White Sugar Sponge Cake

June 7, 2022

WHITE SUGAR SPONGE CAKE

Finally, a white sugar sponge cake recipe that has been in the works for quite some time has come to fruition. Over the years, we’ve received many requests for bai tang gao!

I appreciate your patience while I awaited the right moment to share this age-old recipe with you. The suspense was not a deliberate part of the film. It’s a simple recipe, but none of the ones I tested turned out as well as the one I had in mind. In order to achieve the desired fluffy, slightly chewy texture, I had to go through a lot of trial and error.

These days, baak tong gou, or white sugar sponge cake, is scarce. That’s why we’ve had so many requests for recipes.

Many of our readers recall having it at dim sum when they were children, but it is no longer available in Cantonese teahouses. Rice flour, sugar, and yeast combine to make a simple steamed cake that has long been a favorite of young children.

Dim sum carts are zigzagging through tables full of other diners during your family’s weekend brunch in the metropolis. As you squint to see where your favorite foods are, your mouth waters as you see this decadent dessert!

Walking down the street with your grandmother and passing by tofu stores, fruit stand vendors, and vegetable stalls can be another option. Across the street from you, a seller pulls a cart and hands a warm, sparkling rice cake to one of his satisfied customers. You steer Grandma towards the trolley while yanking on her arm, hoping for a taste of her pie.

That sliver of white sugar sponge cake was surrounded by so much affection! Bai tang gao used to be freely available, and no one ever considered making their own. However, even in Chinatowns and dim sum restaurants, it is being phased out.

For this reason, it’s so crucial to keep track of these recipes and preserve them for future generations. As a parent, you may now share your fond memories of this book with your children, friends, and other family members.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 150 g of rice flour
  • 80 ml of water
  • 100 g of white granulated sugar
  • 3 g of active dry yeast
  • 30 ml of lukewarm water
  • vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Clump the rice flour with 80g (80 ml) of water in a heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
  2. Boil the water and sugar. The sugar should be entirely dissolved at this point. After removing the rice mixture from the heat, add the sugar water. Stir quickly to combine. Whisk until smooth, about a minute or two (there should be no lumps). The batter-like mixture will be formed. Cool to room temperature before serving.
  3. Stir in 3g dried yeast (or quick yeast) and 2 tablespoons lukewarm water while the mixture cools. Allow the yeast to brew for 15 minutes.
  4. For 3 minutes, whisk the batter with the yeast mixture until it’s frothy and the rice is lukewarm.
  5. Let it ferment for at least three hours in a warm location before serving. A large mug of boiling water was placed next to mine in the microwave, and the door was shut. I refilled the mug with boiling water every hour to keep the room at a comfortable temperature.
  6. Prepare your steamer and fill it with enough water to endure 20 minutes of steaming at high heat during the last 10 minutes of fermentation.
  7. You’ll notice foamy bubbles on the surface of your batter after the three-hour fermentation period is through. Set the steamer’s water to a rolling boil by turning on the heat.
  8. Fill an 8- to 9-inch pie pan or other shallow heatproof dish with the rice mixture and place it in your steamer. Cover and steam the dish for 20 minutes at a high temperature until the water is at a rolling boil.
  9. After 20 minutes of steaming, turn off the heat but don’t open the steamer. Take a two-minute break from the cake’s cooling process. It’s time to open and remove the lid after two minutes, when the cake is done steaming.
  10. Keep the cake moist by brushing it with vegetable oil after baking. Before slicing, let it cool completely on the counter. Before slicing, lubricate your knife with a little bit of vegetable oil. Serve.
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