Castella (ella ella!) Catastrophe

Castella. I've always relished hearing the word emerge from my mother's mouth. One of very few that I can bear, and is always welcome. Eaten at random times and places, I have eaten castella around the world, in Taipei, in Japan, New York and straight from the refrigerator in my house, relishing every bite. Castella is a honey pound cake that originated in Spanish Castile, which was then carried through trade by the Portuguese to Japan and made into a special craft in Nagasaki. It's also known as Kasutera, in other words, mouthwateringly, delicious.

The only problem with the castellas that I've consumed is that they've have been quite small, rather expensive and worth every bite. Since I've been on a baking spree, I thought that I could conquer easily, the castella. It actually all started with Pichet Ong's cookbook.

CASTELLA. Two years of not eating castella, and I see the word again... and it's on. Ca-stel-la. CASTELLA. Castella. ella ella. Really, you have to admit, it rolls right off zee tongue. Obsessed as I was, I researched for hours which recipe I should follow. Recipes, opinions, photos, videos, more links to more recipes before finally settling my heart on one. It warned that this recipe was not for the novice baker. I have experience cake, no worries. I shrugged off the warning.

First, the pan must be covered. I used parchment paper and took my time to cover, snip and fold the paper to fit into my 8" by 8" Wilton pan (new purchase). I totally got this. Next, I sifted the flour. Sift! Sift!

I was still good. Then, I created a honey and milk mix. This is the secret of the flavor! Following the directions to the T, I must have read the recipe 100x just so I knew what was going on.

Eggs. Whisked.

I added sugar.... put it in the pan and let it rise!

At this point, the smell was intoxicating! Maybe I had gotten it right on the first try!

Yummy! I wrapped it in a bag to keep it moist.

This is what I wanted to see (from wiki): delicate, with a velvety texture.....

Are you ready for what I created?


 

 Maybe this is the same thing, you're wondering.

Let's get a clearer picture. 

IS THIS EVEN A CAKE?

The answer: FAIL FAIL FAIL. Ultimate fail. It's not a cake. It resembles a Chinese nian gao. But it's not. It's egg based, not rice based! So what is it? It tasted like... a bar of honey cake. But it's SURELY NOT CASTELLA.

I cannot begin to describe how frustrated I was at midnight after working on this cake for the better part of the night. Obviously I will try again, or give up forever. I haven't decided which one yet, but... I've decided that I will just make some matcha cupcakes for my dinner party....! Hope you enjoyed my fail.