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How can you make an almost perfect food taste better? Make it with cake!

On the Japanese internet, users are raving about castella (カステラ) French toast, made from the popular Japanese sponge cake originally brought to the country by Portuguese merchants. French toast and sponge cake — sounds like a match made in heaven, no? Well, we had to see if it really is worth all of the fuss, so our Japanese-language writer Ahiru Neko, lover of sweets, hopped on the bandwagon and set to the task of creating this delicacy.

The ingredients are few and simple, and you’re likely to already have them in your kitchen.

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You will need:
100 millilitres of milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon of butter
And of course, your castella sponge cake

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Step 1:
Cut your castella into thick slices. Beat the eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl and place the castella slices into the mixture. Allow to soak for about one minute before flipping them over to coat both sides evenly.

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Step 2:
Melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Place the castella on the hot pan and cook until golden brown, then carefully flip over to brown the other side as well. The sponge cake will be very soft, so you’ll want to use a spatula when flipping. Once both sides are nice, crispy, and golden, they’re ready to eat!

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Even if you’re not so hot in the kitchen, as our Ahiru Neko claims to be, this simple recipe will make anyone feel like a top chef. He was quite happy with how his French toast looked, but we all know the real test is in the taste.

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Ahiru dug in with his fork. The outside was good and crispy, the inside fluffy and soft. And the taste? Delicious, just like real French toast!

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Ahiru says that with the sweetness of the sponge cake, you can enjoy it as-is, but if you want that little extra something, a light drizzle of maple syrup makes it simply divine.

Give this a try for your next brunch and wow your friends, or enjoy it as a simple dessert sometime during the week. Or whip some up anytime, really, because French toast!

Photos © RocketNews24
[ Read in Japanese ]