Fluffy and Moist Lemon Castella Cake

This refreshing lemon-flavoured castella cake has a texture similar to Japanese-styled cheesecake. It is delicate and moist and melts in your mouth. Into a mixing bowl sift 75 grams of cake flour then heat 55ml of oil in the microwave for a minute and add the hot oil to the flour. Mix the oil and flour until smooth then add 120ml of yoghurt and the juice of one lemon( about 15ml).

Whisk until they are incorporated and the mixture is thick. In a clean mixing bowl, separate 5 egg whites from the yolks and add the egg whites in the bowl and the egg yolks in the yoghurt mixture and mix well then add the zest on one lemon and mix it in. At this point, preheat your oven to 140C/285F.

Into the bowl with the egg whites, add a few drops of lemon juice and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high speed u til bubbles appear. Add the caster sugar in three batches while beating the mixture on high speed after each addition. Continue beating until the texture reaches a soft peak. Take a third of the meringue and add to the cake batter and fold it with a hand whisk from bottom to top.

Pour the batter into the remaining meringue and fold it in slowly with a spatula until smooth and well incorporated. Prepare a square 18cm by 18cm by 5cm baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan and gently tap a few times to remove any large air bubbles in the cake batter. Place the pan in a baking tray and add hot water to the tray to about 3 cm.

Bake in the preheated 140C/ 285F oven for 60 minutes then increase the temparature to 160C/320F and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Once baked, immediately remove the cake from the mould and let it cool. This cake has a refreshing taste, enjoy it with a cup of tea.