Honey Sponge Cake

The Portuguese who lived in Nagasaki about 400 years ago made a honey cake very similar to this one. The Japanese were quite taken with it and developed their own version of the cake, without any butter. It has become a Japanese classic, taught in cooking classes devoted to traditional Japanese sweets, and is served with native green teas as well as with “foreign” black teas or coffee.

The generous amount of honey makes a moist cake with a rich, dark surface on both top and bottom,