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And in just a few simple steps, you too can make this fragrant, moist, soft and fluffy, Chinese steamed sponge cake (ma lai gao – 馬拉糕). Update: Since posting this, I’ve made an even fluffier, moist, tender and tastier ma lai gao.
It’s a sponge cake made with a few of the usual ingredients, namely eggs, plain flour, and a leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. But more than that, there’s also brown sugar, honey, custard powder and evaporated milk.
You can’t really find it at Cantonese teahouses anymore, though many of our readers remember having it at dim sum in their childhood years. Indeed, this steamed cake, made from just a few ingredients—rice flour, sugar, yeast—has long been a favorite of young kids.
Place the Ma Lai Go into your steamer setup of choice, and steam on medium high heat—for 30 minutes if using a bamboo steamer… And 35 minutes if using a metal cake pan. See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re not familiar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking. To find out if the cake is done, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake.
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