Traditional Steamed Ji Dan Gao / Kueh Neng Ko (Chinese Steamed Egg Sponge Cake)
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 45 minutesminutes
Total Time: 1 hourhour5 minutesminutes
Servings: 6inch round cake
Author: Marvellina
A traditional Chinese ji dan gao or known as kueh neng ko recipe from my grandmother made with only four ingredients and without any oil or butter. The cake is usually characterized by a smiling top.
Get the eggs out from the fridge at least 15 minutes before you plan to make the cake so they can be at room temperature
Prepare the steaming basket:
Line the steaming basket with a parchment paper all around. It's okay to have some extra on the sides as you can fold it down
Prepare the steamer:
Fill up the steamer with water, enough to steam for at least the first 30 minutes. Bring it to a boil and then lower to medium to keep it on a stand-by
Prepare the cake batter:
Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. Beat over high speed (speed 8 on Kitchen Aid) for about 1 minute. Then gradually add in sugar in 3-4 batches. Continue to beat until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 10 minutes with a stand mixer on high speed (speed 8 on Kitchen Aid), about 15-20 minutes with a hand mixer. The volume would have tripled by now. The mixture will be thick and you can write figure 8 and it won't disappear immediately. We call this "ribbon stage". It is important to reach a ribbon stage or your cake will be dense. Add vanilla extract if using and beat for another minute
Stop the mixer. Crank the heat on the stove back up so the steamer is ready. Add in cake flour in 3 batches, alternating with the soda drink in batches. Only open the soda drink when ready to use it so it won't lose its carbonation. Use a whisk to gently swipe and fold over flour and soda drink. Just mix until you no longer see pockets of the flour mixture. Switch to spatula to make sure everything is properly combined. Don't overmix either or your cake will be dense and tough
Pour the cake batter into a prepared basket and it should fill up to the brim. Drop the basket on a counter a few times to pop and large bubbles
Sprinkle with sugar:
Sprinkle the top of the batter with granulated sugar in an X or + pattern. Make sure you do this for about 3 rounds each line. Not enough sugar and the cake won't split nicely. Do this quickly so the sugar won't sink to the bottom of the cake
Steaming:
Put the basket inside the steamer. Cover with a lid and use a towel to cover all around the lid (as shown in the photo and video). We don't want any steam to escape. We need all the force we can to push that cake up and hopefully it will smile at you
Please do not open the lid for the first 30 minutes of steaming. Steam for a total of 45 minutes for 5-inch round cake, 50-55 minutes for 6-inch round cake, and 1 hour for 9-inch round cake, or until a cake tester comes out clean. You may check on the level of water after 30 minutes if you are steaming a larger size cake and fill with hot water so the steamer will come back to a boil again much quicker. The remaining of the steaming time is to make sure the cake is cooked through inside
Cool down the cake:
When the cake is done, remove from the steamer and leave the cake out from the basket by lifting the parchment paper and let it cool down on a cooling rack. This way the bottom of the cake won't be wet and soggy