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A classic Chinese-style steamed sponge cake made with yeast. The cake stays soft and full with an amazing aroma of dark brown sugar.
A while ago I made ma lai gao without yeast. The cake is leavened solely by baking powder and baking soda. This version of ma lai gao uses yeast with a little boost of baking powder and baking soda.
Ingredients and substitutions
1. Cake flour
I highly recommend using cake flour. The texture is very soft and fluffy compared to using all-purpose flour
2. Dark brown sugar
Using dark brown sugar gives a darker hue to the cake. If you use light brown sugar, the color will be much lighter. You can also use coconut sugar or palm sugar
3. Whole milk
I don’t recommend substituting with low-fat or skim milk. You can, however, use evaporated milk
4. Yeast
I use SAF gold instant yeast, but you can also use active dry yeast. I like SAF gold instant yeast because it is made to withstand batter or dough with a higher sugar content
5. Eggs
I use large size eggs that weigh about 58-60 grams with a shell
6. Oil
I use avocado oil. You can use any oil of your choice
7. Vanilla extract
I highly recommend adding vanilla extract. This helps to flavor the cake and also to get rid of that aroma from baking powder and baking soda
8. Salt
Small pinch of fine sea salt goes a long way to enhance the flavor and taste of the cake
Ma Lai Gao / Chinese Steamed Sponge Cake (using yeast)
Ingredients
Cake batter:
- 150 g eggs 3 large size eggs
- 150 dark brown sugar light brown sugar works too
- 160 g whole milk or evaporated milk, don't use skim milk
- 4 g instant yeast
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 180 g cake flour
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
To add last:
- 50 g oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
Topping:
- Melon seeds I use sliced almonds
Instructions
- You can use 9 inch round bamboo steamer. If you use 8 inch, the cake will be taller and steaming time need to be longer too.
- I highly recommend using a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper to steam the cake. The bamboo basket has holes at the bottom and the cake cooks better that way and you won't have dense spot. Regular cake pan will work too, but if you have a bamboo basket, I would use that instead
- Add the yeast (you can use active dry yeast or instant yeast) with 2 tbsp of the milk in a small bowl and let it bloom for about 10 minutes. It should be foamy and bubbly
- Whisk the eggs, salt, and sugar vigorously until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the milk, vanilla, and the yeast mixture and whisk again to combine.
- Sift in the cake flour. Use whisk to combine. The batter may be lumpy. Strain the batter
Proof the batter:
- Cover the bowl and let the batter proof at a warm place (about 82 F/28 C) and let the batter proof until foamy and bubbly, about 1 1/2-2 hours at the mentioned temperature. Try not to let it proof too long as the cake may taste sour. So, let the batter proof at a warm place so it won't take beyond 2 hours
Prepare the baking soda and baking powder mixture:
- Fill your steamer with water and bring it to a boil. You want to fill it up with enough water but not too much that the water touches the bottom of the basket you are steaming the cake in, causing the bottom of the cake to be wet and has a dense layer
- Use a whisk to gently stir the cake batter after proofing
- Whisk oil, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.
- Scoop about 4 tablespoons of the cake batter into the oil mixture
- Whisk vigorously to combine. We do this so that the consistency of the oil is similar to your fluffy cake batter so they mix much easier
- Pour the oil mixture into the cake batter.
- Use a spatula to swipe down and fold again to combine thoroughly
- Pour the cake batter into a prepared bamboo steamer or cake pan.
- Put some thin slices of almond or melon seeds on top if you like
Steaming:
- If you don't use a bamboo steamer, make sure you wrap the lid of the steamer with a cloth to prevent water condensation from dropping on the cake surface. If you use a bamboo steamer, you won't have this problem
- Steam on high heat for 45 minutes if using 8-inch round bamboo steamer and about 35-40 minutes if using 9-inch. If using metal cake pan, add another 5 minutes or so.
- A cake tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean with a few crumbs is okay, but it shouldn't be wet and sticky. If it is, steam another 5 minutes and check again
Cool down:
- Remove from the steamer. Let them cool down a little bit and then lift it out from the basket or pan onto a cooling rack so the bottom won't get soggy because of condensation trapped underneath. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature
RECOMMEDED TOOLS
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Ma lai gao with yeast VS without yeast
I was curious to see if there are any noticeable differences between the two:
1. Different technique
I use a different technique to prepare the cake batter for ma lai gao without yeast and the one with yeast. For ma lai gao without yeast, I use a technique similar to preparing genoise sponge cake and then rest the batter to fully hydrate the flour. With ma lai gao using yeast, it’s just a simple mixing/whisking without using an electric mixer. The batter is then rested to let the yeast do the work.
2. Texture and taste
The feedback from my family is that the taste for both is good. The texture is similar on both. The one baked in a bamboo basket is fluffier, whereas the one baked in a regular metal pan is slightly, just slightly denser, but still good
So, in conclusion, you can’t go wrong with either one. The ma lai gao without yeast needs an electric mixer to prepare, so just keep that in mind. The ma lai gao using yeast takes longer to prepare. But IMHO, both cakes give good results.
Did you make this ma lai gao using yeast recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag it to show me what you’ve made. Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
