Steamed Pandan Sponge Cake (Whole-egg method, 4-ingredients only)

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 5

Servings: slices (6-inch round pan)

Calories: 78kcal

Author: Marvellina

Learn how to make the spongiest steamed sponge cake with only 4 ingredients. The sponge cake doesn't use oil, butter, baking powder, or baking soda. All the tips you need to know to make a really good steamed pandan sponge cake. Be sure to watch the recipe video tutorial too.

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Equipment

Ingredients

3 large eggs room temperature, about 58-60 grams each with a shell
50 gr granulated sugar
60 gr cake flour
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pandan essence or other essence of your choice

Instructions

Things to prepare:

Let the eggs come to room temperature. It is important that they are not cold or they will take a long time to beat to a thick creamy consistency
I use a 6-inch round pan with removable base. You can use regular 6-inch round pan and just line the bottom with a parchment paper. No need to line the side of the pan so the cake can climb tall. You can also use springfoam pan
Get your steamer ready. Please make sure the water is enough or steaming for about 50 minutes and get it to a gentle rolling boil when you start beating the eggs and sugar. The steamed has to be ready to go when the cake batter is ready

Prepare the cake batter:

I like to add a small pinch of salt to the recipe as it really brings out the overall flavor. If you decide to use salt, add this to the cake flour and whisk to combine. Set aside
Crack eggs and all of the sugar in the mixing bowl. I use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. You can use a hand mixer too. It will just take a bit longer compared to stand mixer
Start beating the eggs and sugar at a high speed. (speed 8 on my Kitchen Aid). We want to beat them until they are thick, pale, and creamy. It is VERY important to beat to this stage or your cake will turn out dense and soft. The cake relies on this to be spongy and soft
It took me about 8 minutes at a high speed to get to what we call a "ribbon stage". When you drop the batter, it doesn't disappear immediately. It stays for a minute or so before disappearing. If yours disappear immediately, your batter is not thick enough yet. Continue beat until you reach this stage. Please refer to the video to know what to look for if you are not sure about the ribbon stage
When you have reached the ribbon stage, switch to low speed and add pandan essence and gradually add the flour mixture. Try to get all the flour in less than one minute. Stop the mixer and then use a rubber spatula to scrape the side of the bowl and gently fold any loose flour you see into the batter. Swipe down and gently fold over until you don't see any more loose flour. Really gentle about this. You don't want to deflate the batter. At the same time, make sure the water in your steamer is on a rolling boil
Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan. Use a skewer or chopstick to go around the cake to pop any large bubbles inside the batter. These air bubbles will create large holes inside your cake later

Steaming:

Lower the heat to medium and put the cake pan inside the steamer. Gently close the lid, leaving about 1/2 inch gap to let steam escape. This helps the cake rises slowly and water condensation won't drip on the cake. When it rises slowly, it won't collapse when you take it out from the steamer. Steam over medium heat with a lid slightly open for the next 45-50 minutes. The cake will slowly rise high and has a dome top
When the cake is done steaming, wait for 5 minutes before taking it out from the steamer. The dome top will gradually flatten down. This is normal. The cake should not collapse, however. Carefully remove the lid gently so the water won't drip on the cake surface

Cooling down:

Let the cake cool down. The side of the cake may pull away from the pan too. Loosen the side of the cake and then gently turn over to unmould. Peel off the parchment paper on the bottom and you can let the bottom be your top if you prefer the look

Video

Nutrition