How can one make a sponge cake version of tamagoyaki?

Tamago sponge cake is so moist, sweet and tasty. And do you know what? It’s made without any fat! Tamogo means egg in Japanese. You use a generous amount of egg and that’s what makes this cake so flavoursome!

There are many well-known Tamago cake producers in Japan. But it’s fairly easy to create, so why not give it a shot? The only difference is that the egg has to be whisked a lot, thus I recommend using a hand mixer: otherwise you can develop muscle by doing this with a balloon whisker. One of my favorite dishes from my auntie’s cuisine. It’s such a treat to visit her not just because I can get a huge serving of this cake, but also she makes fabulous cheese cake with this sponge as the base, instead of crushed biscuits. Very satisfying.

Ingredients:

200g room temperature eggs (4 x M-size eggs would do)
Caster Sugar 110g (or light brown sugar, which adds more flavour)
Sifted 100g Strong Flour. Divide this into roughly 3 portions.
3 tbsp Honey
20ml Hot water
a little Demerara sugar (for sprinkling on the bottom of the tin)

The following amount is sufficient for a square 15x15cm cake pan (about 8 cm hight)

1. Prepare the cake tin with the baking parchment at the bottom and inside the wall. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar to give texture and flavor to the completed cake. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Make a pan with some water in the bottom. Bring it to a boil. The pan needs to be large/small enough for a metal mixing bowl for beating the eggs to sit without touching the water.

3. Combine all of the eggs and sugar in a metal mixing dish. Let the bowl sit on the pan so that the steam from the barely simmering water will keep the egg mixture warm.

4. Beat the eggs and sugar together at the high speed for 6 minutes. The volume should be raised significantly, maybe four times.

5. Mix the hot water and honey together and pour this into the beaten egg/sugar mixture. Continue to beat at a moderate pace for one minute.

6. Sieve the first cup of strong flour into the egg mixture. Let it to mix in using the mixer at a low speed for about 10 seconds. Avoid over-mixing! Rep for the second part. When the 3rd, last, portion of strong flour is added, beat in using the slower speed to make sure that the flour is well combined in the mixture, for a minute or so.

7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tray. Tap the tin lightly, and/or use a skewer to drag around in the mixture, to get rid of large air bubbles.

8. Bake at 180°C for 5 to 10 minutes to brown the surface. Prepare a piece of foil big enough to cover the whole pan during this time. When the top of the cake is browned enough, cover the tin with the prepared foil, reduce the temperature to 170 degree C and bake for another 55 minutes.

9. For the perfectly flat top:

When the cake is done, gently tap the pan and remove the cake. Wrap cling film over the whole top of the cake. Put a baking tray over the cling filmed cake top, then reverse the whole thing, the cake with the tray. The cake’s top is now at the bottom. The weight of the cake allows the domed top, which is now near the bottom, to flatten.

Attempt to turn the cake as quickly as possible before the surface begins to settle unevenly.

10. Whilst it is hot, the cake must be completely covered and sealed in a plastic bag or long stretches of cling film. This is crucial to the wet texture. Let the cake to develop for 12 hours after it has been cooked and cooled. Then it’s time to cut.

11. An extra couple of days of maturing would make the cake just exquisite. Change the covering halfway through since the condensation should have gathered quite a bit by now. Maintain the cake at room temperature.

To decorate:

Tamago cake is often imprinted with the maker’s emblem. You can do the same with heated metal of various shapes!