You can make this with the simplest ingredients that you can find in every kitchen ~ eggs, sugar, milk, self-raising flour. It's kinda amazing that no additional fat is needed. Plus, it's steamed and not baked, very healthy cake indeed... ^__^
Aunty Ann, I did it!! ^ ^ The cake is very soft and moist. Thank you for sending me the recipe. I miss your (and Agnes') cooking all the time...
Ji Dan Gao 鸡蛋糕 (Steamed Cake)
(makes a 15cm/6 inch round cake)
Ingredients:
3 Eggs
120g Sugar
0.5tbsp Ovalette (optional)
50ml Milk
125g Self-raising flour, seived (or 125g Plain flour + 0.5tsp Double action baking powder)
Method:
* Beat eggs and sugar till pale yellow, light and fluffy.
* Mix milk into egg.
* Fold flour quickly into egg and milk batter.
* Steam on high heat for 15-20 minutes.
Notes:
# The criss-cross cut on top of the cake was made when the skewer for doneness came out clean and 2 minutes before I turned off the fire, so there wasn't much "smiling" effect to speak of.
# Use of ovalette - Ovalette is an emulsifier/stabiliser commonly used in cake-making. It helps to strengthen the air bubbles in beaten eggs so that they can hold up during other steps of cake-making, eg, mixing in the flour. Other names for ovalette: sponge gel, cake emulsifier.
# Double acting baking powder - "Double" means "two stages" here. Stage one, air released immediately when baking powder comes into contact with water. Stage two, more air released when baking powder is exposed to heat (steaming/baking). Only Stage one happens in regular baking powder, so you have to be quick in mixing the flour and putting the cake into the pre-heated oven/steamer. With double acting baking powder, the batter can wait another 20 minutes for the heat. "Double" doesn't mean that the cake will rise twice as much as regular baking powder. :)
# Cake flour or Hong Kong flour will give this cake a softer and finer texture, use them instead if you have some in your kitchen.
# When to add milk - Although the original recipe called for milk to be added after mixing the flour, I added mine before. Not sure it'll make any difference to the end product. If you know why, pls leave me a message. ^^
