Chinese · Dessert
Steamed Sponge Cake
A Cantonese-style steamed sponge cake, known as ma lai gou's lighter cousin, made from a whisked egg-and-sugar base folded with cake flour and a touch of oil, then gently steamed rather than baked. The moist heat of the steamer keeps the crumb exceptionally soft, tender and faintly eggy-sweet, with none of the dry edges an oven can leave behind.
$1
15 minsPrep
22 minsCook
37 minsTotal
MediumLevel
Nutrition per serving
254Calories
5.9gProtein
8.3gFat
38.5gCarbs
20.7gSugar
0.4gFiber
153mgSodium
112mgChol
1.4gSat Fat
72mgPotassium
30mgCalcium
1.5mgIron
0.3mcgVitamin B12
0mgVitamin C
0gPolyol
0gAllulose
0.3gAlcohol
Goes well with
Light Lager Beer
local
Jasmine Tea
international
vegetarian
sweet-spot
all-time-classics
Instructions
1
Bring a wok or wide steamer filled with a few centimetres of water to a rolling boil, and line a 10cm/4 inch cake tin with parchment.
2
Whisk the 60g egg and 40g sugar together in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, beating until pale, warm and roughly tripled in volume, about 4-5 minutes.
3
Remove from the heat and continue whisking off the heat for another 2 minutes until the batter holds a ribbon trail.
4
Sift the 45g cake flour and 2g baking powder over the egg mixture in two additions, folding gently with a spatula to keep the air in.
5
Stir the 15g warm milk, 10g vegetable oil and 2g vanilla extract together, then fold a spoonful of the batter into this mixture to loosen it before folding it all back into the main batter.
6
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and tap gently once on the counter to pop any large bubbles.
7
Cover the tin loosely with foil or a lid to stop condensation dripping onto the cake, then lower it into the steamer.
8
Steam over medium heat for 20-22 minutes, keeping the water at a steady simmer and not a hard boil, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9
Carefully lift the tin out, uncover immediately to prevent sogginess, and let the cake cool in the tin for 5 minutes.
10
Turn out onto a wire rack, slice into 2 wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 60g60g Egg, room temperature, whisked
- 40g40g Sugar White
- 45g45g Cake Flour, sifted
- 15g15g Whole Milk, warmed slightly
- 10g10g Vegetable Oil
- 2g2g Baking Powder
- 2g2g Vanilla Extract
