Honey Castella Cake ♡

I think I've  finally mastered making Honey Castella Cakes after making it about 8 times. The first time I made this cake, the appearance was really horrible and unappetizing to eat. The cake already deflated while baking inside the oven. The top part of the cake was a very very dark color. The honey flavor was really good though. Still, I was disappointed that it didn't come out like the one sold in the stores. However, I combined the Taiwanese way of making the Honey Castella Cake and the directions from Just Hungry . This is my version that I combined  :) , I tried my best to be very detailed and clear as much as I can~~ 

INGREDIENTS ♡:

• 4 whole eggs (separated & room temperature)( cold eggs= small volume, room temp. eggs= larger volume)
• 2-4 tbsp honey ( I used plum honey from Taiwan)
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp maltose sugar ( Very important!, it makes the texture of the cake look nice, moist, and smooth )
• 3/4 cup wheat flour ( Very important as well. I tried using All-purpose flour, but it didn't come out as nice.)
• 1/2 cup sugar ( I reduced to 1/2 cup instead of 1 cup because , the honey already adds the sweetness.)

DIRECTIONS ♡:

1. Preheat oven at 165 C (320F). Fill 2 little loave pans with water. Fill up 1/4 of the pan. Place them into the oven and place each pan on both sides of the pan so that the cake batter will be in the middle of the 2 filled pans with water. Then foil your pan.
2. Put milk in a bowl and microwave for 8 seconds to warm. ( Milk heats fast). Stir in maltose sugar and honey until well melted and incorporated.
3. Heat up water in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites till stiff peak ( meringue - like) Then, slowly add in the sugar. The egg white batter will be glossy. The batter will thicken.
4. Next beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Beat well until mixture turns to a pale white color or approximately 10-15 minutes. Turn your mixer to the lowest setting . Then add sifted flour slowly (2 light shakes , It will take a little longer to finish but the result is worth it! I promise(:
5. Then , slowly pour the honey mixture into the batter until well mixed.  Using a sifter, pour the batter into it and into the pan. Now , take the pan about 4~5 feet in the air and drop down to take out any air bubbles.
6. Place pan in between the two filled pans with water. Bake for about 54 minutes or until golden brown.
7. When it's done baking, take the cake out and turn over on a cooling rack~ The cake shouldn't deflate much as the maltose sugar helps keep its shape. Cool for at least 10 minutes before removing foil. I've tried using different knives to see which knife makes the cleanest cut. I found using a serrated bread knife was the best, as it didn't create a big crumbly mess.Serve. The main part I like about this cake is that no butter or oil was needed.