Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Cantonese Steamed Malay Sponge Cake
馬拉糕
Recipe overview
This short-fermented home ma lai go uses yeast for aroma and baking powder for lift, producing a soft brown-sugar sponge; it is not an overnight old-dough version.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 150 g Cake flour
- 100 g Beaten whole eggs
- 100 ml Whole milk
Egg seasoning
- 80 g Brown sugar
- 2 g Instant yeast
- 4 g Double-acting baking powder
Cooking fat
- 30 ml Neutral cooking oil
02
Tools
- 18 cm round tin and baking paper
- Steamer and rack
- Mixing bowl, whisk and spatula
- Fine sieve, skewer and thermometer
03
Steps
Step 1
Line the tin
Line the base and sides of an 18 cm tin with baking paper, leaving at least 3 cm expansion room.
Step 2
Warm the milk
Warm milk to about 35°C and remove from heat; do not exceed 40°C.
Step 3
Dissolve sugar and yeast
Stir brown sugar and instant yeast into warm milk, breaking up sugar granules as much as possible.
Step 4
Add eggs
Add 100 g beaten egg and whisk until the colour is even without whipping for volume.
Step 5
Mix in flour
Sift in 150 g cake flour and stir just until no dry flour remains.
Step 6
Ferment briefly
Cover and leave at about 28–30°C for 45–55 minutes until fine bubbles appear and the batter rises slightly.
Step 7
Preheat steamer
Near the end of fermentation, boil enough steamer water for 30 minutes, keeping it below the rack.
Step 8
Add baking powder and oil
Sift baking powder evenly over batter, add 30 ml oil and fold gently until no oil streaks remain.
Step 9
Fill the tin
Immediately pour into the tin no more than seven-tenths full and tap once to remove large bubbles.
Step 10
Steam the cake
Place in the boiling steamer, cover and steam over medium-high heat about 28–30 minutes; keep the lid shut for the first 25 minutes.
Step 11
Check the centre
Open away from steam; a skewer in the centre should have no wet batter and the surface should spring back; steam 3–5 minutes more if needed.
Step 12
Cool and slice
Rest off heat about 5 minutes, unmould, peel paper and cut into small warm portions, watching for hot steam.
Common mistakes
- Overheated milk weakens yeast activity.
- Adding baking powder at the start wastes some lift.
- Long mixing after flour makes a tough cake.
- Opening before the crumb sets can collapse the cake.
Tips
The 70-minute preparation includes short fermentation; a cool room needs longer for fine bubbles. Baking powder supports the rise, so do not wait for the batter to double. Steam immediately after adding it, and carefully top up only with boiling water if the steamer runs low.
