Ma La Gao- Chinese Steamed Cake (馬拉糕)

an ultra light, spongy cake made with dark brown sugar for a deep, complex flavor

A sweet morning snack or a dim sum dessert- it's really up to you. It's light in both texture and taste, with a crumb as airy and soft as a sponge cake, but with the sponginess and spring of a steamed bun. While these traits make this such an endearing treat, what makes this version my favorite is the dark brown sugar taste, which adds layers of caramel and toffee to the cake.

Ma la gao holds its origins in Malaysia with "ma la" as in "Malay" and "gao" meaning cake. It was an adaptation of the British tea cake, but changed again when it was brought to Hong Kong, where it ended up in the dim sum scene. The authentic version of this cake errs on the side of a naturally levained bread, and uses a starter dough. Perhaps this is why ma la gao's take on a similar moist chew as sourdoughs. Either way, its made its way off the dim sum carts and into street stalls and bakeries and soon, even your kitchen table ;).

Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 large eggs
160 g (2/3 cup) coconut milk
½ cup water
1 ½ cup (180g) flour
3/4 cup (160g) dark brown sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 tbs (50g) oil

Steps

Beat eggs lightly, add in milk and water, then mix until just combined.
Combine flour, dark brown sugar, yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, and beat until the batter is smooth. It should be at a ribbon consistency, where if you pour a spoonful of the batter, it forms “ribbons” before disappearing back into the batter.
Cover the mixing bowl, and let it proof at room temperature for 2 hours. It will be bubbly and dappled with lighter shades of brown.
Mix in baking soda, baking powder, and oil until just combined. You don't want to overmix this dough
Steam for 40min (25 min in an Instant Pot).