Japanese Honey Castella, Sweetened with Monk Fruit

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160 degrees C and line an 18cm tin with baking paper so the cake lifts out easily.
2. Put 85 grams of egg white in a bowl and whip, building from slow to fast. Once the whites start to foam, add 54 grams of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend slowly and whip until fine and glossy but not too stiff.
3. Add the 60 grams of egg yolk a little at a time, whipping gently so the yolks blend evenly into the whites.
4. Sift 60 grams of bread flour over the eggs and fold it in gently with a whisk or a soft spatula.
5. Stir 20 grams of honey with 20 grams of oat milk, add it to the mixture and fold through.
6. Pour the batter into the tin from a height to burst the large bubbles, then drop the tin onto the counter from about 25cm a few times to level the surface.
7. Set the tin close to the lower element and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is deep golden brown.
8. Take it out of the oven, drop the tin onto the counter from a height at once, then wrap the tin tightly in food film so the steam sinks back in and keeps the cake moist. Chill for about 2 hours before slicing.

Tips

• Do not use too much egg white, as the top wrinkles once the cake cools, while the yolks keep it soft and moist.
• Honey is still sugar, and too much of it also leaves the cake sticky.
• For a moister, more fragrant cake, mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 2 teaspoons of oat milk and brush it over the top the moment the cake leaves the oven.
• Sift the bread flour in and fold decisively in a few strokes, since dawdling knocks all the air out.
• Dropping the tin from 25cm a few times bursts the bubbles, which is what gives a fine crumb.
• Wrap the tin as soon as it leaves the oven and chill for 2 hours, which makes the cake moist and easy to slice.