0:00 / 5:42

Hong Kong Style Steamed Ma Lai Go Cake

Name: Hong Kong Style Steamed Ma Lai Go Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 48 min
Total time: 2 h 3 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: cantonese
Ingredients: Egg; sugar; Milk; all-purpose flour; Custard powder; instant dry yeast; butter

groups4 servingsspeedEasycountertopsPrep: 15 minsskilletCook: 108 minsscheduleTotal: 123 minsoutdoor_grillSteamed

Allergens:warningGlutenwarningDairywarningEggs

Allergen labels are AI-generated and may be incomplete or wrong. If you have a food allergy, always verify every ingredient yourself.

Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.

skilletInstruction

9 Steps Total

Active Cooking

00:00:28

warningStay safe

Be careful not to drop eggshell fragments into the bowl to maintain food safety.

Crack 2 eggs into a glass bowl, add 60g white sugar and 80g milk, whisk evenly with a hand whisk until the sugar dissolves completely and the liquid mixture is uniform with fine bubbles on top.

lightbulb

Watch out

Whisk thoroughly to dissolve sugar completely, otherwise residual granules will affect fermentation.

Ingredients:Egg (2 piece)sugar (60 g)Milk (80 g)

Tools:mixing bowlwhisk

Active Cooking

00:01:01

Place a sieve over the bowl, sift in 100g all-purpose flour and 20g custard powder, then add 3g instant dry yeast. Stir and fold thoroughly with a spatula until the batter becomes smooth and lump-free.

lightbulb

Watch out

Be sure to sift the flour and custard powder, otherwise flour lumps will form inside the steamed cake.

Ingredients:all-purpose flour (100 g)Custard powder (20 g)instant dry yeast (3 g)

Tools:spatulasieve

Waiting Time

00:02:02

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it ferment in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the batter doubles in size and becomes filled with bubbles.

lightbulb

Watch out

Seal the bowl tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the batter surface from drying out.

Tools:plastic wrap

Preparation

00:02:17

Take a small bamboo steamer basket, line it with a piece of baking parchment paper, and press it smooth along the bottom and sides for later use.

lightbulb

Watch out

Ensure the parchment paper edges are high enough to prevent batter from overflowing during steaming.

Tools:bamboo steamerbaking paper

Active Cooking

00:02:56

Remove the plastic wrap, stir the fermented batter with a spatula to release large gas bubbles, then pour in 20g melted butter and continue stirring until the butter is fully incorporated and the batter becomes glossy and smooth.

lightbulb

Watch out

Deflate thoroughly and ensure melted butter is lukewarm, as hot butter will deactivate the yeast.

Ingredients:butter (20 g)

Tools:spatula

Active Cooking

00:03:39

Pour the mixed batter into the prepared bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper, then gently tap the steamer against the tabletop a few times to burst surface bubbles and smooth out the batter.

lightbulb

Watch out

Tap gently only

do not slam the steamer hard to prevent parchment paper displacement or batter spills

Tools:bamboo steamer

Waiting Time

00:03:53

Let the steamer containing the batter rest at room temperature for a second fermentation of 15 minutes, allowing the batter to rise slightly again.

lightbulb

Watch out

Keep second fermentation strictly around 15 minutes, as over-proofing causes the cake to collapse when steamed.

Active Cooking

00:03:58

warningStay safe

Steam is extremely hot; wear oven mitts when putting in the steamer and opening the lid to avoid burns.

Bring a generous amount of water to a boil in a steamer pot over high heat, place the bamboo steamer inside, cover tightly with the lid, and steam on high heat for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steep covered for 3 minutes before removing the lid, yielding a tall, fluffy cake with a smooth top.

local_fire_departmentHigh heat steam for 30 mins, turn off heat and steep for 3 mins

lightbulb

Watch out

Maintain high heat throughout and do not open lid midway

steep for 3 minutes post-heat to prevent shrinkage

Tools:steamer pot

Active Cooking

00:04:28

warningStay safe

Handle hot steamer with care; keep fingers away from the knife edge when slicing to prevent cuts.

Use oven mitts to remove the bamboo steamer from the pot and place it on a cutting board to cool. Once completely cooled down, peel off the baking paper to demould, and cut the cake evenly into small serving pieces with a knife.

lightbulb

Watch out

Be sure to wait until the cake is fully cooled down before slicing, as hot cake will stick to the knife blade.

Tools:chef's knifecutting board