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Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.
schedulePrepare in advance
Add 1 tsp of yeast and 30 ml of warm water into a small dish, stir well with a spoon, and let it sit for 10 minutes until the yeast is fully dissolved and activated.
Watch out
The water for dissolving yeast must be lukewarm (around 35-40°C)
hot water will kill the yeast and prevent the batter from rising completely
Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw eggs to prevent bacterial cross-contamination to other ingredients.
Crack 3 eggs into a bowl, whisk briefly with a manual whisk until the yolks and whites are completely blended into a uniform egg liquid.
Watch out
Only whisk the eggs until evenly combined without beating aggressively
otherwise, too much air will be incorporated and affect the cake's fine texture
Pour 160 ml of evaporated milk into the whisked eggs and mix thoroughly with the whisk until smooth and lump-free without whipping up foam.
Watch out
Stir the evaporated milk and eggs gently until smooth
over-whisking into thick foam will cause uneven air distribution in the cake
Pour the activated yeast mixture into the egg-milk liquid, stir evenly with the whisk, and set aside for later use.
Watch out
The yeast liquid must be mixed thoroughly into the egg-milk base
otherwise, uneven yeast distribution will cause irregular fermentation
Place a sieve over another large bowl, pour in 180 g of cake flour and sift completely until fine and lump-free.
Watch out
Be sure to use cake flour instead of all-purpose or bread flour
otherwise, excess gluten development will result in a dense and hard sponge cake
Add 160 g of dark brown sugar, 0.25 tsp of salt, and 20 g of custard powder into the bowl of sifted flour, then stir gently with a whisk until evenly combined.
Watch out
Break up any large brown sugar lumps before mixing to ensure it blends seamlessly with the flour
otherwise, undissolved sugar granules will remain in the batter
Pour the prepared egg liquid gradually into the dry ingredients in batches while stirring continuously with a whisk, until completely mixed into a smooth, lump-free brown batter with no white flour streaks.
Watch out
Add the liquid gradually in batches while whisking in one direction
pouring it all in at once will create stubborn flour lumps that are difficult to dissolve
Add 50 g of vegetable oil to the batter and stir steadily with the whisk; it will look separated at first, but keep stirring until the oil is completely emulsified and absorbed, resulting in a thick, glossy batter resembling runny peanut butter.
Watch out
The oil will float on top initially, so stir patiently until it is fully emulsified
if oil is not thoroughly integrated, the cake will become oily and separate at the bottom during steaming
Place a sieve over a clean large glass bowl, pour in the mixed batter, and gently press through using a whisk and a spoon until all the batter is smoothly filtered and free of any lumps.
Watch out
Because the batter is thick, gently scrape and press against the bottom of the sieve with a spoon to ensure all batter passes through smoothly without waste.
Cover the glass bowl tightly with cling wrap, place it in a warm enclosed environment (such as an unheated oven or kitchen cabinet) to ferment for 2 hours until the batter is well-fermented with fine air pockets.
Watch out
Place the bowl in an unheated oven or closed cabinet for fermentation
do not turn on any heat, otherwise the heat will prematurely cook and ruin the batter
Unwrap the cling film, add 0.5 tsp of baking powder and 0.5 tsp of baking soda to the fermented batter, and stir gently and slowly with a whisk until the powders are fully incorporated without white streaks; do not over-mix.
Watch out
Gently mix the baking powder and baking soda in without over-stirring
excessive mixing will deflate the fermented bubbles and develop gluten, making the cake dense and tough
Line a 7-inch round cake mold with baking parchment paper, pour all the batter into the mold using a spatula to level the surface, then gently tap the mold against the table a few times to release large air bubbles.
Watch out
Lining the mold with parchment paper is essential to prevent sticking
make sure to tap the mold before steaming, otherwise large unsightly cavities will form inside the cake
Extreme hot steam will rush out when opening the lid; open the lid away from your face and always use heat-resistant oven mitts when removing the hot mold to prevent severe burns.
Bring plenty of water to a rolling boil in a steamer wok, place the mold onto the steaming rack, cover tightly with the lid, and steam over high heat for 40 minutes until the sponge cake rises tall and firm with a dry golden surface and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
local_fire_departmentHigh heat, about 40 minutesWatch out
Keep the heat high with abundant steam throughout the entire steaming process and never open the lid midway
cold air entering will cause the cake to collapse immediately
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