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Learn how to make soft and spongy Cantonese-style steamed sponge cake leavened with sourdough starter.
After making ma lai gao WITHOUT yeast and then ma lai gao WITH yeast, I have to tackle sourdough ma lai gao too. It’s been on my list for a while. The sourdough ma lai gao is developed from the ma lai gao with yeast.
Sourdough Ma Lai Gao /Ma Lai Go
Ingredients
Prepare levain: (doubles in 3-4 hours)
- 50 g active starter (100% hydration)
- 50 g water
- 50 g all-purpose flour
Cake batter:
- 150 g active starter (100% hydration)
- 150 g eggs (room temperature) from 3 large size eggs
- 150 g dark brown sugar light brown sugar works too
- 85 g whole milk (room temperature) or evaporated milk
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 105 g cake flour
To add last:
- 50 g cooking oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
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
Prepare the levain:
- Prepare the levain at 1:1:1 ratio. If you prepare overnight, you can try using 1:5:5 ratio for example 14 grams active starter + 70 grams water + 70 grams all-purpose flour. This will take about 8-10 hours to peak at 75-78 F (24-26 C). This depends on the temperature, the warmer it is, the faster it peaks.
- If you want to use unfed sourdough discard, I suggest it is within 48 hours. Simply bring the discard out from the fridge to sit at room temperature while you gather your ingredients. If your discard is older than 48 hours, I suggest adding 1 teaspoon of instant yeast
Prepare the cake batter:
- It is best to use eggs and milk at room temperature. I usually let them sit out for about 30 minutes at room temperature
- Whisk the eggs, salt, and sugar vigorously until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the sourdough starter
- Whisk again to loosen up the starter until it combines. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk again to combine
- Sift in the cake flour. Use a whisk to combine.
- The batter may be lumpy. Strain the batter
Proof the cake batter:
- Cover the bowl and let the batter proof at a warm place (about 82 F/28 C) and let the batter proof until you see lots of tiny bubbles on the surface, about 2 1/2to 3 hours at the mentioned temperature. The sourdough version won't be as foamy and bubbly compared to ma lai gao made with yeast
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
- Whisk oil, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl. Use a whisk to gently stir the cake batter after proofing. 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 or a whisk 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. I use white sesame seeds this time
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
- 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
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Ingredients and substitutions
1. Active sourdough starter
This recipe uses 100% hydration sourdough starter. I build the levain using all-purpose flour. If you use bread flour (I normally feed my starter with bread flour), the texture of the cake is slightly chewy (in a pleasant way!)
2. All-purpose flour
I usually use unbleached all-purpose flour. You can use either bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour
3. Cake flour
Cake flour is used to prepare the cake batter. It gives ma lai gao that soft fluffy texture
4. Eggs
I use large size eggs, which is about 58-60 grams when weighed with the shell
5. Brown sugar
If you use dark brown sugar, the cake will have darker brown. I use light brown sugar this time, so the cake is lighter in color
6. Whole milk
I use whole milk, but you can also use evaporated milk
7. Vanilla extract
Use high-quality vanilla extract. The vanilla extract helps to cover the “smell” of baking soda
8. Baking powder and baking soda
These two are used to help leaven the cake as well. This recipe doesn’t use a whole lot of baking soda. So it doesn’t have as much “honeycomb” texture tunneling from the bottom of the cake. I don’t want an overwhelmingly strong aroma of baking soda in the cake
9. Oil
Use neutral-tasting oil. I use avocado oil. You can use any oil of your choice
10. Salt
I use fine sea salt
Tips for making ma lai gao successfully using sourdough starter
1. Make sure your sourdough starter is active. If you are using a past-peak starter that has been more than 48 hours (a.k.a unfed discard), consider adding instant yeast for maximum result
2. Use room-temperature eggs and milk
3. Let the cake batter ferment for at least 2-3 hours until they are bubbly. They won’t rise much but should be bubbly
4. Prepare the baking powder and baking soda mix just right before steaming
5. Use a bamboo steamer or perforated heat-proof basket to steam the cake for the best result
6. Steam the cake on high heat so the cake rises and won’t have dense streaks inside
Did you make this sourdough ma lai gao 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!
