Malaysian Steamed Sponge Cake Recipe (马来糕 Ma Lai Gao)

This Malay steamed sponge cake uses both yeast and a little baking powder to make it super fluffy and puffy.

A popular Cantonese dim sum dessert, Malaysian steamed sponge cake (ma lai gao) is a super spongy, springy, fluffy steamed sponge cake. There are lots of different ways to make it, but it often consists of more than one type of flour.

Whether that's wheat flour and tapioca flour in my Malaysian steamed sponge cake recipe, or wheat flour and custard powder (essentially coloured and flavoured cornflour), the combination leads to an even springier cake that bounces back.

Because brown or muscovado sugar can sometimes be lumpy, even when you first buy it, I like to dissolve mine in warm milk before using it, rather than stirring it into the dry ingredients first. This ensures a perfectly smooth cake batter.

You can also watch me make this on my YouTube channel, Tashcakes:

Ready? Let's go.

Ingredients:

150 g plain flour
50g tapioca flour
180g light muscovado / soft brown sugar
1 tsp yeast
Pinch of salt
2 eggs
150ml milk
100ml vegetable oil
1/2 tsp baking powder

After Steaming:

A little extra vegetable oil

Method:

1. In a large bowl, stir the plain flour, tapioca flour, sugar, yeast and salt together.

2. Crack in the eggs, and gradually whisk in the milk and oil until as smooth as possible.

4. Pass through a sieve into another bowl, smashing down any remaining brown sugar lumps, and give the now-smooth mixture another stir.

5. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to rise and become bubbly (about an hour, or more if your room's cold).

6. Lightly oil an 8" round cake tin and line the bottom with nonstick baking paper.

7. Sift the baking powder into the cake batter and stir well. Pour into your cake tin.

8. Place the cake tin in a bamboo steamer, place that on a wok half-filled with water, and turn the heat on high.

9. Put the bamboo steamer lid on and steam the cake for 35–40 minutes.

10. Remove the bamboo steamer from the heat and brush a little extra vegetable oil on top of the cake. Put the lif back on and leave to cool for a couple of minutes so the cake doesn't dry. Then unmould the cake, slice and serve.

Enjoy, and have fun.