Light, airy, and kissed with a touch of honey, these Japanese honey castella muffins are like little golden clouds in cupcake form. Inspired by traditional castella cake, they bake up tall and bouncy, with a shiny honey-butter glaze that makes them extra dreamy. If you’re a fan of soft, subtly sweet treats that melt in your mouth, you’ll want to keep this one on repeat. 🙂
These muffins are an easy entry point into Japanese baking. Just a gentle folding technique and a water bath for moisture! Perfect with tea, or as a not-too-sweet snack.
🧡 WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
Tall, fluffy, and moist: These bake up with the signature castella bounce, staying soft for days.
Shiny honey-butter glaze: Brushed on warm, it adds the perfect glossy finish and subtle floral sweetness.
Easy Japanese baking: Just basic pantry staples and a little patience while folding that beautiful meringue!
🔪 KITCHEN EQUIPMENT
Muffin tray
Cupcake liners
Mixing bowls (at least 2)
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Rubber spatula
Fine mesh sieve
🥚 INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED for melon pan cookies
Cake flour, for that fine, fluffy texture. Avoid swapping for all-purpose unless you’re in a pinch.
Honey
Warm milk
Neutral oil
Eggs, room temperature
Lemon juice
What is Castella Cake?
Castella, or kasutera, is a beloved Japanese sponge cake with Portuguese roots, known for its fluffy crumb and gentle sweetness. These muffins are a cute twist on the classic, baked in cupcake liners instead of a loaf, making them portion-perfect and extra cute.
Castella is often compared to Hong Kong-style sponge cake or even Chinese paper-wrapped cakes, but the signature honey note and fine, bouncy crumb set it apart.
📝 HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the honey and warm milk until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, and oil. Slowly stir in the honey-milk mixture.
4. Sift in the cake flour and mix until smooth and thick like pancake batter. Set aside.
5. In a separate clean medium bowl, beat the egg whites with lemon juice until foamy. Gradually add the sugar in thirds, continuing to beat until you reach medium-stiff glossy peaks — the meringue should hold shape but still look silky.
6. Start by adding ⅓ of the meringue into the yolk batter and folding it in a “J” motion, scraping the bottoms until one uniform colour. Then gently fold in the remaining meringue in two parts using a spatula, fold carefully to preserve the air.
7. Spoon the batter (or carefully pour into a piping bag and pipe the batter into the cupcake liners for better control) into prepared muffin cups almost to the top (around 90%). Tap the tray gently once to pop any large air pockets.
8. Place the cupcake tin onto a shallow tray filled with warm water (around 1 inch high)
9. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for about 40 minutes, or until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. If using a water bath, place the muffin tray into a larger pan with hot water halfway up the sides.
10. While muffins bake, melt the butter and honey together and mix. Once muffins are out of the oven, brush the tops while warm for that shiny finish.
Do I need to use a water bath?
It helps! A water bath (bain marie) keeps the oven humid and prevents the tops from cracking while ensuring the crumb stays ultra moist. If you’re skipping it, try placing a tray of hot water on the bottom rack to mimic the effect.
My muffins deflated after baking, what went wrong?
This usually happens when the meringue was under-whipped or deflated during folding. Make sure to beat the whites until medium-stiff peaks and fold in thirds using a “J” motion to avoid knocking out the air.
Can I use regular flour instead of cake flour?
You can, but the texture will be denser. If you must, try reducing the flour slightly and sift it well for a closer result. Cake flour really gives the best pillowy result.
These honey castella muffins are the softest little pillows of sweetness, subtly floral from the honey, with that classic Japanese sponge texture that somehow gets better overnight.
If you’ve never made castella before, I hope this recipe makes it feel totally doable (because it is). Let me know in the comments if you bake them.
Tag me on Instagram or Tiktok or DM me a photo if you make this recipe!
More like this
Hojicha Castella Cake: fluffy, lightly roasted tea-flavored sponge cake, known for its jiggly texture and rich, earthy aroma!
Japanese Hojicha Cake Roll: soft, airy cake meets a creamy blend of bold tea.
Japanese Honey Castella Muffins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This easy Japanese honey castella muffin recipe creates light, airy sponge cakes with a sweet glaze. Perfect for teatime or a soft dessert treat.
Ingredients
For the batter
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp warm milk
- 1/2 cup (60g) cake flour, sifted
- 3 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or canola)
For the meringue
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
For the glaze
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners.
- In a small bowl, mix together the honey and warm milk until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla, and oil. Slowly stir in the honey-milk mixture.
- Sift in the cake flour and mix until smooth and thick like pancake batter. Set aside.
- In a separate clean medium bowl, beat the egg whites with lemon juice until foamy. Gradually add the sugar in thirds, continuing to beat until you reach medium-stiff glossy peaks — the meringue should hold shape but still look silky.
- Start by adding ⅓ of the meringue into the yolk batter and folding it in a “J” motion, scraping the bottoms until one uniform colour. Then gently fold in the remaining meringue in two parts using a spatula, fold carefully to preserve the air.
- Spoon the batter (or carefully pour into a piping bag and pipe the batter into the cupcake liners for better control) into prepared muffin cups almost to the top (around 90%). Tap the tray gently once to pop any large air pockets.
- Place the cupcake tin onto a shallow tray filled with warm water (around 1 inch high)
- Bake at 300°F (150°C) for about 40 minutes, or until golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean. If using a water bath, place the muffin tray into a larger pan with hot water halfway up the sides.
- While muffins bake, melt the butter and honey together and mix. Once muffins are out of the oven, brush the tops while warm for that shiny finish.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Japanese
Leave a Reply