Cream Filled Castella Cake

Super soft castella cake made filled with fresh heavy cream is the perfect dessert for a weekend. You can also enjoy this cake any day with a cup of tea. Start by lining the bottom and sides of mini oval baking tins with parchment paper. Separate 4 egg whites from the yolks then in a separate bowl add butter and 40ml of milk and place the bowl over a hot water bath and stir the butter and milk until they are melted then add sugar, a pinch of salt and corn syrup and continue to whisk until they are well combined then remove the mixture from the water bath.

Add the 4 egg yolks into the butter mixture and mix it in breaking the yolks to combine well with the mixture. Sift in 80 grams of cake flour and 2 grams of baking powder then mix until all the dry ingredients are moistened and you have a smooth batter with no lumps. Set that aside.

Bring the bowl with the egg whites and start beating the whites on high speed until foamy and doubled in size then add 60 grams of sugar and continue beating it until the meringue reaches a soft peak. Add half of the meringue into the egg yolk batter and mix gently until combined then add the remaining meringue and mix gently until you have a homogenous mixture.

Divide the batter into the prepared mini cake tins the bake ina preheated 340 degrees Fahrenheit oven ( 170C) for 30 to 35 minutes. To make the cream filling, add 200 grams of fresh cream in a bowl together with 20 grams of sugar. Whisk the mixture until the cream is light and well mixed in with the sugar.

Once the cakes are baked, remove from the oven and let the cakes cool upside down to prevent them from falling when cooled. Place the cream in a piping bag and when the cakes are completely cooled, make a small hole in the centre then fill the castella with the fresh whipped cream. Dust the top of the cakes with powdered sugar and serve. Enjoy.

Ingredients;

• 40g butter
• 40g milk
• 30g sugar
• 1g salt
• 20g corn syrup
• 4 yolks
• Some vanilla extract
• Cake flour 80g
• Baking powder 2g
• 4 Egg whites
• 60g sugar

Whipped Cream;

• 200g fresh cream
• 20g sugar

Instructions;

1. Prepare the baking paper in a mini-round baking tin then separate 4 eggs into white and yolk separately.
2. Prepare hot water bowl. (double boiling) then melt 40g butter and 40ml of milk in a bowl.
3. Add 30g of sugar, 1g of salt and 20g of corn syrup and mix well until the butter melts then remove the hot water bowl and add 4 yolks and mix well. Add some vanilla extract for flavouring and mix it in.
4. Sift 80g of cake flour and 2g of baking powder together and mix well.
5. Put 4 whites in another bowl and beat it until foamy then add 60g of sugar and beat it until the meringue tip is slightly bent.
6. Add 1/2 meringue into the egg yolk batter and mix gently until combined then add all remaining meringues and mix gently. so, that the foam does not crumble.
7. Divide the batter into prepared mini-round tins. Before putting it in the oven, drop the tin 1 to 2 times onto the bench to remove large bubbles.
8. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in an oven preheated to 340 degrees Fahrenheit (170 C).
9. Once cooked, and while still in the tin, drop the castella from a height of 30cm onto the bench.
10. Make a hole in the centre of the castella and use a small spoon to make space for fresh whipped cream. Fill the castella with fresh whipped cream, dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Making fresh whipped cream;

1. Put 200g of fresh heavy cream and 20g of sugar in a bowl and beat it.
2. The cream will be separated if you overbeat. so, stop when it becomes slightly thick.