Sangdong, Bucheon castella bakery: low-sugar fresh cream at Jinsim

Looking for a castella bakery in Bucheon that isn't too sweet?

Jinsim Castella Bucheon (진심카스테라 부천점) is a takeout-only bakery I visited while searching for a place in Bucheon that makes castella (Japanese-style sponge cake) properly. When I want a proper dessert in Bucheon, I skip the obvious ones and often reach for something that goes well with coffee and isn't heavy, like castella. It works as a snack, and with good ingredients it can even stand in for a meal, so I find myself eating it often, but among ordinary Bucheon bakeries, hardly any make castella really well. So I looked around, and the place I ended up at was Jinsim Castella Bucheon, a bakery tucked away in Sangdong, Bucheon.

• Hours: 10:00-21:00
• Closed: every other Wednesday
• Getting there: 102 Solarium Building B, 209 Gilju-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi, South Korea

Where is Jinsim Castella Bucheon, and is there parking?

Jinsim Castella Bucheon sits between Bucheon City Hall Station and Sinjungdong Station, so it's an easy spot to drop by and pick up an order. The building has parking with 1 hour covered, so it's also handy if you just pop in by car.

The shop is takeout only, not a place where you hang around. You stop by, pick up, and enjoy it comfortably elsewhere. That gives it a more specialized feel, like it really focuses on castella.

How to order at Jinsim Castella and what's on the menu

You order at Jinsim Castella Bucheon through a kiosk. The castella is being made inside, so once you choose, they pack it right away.

The menu includes Jinsim (original), fresh cream, choco, mugwort and mocha, among others.

They say every item is popular, but I figured I should try the basics first, so I ordered the signature fresh cream castella and a freshly baked choco castella.

Can you add fresh cream to the choco castella?

Even with the plain choco castella, you can order fresh cream separately, and the cream can be regular fresh cream, choco cream or mocha cream. They don't hold back and put in plenty.

For the fresh cream castella, they spread the cream between the fluffy layers of sponge and pack it right away. The white cream against the yellow sponge looked so appetizing. The choco castella has a brown sponge with chocolate chips here and there, and the sponge looked moist and soft even without cream. Still, I wanted something a bit sweeter, so I added fresh cream.

To try the choco in a different way, I added cream separately instead of getting it filled in, and had the cream packed on its own.

Is Jinsim Castella's fresh cream castella very sweet?

The fresh cream castella at Jinsim Castella uses less sugar, so the flavor isn't too sweet. The soft, moist cake slices with a pleasantly substantial weight, and if you're worried it might be sweet, you really don't need to be.

They also say they use antibiotic-free eggs, which makes it feel lighter on the conscience, and it's a Bucheon castella you could comfortably give kids as a snack.

They steadily follow a rule of making it the same day and selling out the same day, and maybe that's why it always tasted full of freshness.

The texture melts away, softer than most other castella, and it's the kind that isn't dry at all.

How does Jinsim Castella's choco castella taste?

The choco castella at Jinsim Castella isn't heavy on chocolate either, with a gentle sweetness that spreads softly. It's the kind of style almost nobody would dislike.

You don't have to pick choco cream for the choco castella. Choosing fresh cream still gives a proper dessert feel, and the sugar boost lifts your mood.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's cloying or something you get sick of.

Is Jinsim Castella a good gift from Bucheon?

Jinsim Castella works fine as a light gift or as a snack to have at home. The packaging is neat and the flavor isn't intense, so it feels like a safe, easy choice for gifting.

When is the best time to visit Jinsim Castella Bucheon?

At Jinsim Castella Bucheon, the Jinsim, choco, mugwort and mocha castellas are prepared in sequence every morning. They say that if the ingredients aren't fresh, they boldly skip making that item, so it's a Bucheon bakery full of sincerity, just like its name (jinsim means sincerity).

If you time it right, you can enjoy moist, delicious, freshly baked castella, so going in the morning seems like a good idea.

If you book through Naver and then visit, there's a 10% coupon, so definitely grab it. I only found that out after I went, which is so annoying T_T

Jinsim Castella Bucheon carries the slogan "selling sincerity, buying peace of mind," with a flavor that sticks to the basics and is easy to enjoy rather than an overwhelming dessert. They clearly care about everything from ingredients to taste.