen. This makes it a perfect dessert to whip up on a whim.
Steps:
Add vegetable oil to a bowl and sift in the cake flour. Whisk them together until smooth.
If you’re used to baking, you might find this step a bit unusual—adding flour directly to the oil? But don’t worry, this method works perfectly!
Gradually add the milk while mixing.
This step is crucial! If you add the egg yolks before the milk, the batter may become lumpy. Be sure to add the milk first to create a smooth consistency before moving on.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Gradually add the granulated sugar in 2-3 additions while whipping the egg whites to make meringue.
Whip the egg whites to about 80% stiff peak (they should be glossy with soft peaks that just form). Be careful not to overwhip—if you whip them too much, they will be harder to combine with the egg yolk mixture. If you do overwhip slightly, you can gently loosen the meringue with a whisk to make it smoother and easier to incorporate.
Add one-third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture and gently mix it together with a whisk. Mix until the white streaks of egg whites disappear, being careful not to overmix or undermix.
Add another third of the meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Using the whisk, gently mix until the white streaks of egg whites disappear.
Finally, pour the batter into the bowl with the remaining egg whites and mix it together with a whisk.
Since egg whites are light, some of the batter may not fully incorporate into the mixture and could remain at the bottom of the bowl. To ensure everything blends well, adding the batter to the egg white bowl and gently folding it in will help achieve a smooth mix.
Bake in a water bath at 150°C (300°F) for about 30–40 minutes.
Baking time may vary depending on your oven, and it can be a bit tricky to determine when it’s done. If you’re using a gas oven with strong heat, 30 minutes at 150°C (300°F) should be sufficient. For electric ovens with weaker heat, aim for 150–155°C (302°F-310°F) and bake for about 35–40 minutes.
Once you take it out of the oven, enjoy it while it’s still warm!
Print
Taiwanese Castella
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 people 1x
Description
Giggly and fluffy, Taiwanese Castella is a very soft texture like cotton.And this recipe is very simple to make. Sugar, milk, eggs, flour, and vegetable oil. -That’s all you need to make Taiwanese Castella.
Ingredients
- 50 g vegetable oil
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 50 ml milk
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150°C | 300°F. Line a 8-inch (20cm) loaf pan with baking paper.
- Separate egg whites and egg yolks and place the egg whites in the refrigerator to chill well for whisking later.
- In a large bowl, add the vegetable oil and sifted flour. Mix well with a whipper.
- Add milk little by little, and mix well.
- Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Take the egg white from the refrigerator and make meringue. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer or stand mixer adding the granulated sugar gradually until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Take one-third of the egg whites and add to the egg yolk batter. Gently fold in without breaking the air bubbles in the egg whites. Once the meringue has been incorporated, add in another third and fold in. Finally, pour the batter into the bowl with the remaining egg whites and mix them together.
- The texture of the finished dough is that the egg white foam is mixed well with the yolk dough, flowing like a liquid and leaving a little behind.
- Pour into the mixture prepared pan.
- Place the slightly larger loaf pan. Set the loaf pan in it and pour hot water into the bottom of the larger loaf pan.
- Bake at 150°C | 300°F for 30-40 minutes. Bake until the dough has puffed up and the top is light brown in color.
- The baking time varies depending on the oven at home, and it's a little difficult to judge how well it's done, but it is about 30 minutes at 150 degrees if the heating power is strong, such as a gas oven, or it is about 35-40 minutes at 150 to 155 degrees if the heating power is weak, such as an electric oven.
- Take it out of the oven and serve immediately!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Inactive Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: taiwan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 grams
- Calories: 106
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 21
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Unsaturated Fat: 5
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 9
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 3
- Cholesterol: 56
Julie
do you think that it would work if I doubled this recipe to make a cake in a 8x8 inch (20x20cm) cake pan? I think it would need to be baked longer too maybe an hour?
Chicca Food
Hi Julie,
I also think you need 50-60 minutes of baking time if you bake at double the amount.
Just be aware that prolonging the baking time can burn the top surface, so bake it on the lower level of the oven or cover the top surface with aluminum foil if necessary.