Central District, Taichung City｜Banshin Castella Cake

Still, the BEST of the BEST! After all these decades, where shops have come and gone, this one not only still stands, it's standing right at the top.  No one in Taiwan even comes close to matching them.  Many shops have even tried to copy their name, but there is only this one shop. Using only real natural ingredients, (see photo) their Castella (some may call it honey cake) is the Best not just in town, but probably the best in the whole country!  When you eat it, you could immediately tell how naturally tasting their cake is.  It’s also NOT that sweet at all, unlike many of the other brands out there. Long line is a constant thing.  In fact, I’ve never seen them without a line up before, unless you go super early in the morning.  If you are visiting for the first time, just go in and ask if you can order or if you need to wait outside. Since there are so many people by the door, it can be chaotic at times, and some people may cut you off in line, intentionally or unintentionally. When you go in and order, you will be asked to come back at a later time, usually at least an hour later, to pick up and pay for your order.  If you’re not back by then, they will gladly sell it to one of the other eager customers waiting in the line. So it's better to come back 5-10 minutes earlier just in case. If you’re unsure how much you can eat, just buy the smallest one at $200 a box, and you will have more than enough for a nice afternoon tea.  We have bought countless times from them, and each time, we usually buy a few boxes, and put some in the freezer.  When you take it out from the freezer and thaw at room temperature, it still tastes pretty good, and the flavor is not altered.  Of course, there is no match for eating it fresh and warm when it's right out of the shop. One distinguishing feature to their cakes is that they have modified them to create their own unique flavor, which is unlike any other, and unlike the typical castella that you would get from Nagasaki, Japan.  The ones from Japan such as Fukusaya (福砂屋) or Izumiya (和泉屋), tend to be sweeter, but theirs is less sweet, and the egg aroma is a lot stronger.  Theirs also doesn't have the layer of sugar crystals typically found at the bottom of each slice. Lastly, their cake has such a bouncy texture to it that I decided to post a video of it.  Even after you squeeze it, the cake would immediately return to its original shape!  Talk about uniqueness! Special thanks to those Europeans, and the Portuguese who first introduced castella to Japan, and then to Taiwan. Of course, special thanks also to this shop, so that we can all continue to enjoy these delicious castella cakes!

This is a really old shop in taichung city. It’s like a honey cake, not as heavy as pound cake but not as airy as a sponge cake. It is super delicious and they make it fresh every day. It was still warm when we got it. There’s definitely always a line when you go there. Since you have to wait for the next batch to come out of the oven. It’s a small shop so they will tell you what time to come back and pick up your order. It’s also really beautiful packaging. I always pick up a box if I’m passing by the area. There are different sizes for whatever you need.

The most amazing castella cake you will ever have! My family has been eating this for over 20+ years now and it’s still just as good as before. I much prefer to have it when it’s cold and been refrigerated. Nicer texture and you are able to peel off the whole piece of cake from the sheets.