Nagasaki Castella: A Classic Japanese Sponge Cake

“Castella (カステラ)” is a traditional Japanese sponge cake or wagashi made with hen’s egg, wheat flour, sugar, and starch syrup

whose name derives from the Portuguese pronunciation for the Kingdom of Castile, “Castella”.

As for the origin, there are two major theories, and it is believed that the cake has its roots in either the Spanish baked confection “Bizcocho” or the Portuguese baked confection “pão de ló”.

The original form was transmitted from Portugal, and Japan’s first Castella cake was made around 1600. 

Nagasaki Castella (長崎カステラ)

Today, the sponge cake Castella can be seen everywhere in Japan and is widely enjoyed.

Among others, the one produced in Nagasaki is especially famous and called Nagasaki Castella.

Compared to others, Nagasaki Castella has a luxurious feel and is slightly pricey.

Fukusaya

Speaking of Nagasaki Castella, “Fukusaya (福砂屋)” (Google Map)’s Castella cake is a must-try. The maker is the originator of Nagasaki Castella founded in 1624.

Flavors 

As mentioned above, Castella cake is made from a mixture of hen’s egg, wheat flour, sugar, and starch syrup, baked in the oven.

It comes in various flavors, including milk, Matcha (green tea), Hachimitsu (honey), Kokuto (raw brown sugar), and chocolate.

Features (Taste)

Nagasaki Castella is a soft fluffy sponge cake. It is moist and not overly sweet, as it uses carefully selected starch syrup.

Ingredients

Specifically, here are the ingredient lists.

According to that, the Hachimitsu Castella cake consists of hen’s egg, sugar, wheat flour, starch syrup, crystal sugar, and honey. 

Meanwhile, the ingredients in the Matcha Castella are hen’s egg, sugar, wheat flour, starch syrup, crystal sugar, Matcha green tea powder, and honey.

(Reference Page: Wikipedia カステラ )