I’ve never succeeded in steaming huat kuehs (发糕) to make them blossom like flowers. They either refuse to rise generously or to split and open up obediently while being steamed.
Over the weekend, I found some leftover Hong Kong flour in my kitchen cabinet and decided I should make some Chinese steamed cake (鸡蛋糕）to welcome the Chinese New Year festive season. These cakes make things a lot easier to make compared to huat kuehs – they rise on being steamed, but do not have to blossom like huat kuehs do.
Ingredients:
- Egg (room temperature): 6
- Caster sugar: 280g
- Hong Kong flour: 350g, sifted
- Double-acting baking powder: 2 tsp, sifted
- 7-up drink: 115g
- Pandan flavouring: 1 tsp
- Red/green colouring: 1 tsp each
Method:
- Prepare boiling water in wok for steaming.
- Beat eggs for 5 min till creamy.
- Gradually add in sugar and continue to beat the mixture.
- Mix Hong Kong flour and double-acting baking powder together.
- Use a metal spoon to fold flour mixture into batter.
- Add 7-up & pandan flavouring into batter.
- Divide batter into 3 portions in separate bowls.
- Add red colouring into the 1st portion and green colouring into the 2nd. The 3rd portion will be in its original colour.
- Place muffin cups into a round steaming tray. Pour batter into muffin cups.
- Steam on high heat for 25 – 30 min till risen.
Tricks:
- Cover the wok lid with a piece of cloth for steaming to prevent water droplets from dripping onto the cakes while steaming.
- Leave about 2mm from the rim of the muffin cup when pouring in the batter so that it does not overflow while rising during the steaming.
Disclaimer:
- Saw a few recipes that used 7-up for steaming these Chinese cakes and so decided to give it a try. It doesn’t add to the flavour of the cakes though, so I suspect it was used mainly to encourage the batter to rise during the steaming.
Serving:
21 small cakes
