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Malay sponge

Malay sponge

馬拉糕
SteamedCakes and pastryServed hotWeekendKids like itEasyhands-on 20 min · start to finish 1 hr

“Steaming a cake, the one rule is never lift the lid.”

Ingredientsserves 4

街市Chicken egg (hard-boiled)3
雜貨舖Brown/raw sugar· the Hong Kong 黃糖; buy the soft, dark Australian brown sugar, not raw sugar110 g
雜貨舖Flour· cake flour; or plain flour with two tablespoons per cup swapped for cornflour130 g
雜貨舖Custard powder1 tbsp
雜貨舖Baking powder1½ tsp
雜貨舖Bicarb soda¼ tsp
雜貨舖Evaporated milk60 ml
雜貨舖Butter· melted; swap half for lard for the teahouse taste60 g

Equipment

  • A 20 cm round tin or a bamboo steamer, lined with baking paper
  • A wok or steamer the tin fits in, with the lid wrapped in a tea towel

Method

  1. Line a 20 cm round tin or a bamboo steamer with baking paper; bring the steamer water to a rolling boil.
  2. Whisk the eggs and brown sugar with an electric beater for eight to ten minutes until pale, thick and tripled, falling from the beater in a ribbon; this is where the cake's height comes from.
  3. Sift the flour, custard powder, baking powder and bicarbonate together and fold in gently in two lots.
  4. Fold in the evaporated milk, then the melted butter, with a light hand to keep the air in the batter.
  5. Pour into the tin and steam over high heat for 25 to 30 minutes with the lid wrapped in a tea towel so condensation does not drip and sink the middle; do not lift the lid for the first 20 minutes. A skewer comes out clean.
  6. A flat, dense cake means the eggs were not beaten long enough or the water was not boiling when the cake went in; next time beat for the full time in step two and wait for a rolling boil.
  7. Turn out, peel off the paper and cut into wedges while warm. Serve hot; to reheat, return it to the steamer for a few minutes.

Take care

  • Contains egg, milk (evaporated milk, butter) and wheat; pork fat if lard is used. Steam scalds when the lid comes off; lift it away from you.

The story

馬拉糕 is the teahouse sponge that arrives at the table in a bamboo steamer at 飲茶; its name, Malay cake, has no agreed origin, and the Michelin Guide's Singapore feature collects the theories. It is one of the few cakes a Hong Kong flat could make in the years without an oven, which is why it has a real mums' tradition; dim sum chefs say the old version, raised on a starter fermented ten to twelve hours, is disappearing, and the home version trades that step for custard powder and brown sugar.

Same wall

Bowl pudding, red bean or plainWhite sugar rice cakeBlack sesame roll

Lo Fo Tong is cultural food-heritage reference, not medical advice. If you are pregnant, unwell or on medication, talk to your doctor or registered practitioner before changing what is in the pot.