Castella Cake

Castella cake came to Korea by way of Japan, where the cake was inspired by a similar one made by the Portuguese. This sponge cake is deliciously light and fluffy, and it goes great with afternoon tea and some marmalade or jam. My recipe is based on one that my mother used to make for our family. It is not difficult to make, but you do need to pay attention to every detail and not rush the process, which is specifically designed to give the cake lift and airiness. That includes sifting the flour, slowly adding ingredients over time, and baking it at a slightly lower temperature than you’d expect. If you don’t have a sifter, shake the flour through a wire mesh strainer or beat it with a wire whisk or a fork. The key is to aerate the flour to give the cake that perfect lift.

I like to serve this with Korean jujube “tea jelly,” which is essentially jujube jam, sold jarred in Korean and Asian markets. Jujubes, or daechu, are sweet, maroon berries that look a lot like dates—in fact many people call them Korean dates.