Steamed Egg Cake (鸡蛋糕)

Before you read further, if you're looking for Kuih Bahulu, you're in the wrong place. =) This post is about the traditional Chinese version of steamed egg cake that many of us have fond childhood memories of. Ahhh...

Still not sure? This is how it looks like.

I have to say, this is one of the things that are so simple to make but so easy to get wrong. I tried 3 times, tweaking the recipe each time, before finally getting both the flavour and texture right. And that's not before utilizing the foam method for this supposedly traditional Chinese snack. See the following for failed examples. Hahaha...

First attempt - Actual colour is lighter since I used a "retro" lens for photo but the cake was dense and heavy, tasted like... shhhi.. not good eats. =(

Second attempt - Taste started to resemble 鸡蛋糕 but something was missing. While top of the cake rose, the bottom half remained hard and dense.

Third attempt - Finally got the taste! Cake is fluffy enough although aesthetically different from the traditional one since it didn't puff up. But boy I was glad I finally got both taste and texture right.

Fourth attempt - Got everything right after using the foam method. (YAY! ^_^) But the stupid water droplets disfigured my pretty 鸡蛋糕's face. At least it puffed up and the whole cake was demolished within a short while. Haha..







Today is the fifth time I made 鸡蛋糕. I had a sudden uncontrollable urge to eat some after sharing my recipe with friends on FB. *wink wink* I quickly marched out to get some soda and made these simply delish eggy cakes while my 卤肉 stewed away.

Steamed Egg Cake (鸡蛋糕)
Makes a 8" cake tin or 12-14 regular muffin cups

230g     Cake Flour, sieve 2-3 times
180g     White Sugar
    4       Eggs, yolks and white separated
  90g     Ice Cream Soda / Sprite / 7-Up (I prefer Ice Cream Soda)
1 tsp     Vanilla Extract


1. Whisk egg Yolks, Sugar & Vanilla Extract on high speed till ribbon stage. It should doubled/tripled in size, took me about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, clean your mixer.

2. Fold in Flour in 3 additions, alternating with the Soda, waiting for each to be well incorporated. Ie. Flour -> Soda -> Flour -> Soda -> Flour. The batter should be smooth and lump-free. 

3. Using the whisk attachment, whip Egg Whites on high speed till stiff peak. Adding a tiny bit of Cream of Tartar or Powdered (aka Icing/Confectioners') sugar will help with the structure. Some might prefer cornstarch instead, not common though.

4. Introduce a small portion of the whipped egg whites by a gentle stirring motion; this will help lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining whites in 3 portions. It's ok if it's not fully incorporated, it will work out later when steaming but DON'T over fold else it's not gonna rise. 

5. Pour mixture into 8" cake tin, lined with parchment paper. Or line your muffin tray with your favorite liners and fill each cup 3/4 of the way. Steam over roaring boiling water for 20-30 minutes. 15-20 minutes is suffice for the individual portions. Whichever size, check cake at 15 minutes and decide. Cake tester or skewer should come out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. Remember to wrap a piece of cloth over the wok lid so water droplets can't get to your nice nice 鸡蛋糕. =)

Optional: You can make colourful 鸡蛋糕 by adding a drop of food (gel) colouring after folding in the whites. Be warn it will flatten the batter slightly due to additional stirring from getting a homogeneous colour (or if you're not lazy like me, you can add the colouring before folding in the whites). And if you want your cakes to "smile" at you, sprinkle sugar in a cross (X) pattern across the batter or cross (X) the surface of the batter with a slightly oiled knife before steaming and they will split right up.

If you run out of muffin/cupcake trays, don't be a smart alec like me and line a ramekin instead. The (blue) cake couldn't expand nor rise properly, resulting in a dense center. =( Pink and yellow ones are good eats though. Another lesson learned. =D

All blog posts and photos are properties of WhatToBakeToday (unless otherwise stated). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these contents, whole or part thereof, without express or written permission from this blog's author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to WhatToBakeToday with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.