Japanese Castella Pudding Cake
Castella Pudding Cake has become a beloved dessert in both Taiwan and Japan, known for its delightful combination of three distinct layers: caramel, egg pudding, and chiffon cake. This dessert is best enjoyed fresh from the oven, where you can savor the silky smooth texture of the pudding and the airy, light quality of the chiffon cake in every bite.
What is Castella Pudding Cake?
Castella Pudding Cake is a Japanese hybrid sweet featuring a layer of fluffy Castella cake on top of silky custard pudding (purin) with a rich caramel sauce at the bottom. Baked together in a small cup, this dessert blends the textures and flavors of light, spongy cake, creamy pudding, and sweet caramel in every bite.
Key Ingredients of Castella Pudding Cake
- Caramel
- Sugar: Provides the sweetness and forms the base of the caramel layer.
- Water: Helps dissolve the sugar to create caramel.
- Hot Water: Adds volume and smoothness to the caramel sauce.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the caramel.
- Egg Pudding
- Large Eggs and Egg Yolk: The main ingredient for the custard, giving it a rich and creamy texture.
- Sugar
- Milk
- Chiffon Cake
- Large Eggs: The yolks and whites are separated to create a light and fluffy cake.
- Milk: Adds moisture to the cake batter.
- Vegetable Oil: Keeps the cake tender and moist.
- Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the structure of the cake.
- Corn Starch: Adds lightness and tenderness to the cake.
I’ve adjusted the sugar level in this recipe to a minimal amount, but if you prefer a sweeter dessert, feel free to increase the sugar by 5 grams.
Key Tool of Castella Pudding Cake
Oven Safe Glass Dessert Cups
To create this delicious treat, you’ll need heat-resistant glassware or plastic cups. Small ramekins or mason jars work perfectly, as long as they are oven-safe.
- Material: Borosilicate glass
- Caliber: 3.3 inches, height: 2.4 inches, capacity: 7oz
- Simple and clear, durable, easy to clean
Japanese Castella Pudding Cake
Ingredients
Caramel
- 50 g sugar
- 15 g water
- 30 g hot water
- 1 g salt
Egg Pudding
- 3 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 40 g sugar
- 300 g milk
Chiffon Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 30 g milk
- 25 g vegetable oil
- 20 g sugar
- 25 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g corn starch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 140°C or 293°F.
To Prepare Caramel:
- In a small saucepan, add sugar, salt, and 15g of water. Boil over medium to medium-high heat without stirring.
- Once it starts to change color (light yellow), reduce heat to low.
- When it turns a darker color, remove from heat and carefully pour in the hot water (it might splash).
- Pour the caramel evenly into 6 small ramekins. Place them in a baking pan for a water bath later and put in the freezer.
To Prepare Egg Pudding:
- In a bowl, combine 3 large eggs, 1 yolk, and sugar.
- Microwave the milk for 40 seconds until lukewarm.
- Slowly pour the milk into the egg mixture while stirring to avoid cooking the egg.
- Sift the pudding mixture at least twice for smoothness.
- Take the ramekins out of the freezer and pour the pudding mixture into each until 70% full.
- Pour cold water into the baking pan until halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
To Prepare Chiffon Cake:
- Separate egg yolks and egg whites into two separate bowls. Refrigerate the egg whites.
- In a small bowl, whisk milk and oil until combined.
- Sift in all-purpose flour and cornstarch, and mix gently until combined.
- Add egg yolks to the mixture and mix until combined.
- Take the egg whites from the fridge and whisk at low speed to form stabilizing bubbles. Gradually add 20g of sugar and whisk at medium-low speed. Once all sugar is added, turn to high speed until medium peaks form.
- Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the yolk batter gently until combined.
- Gently fold the rest of the meringue into the batter until combined.
- Remove the ramekins from the oven, keeping them in the water bath. The pudding should be partially cooked. Top the ramekins with the cake batter, pouring directly or using a piping bag.
- Bake with the water bath for 20 minutes at 140°C or 293°F. Then increase the heat to 155°C or 311°F and bake for another 35 minutes until the surface turns golden brown.
- Turn off the oven and leave a gap open, letting the pudding cake rest for 5 minutes before removing them.
- Eat directly from the ramekin, or use a small sharp knife to loosen the pudding cake from the sides of the mold to remove.
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