The Acorn Bay Castella is a stylish take on the classic “baby castella,” small sponge cakes originated in Osaka, made with particular focus on the ingredients so that it can be enjoyed anytime. The name comes from its round shape and color that resemble an acorn as well as the squirrel used as the brand’s character. In pursuit of a fluffy and springy texture like a cake, the company worked with two pâtissiers over six months to come up with a recipe, and then spent another year of trial and error to reach the current taste. Focusing on the idea of local production for local consumption, the castella is made with 11 ingredients mainly sourced locally in Hyogo Prefecture, while the oil content (rice oil and butter) is adjusted in summer and winter. Eggs and milk are produced in Awaji, and the flour used is “Ijinkan” flour made 100% of wheat from Hyogo, mainly Shirogane-Komugi wheat. Similar to a type of flour used for chiffon cakes, the Ijinkan flour is fine-textured and does not easily form gluten. The dough is made by sifting the flour to make it even finer and straining the eggs for smooth texture, which are kneaded together for more than an hour. Baked with organic shortening, the resulting castella is crispy on the surface while soft and fluffy inside. The castella can be frozen for storage, allowing you to recreate the freshly baked taste any time you’d like by heating it in a microwave or toaster. Enjoy the fluffy and springy texture of these acorn-shaped castella delivered from Kobe, born out of the hope of making the most delicious baby castella in Japan.