This Asian inspired cake is super light and melt in your mouth, it is easy to make and require just a few ingredients. The citrus flavor from calamansi gives this cake a very unique touch.
I got this dwarf calamansi tree a while ago and since then it has been given us loads and loads of little citrus fruits which according to Wikipedia it is a hybrid between mandarin orange and kumquat. . In spite of the seeds in it I love how easy is to squeeze the fragrant juice out of it. Often I add to water or use as a lemon in salad and cooking, in another words, anywhere you use lemon I sometimes substitute for calamansi.
Now you can see how the idea of making calamansi cake was born…the recipe is based on Orange Lemon Sponge Cake from Jeannetay’s Blog, which by the way has amazing recipes for cake and bread.
Oh! Before I forget, the batter is baked in a water bath (bain-marie), therefore the light and moist texture of the cake resembling cotton…so plan and make sure you have all the necessary tools ready.
Since I love everything mini I used 2 mini angel food cake pans and one 4” round pan.
Ingredients:
- 3 large eggs, separated
- 45 g cake flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 25 canola oil
- 35 g calamansi juice (or lemon juice)
- ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 40 g sugar (10 g + 30 g)
Method:
Sift flour and salt together and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F
In a large bowl whisk the egg yolk together with the sugar (10g), oil until creamy and the yolk turns light yellow. Add the calamansi juice and whisk well. Add the sifted mixture of flour and combine well without over mixing. Set aside.
Whisk egg white in a medium bowl until foamy then add cream of tartar, slowly add the remaining 30g of sugar. Whisk until firm peaks form.
Add approximately ⅓ of the egg white meringue to the bowl containing the egg yolk mixture with flour and mix gently until the egg white are totally blend in. Add another ⅓, and fold into the batter. Finally add the last ⅓ portion of the egg white to the cake batter folding gently to not deflate the air in the meringue.
Pour the batter into a prepared 6”pan (round or square, lined with a parchment paper on the bottom) or a 2 mini angel pan (4.5”) plus a round 4” pan.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven and unmold the cake by flipping on a plate or wire rack and let it cool.
If you enjoy this Asian inspired cake recipe, please take a look at Cotton Soft Cheesecake or Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cake recipes.
Did you know that calamansi is packed with vitamin C? Like all the other citrus fruit, calamansi contains high levels of vitamin C and antioxidants. It is very popular in Phlippines combined with soy sauce and used as marinade or dipping sauce.
I’ve tried several times to make a beautifully puffed Asian cake like this without good results. I’m going to try your recipe next! Congratulations on your lovely Calamansi tree and fruit! I’ve never seen them here but they look so juicy and delicious.
wonderful dessert !!!
This looks so light and special Juliana! I love that you have your own potted fruit tree–I have a young fig tree that I hope eventually grows fruit!
Your cake looks so moist and light, I wish I can taste it right now!
I would love to taste Calamansi juice! And I would love to have a piece of your cake. Looks so delicious!! Have a wonderful week, Juliana!
I would enjoy a slice of this cake. It looks like it would light and moist.
Neat looking cake! Love its texture. Bet I’d like it’s flavor better still. 🙂