Steamed White Sugar Sponge Cake Recipe

Today we are going to make Steamed White Sugar Sponge Cake (Bai Tang Gao). Our White Sugar Sponge Cake is going to be moist, fluffy, and bouncy. It’s also super easy to make with only a few ingredients. Let’s get started!

Steamed White Sugar Sponge Cake Recipe

Serves: 8
Prep time: 30 minutes
Rest time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

For the yeast:
¼ cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar

For the batter:
1 ¾ cup room temperature water, separated
2 cups rice flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon avocado oil, for brushing

Steamed White Sugar Sponge Cake Instructions

1. To proof yeast, in a bowl, add in the warm water (100 to 110 degrees F or 38 to 43 degrees C), active dry yeast, and sugar. Whisk and rest for 10 minutes.
2. To make the rice flour mixture, in a large container, mix together the rice flour and 1 cup of water. Set aside.
3. To make the sugar and water mixture, in a small pot over medium heat, place in ¾ cup of water and sugar, stir until dissolved, and bring it to a boil.
4. To create the batter, pour the sugar and water mixture into the rice flour mixture. Whisk until it becomes a smooth batter. Let it cool until lukewarm (around 100 degrees F or 38 degrees C).
5. Pour the yeast mixture into the batter. Mix well. Cover the container.
6. To speed up the fermentation, preheat an oven to the lowest temperature setting for 1 minute, and then turn it off. Place a pot of boiling water at the bottom rack. Also, put the batter on the middle rack. (The temperature inside the oven is at about 95 degrees F or 35 degrees C.) Close the oven door. (Skip this part if you lived at a hot and humid place.)
7. Ferment the batter until large bubbles are shown on the surface, for 1 hour.
8. In a heatproof container (in my case, it’s a 9-inch round cake pan), coat it with about ½ teaspoon of avocado oil.
9. Add the baking powder to the batter. Whisk until combined. Pour the batter into the heatproof container.
10. To steam, in a large steamer over high heat bring it to a boil. Place the container in the steamer, cover the lid, and steam until completely cooked thought, 25 minutes.
11. Turn off the heat. Rest for 5 minutes before uncovering the lid. Remove from the steamer.
12. Cool down for another 15 minutes. (Once it has cooled down, it would easily be removed from the container.) Remove the cake from the container, cut, and serve!