Chinese · Dessert
Steamed Honeycomb Cake
A classic Cantonese ma lai gou-style steamed sponge, known in dim sum houses for its dense, springy crumb riddled with irregular air holes that give the cake its honeycomb name. Built from a simple brown sugar batter and steamed rather than baked, it stays moist, faintly caramelised and slightly chewy at the edges.
$0
15 minsPrep
20 minsCook
65 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
280Calories
4.6gProtein
5.7gFat
52.8gCarbs
26.8gSugar
0.6gFiber
325mgSodium
56mgChol
0.8gSat Fat
87mgPotassium
40mgCalcium
2.3mgIron
0.1mcgVitamin B12
0mgVitamin C
0gPolyol
0gAllulose
0gAlcohol
Goes well with
Sauternes
local
Jasmine Tea
international
vegetarian
dairy-free
sweet-spot
all-time-classics
Instructions
1
Dissolve the brown sugar fully in the boiling water and set the syrup aside to cool to room temperature.
2
Sift the cake flour, baking powder and baking soda together into a bowl to remove any lumps.
3
Whisk the beaten egg and vegetable oil into the cooled sugar syrup until smooth.
4
Pour the wet mixture into the dry flour mixture and whisk briskly until just combined, then cover and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to let fermentation bubbles form.
5
Set up a steamer with plenty of water and bring to a vigorous boil; line a small round cake tin with parchment and pour in the batter.
6
Steam the batter over high heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid, keeping the heat strong throughout to form the honeycomb holes.
7
Remove the tin, let the cake rest for 5 minutes, then turn out, slice into 2 wedges and serve warm.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 55g55g Brown Sugar, dissolved in hot water
- 60g60g Water, boiling
- 65g65g Cake Flour, sifted
- 30g30g Egg, lightly beaten
- 3g3g Baking Powder
- 1g1g Baking Soda
- 8g8g Vegetable Oil
