Japanese Sponge Cake (Kasutera)

I recalled many months ago I was trying out recipe after recipe to get the perfect honey cake that's so popular in Taiwan. Their version is baked in a wooden frame, so aromatic, with the addition of their famous Longan honey.

Many of their recipes use SP cake emulsifier, which is supposed to help shorten the whipping time & increase the shape stability for the batter. This is a no-no for me, thats why my honey cake always end up with different texture. Few weeks ago, while I was browsing through my recipe books on Japanese cooking, I found a sponge cake recipe using honey.

This recipe uses no oil, quite similar to the Taiwanese version so I decided to give it a try.

Ingredients :

5 Large eggs
150g Caster sugar
60ml Honey
3/4 tsp Baking powder
90g Plain flour

Grease & flour a 9" square cake tin. Preheat oven to 180C.

In a mixer bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, then gradually beat in the sugar & honey. Continue beating until the mixture is thick & pale & the beaters leave a ribbon trail, about 12 mins.

Sift the baking powder & flour together, then sift them into the bowl.

Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined, then carefully pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.

Bake for 30 mins or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Unmould the cake, transfer to a wire rack & leave to cool completely.

* This cake will shrink upon cooling. I'm not sure if it's meant to be this way. Just cut the sides away like I did, u still get to enjoy your honey sponge ! This is a very delicate batter, so be gently when folding in the flour.
This is a very light & aromatic honey sponge cake. I baked it 4 days in a row on that week after I succeeded in the first attempt.