Old style Chinese egg cake calls everybody’s childhood memory. This is also referred as mini Chinese sponge cake.
I am always wondering where those yummy little cakes are originated. But I am familiar with them when I was just a little girl. At that time, cakes were quite treasure because we cannot make them at home. However they are always available at larger stores. You can even smell the aroma from miles away.
Growing up, I love to recall the food in my childhood from time to time. At the very beginning, this Chinese egg cake is steamed other than baked. Then at sometime, baked version was on almost every store. Compared with steamed version, I prefer baked version because I can still taste the raw egg taste even after adding lemon zest in the batter.After made this successfully around two weeks ago, I make this little egg cake at least twice every weekend for a quick breakfast.
There are many easy and quite yummy cakes during my childhood. This one is made with egg and flour and we have another one made with yeast and rice flour, check that recipe here-Chinese steamed rice cake(sometimes is also known as sugar cake)
The muffin tin I am using is around 50*15mm for each cupcake.
The most important step of this recipe is to whip the egg until really light(white and no large bubbles anymore). I would suggest using warm water to speed up the process in cold winter days.
I got lots of requests concerning about measuring the ingredients in volume like cups, tablespoons and teaspoons.For traditional Chinese stir fries or soups, I used to skip any measurement process and made adjustment based on personal experience. But I started measure in volume especially for seasonings once I realize that reliable personal experience need years of practice. I use my kitchen scale for almost all of my baking and dessert recipes, as the precise ingredient amounts are so important of a successful baking. So Elaine still highly recommend buying yourself a kitchen scale. Technology changes cooking skill only if you use it.
However, I understand that many of you come across with a desperately needed recipe but there is no kitchen scale on hand. So I update this recipe with volume measurement. I am using US volume measurement. So 1 cup=240ml, 1 tablespoon=15 ml and 1 teaspoon=5ml.
Chinese Egg Cake
Ingredients
- 2 middle size eggs ,room temperature eggs
- 60 g cake flour ,½ US cup
- 40 g castor sugar ,around 3 tablespoons+1 teaspoon
- 5 g oil ,olive oil or other vegetable oil around ¾ teaspoon
- warm water ,for speeding up the whipping process, not required in summer days.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 C around 350F.
- Prepare a larger container and add half full warm water, then place your mixing bowl on the warm water. Add eggs and castor sugar. Whip at medium speed until light and fluffy. And then use low speed to remove some large bubbles. This step is the key of success and may take 12- 15 minutes until the mixture reach the ribbon stage.
- Shift flour in. Then use a spatula to combine well. And lastly add oil and well combined too.
- Prepare a mini 12 paper lined muffin tin mold and pour the batter in.
- Bake at the middle rack for 15 to 20 minutes until the surface is well colored.
Notes
Nutrition
eatingslooowly
can i use this recipe in a round cake tin? should i reduce the oven time or increase? im not a very experienced baker
Elaine
If you bake this in round cake tin, increase 5 minutes baking time.
Tiffany Su
Hi I am wondering If I have to use sugar in this recipe to allow it to rise in the oven?
Elaine
Yes, you have to use sugar to keep the texture.
Sage
Is the mini muffin tin you use just for normal mini muffins and cupcakes? Or is it different? And if we want to eat these the day after we make them, how can we store them?
Mrs T
I'm in the UK - what would be a substitute for cake flour?
We gave either self raising or plain flour
Elaine
Mrs T,
You can use flour with lower protein content (6.5% to 8%). Just read the introduction on the package.
Aimes
I read that to replicate the cake flour, use 86% plain flour and 14% corn flour. The larger Tesco supermarkets sell Polish cake flour. Maybe Polish shops sell it too.
Selene
Its tasty n i love that its not too sweet. However its sooo dryn 'hard'. Any idea how to make it light n fluffy? Thanks!
Sheryl
Hi,
I m new to baking. I would like to learn how to improve cos mine turns out a bit dry and hard. Why is that so?
Elaine
Slightly add more oil and shorten the whipping time a little bit next time.
Anonymous User
I haven't made these good looking cakes, but I am looking forward to! Can you share a recipe for those whipping cream they use for cakes in Chinese Bakeries? I am also Chinese and I love those cakes brought from Chinese Bakeries, but I think these cakes might taste even better with those cream. It's where there's not a lot of sugar in it, but sweet enough to enjoy.
Thank you!
Jhe
Can I use the same recipe for a banana cake? Like putting banana on it?
Elaine
I don't know wether mixing banana or putting banana on top will influence the texture or not. But you can have a try!
Mike Souza
History & Origin -
(Great recipe Elaine!)
Growing up in Portuguese Macau and British HK, "Da'n Kou" or Egg Cakes and "Da'an Tart, Po'tart" Portuguese tarts were found literally everywhere. Most yummy baked goods at HK style bakeries originated in Macau, where Portuguese decendents such as myself carried on the Portuguese baking traditions. You will find that many Japanese cakes also have their Portuguese origin, also to mention famous meat dishes like Tonkatsu pork chops. Growing up in Port. Macau and British HK, kids especially could find Egg Cakes everywhere - not just bakeries! Mom 'n Pop convenient stores, street vendors.
M. Souza
Aimes
Can I double up the ingredients to make them as normal-sized muffins? How long should this take in the oven?
Elaine
Yes! You can make with normal sized muffins for a 5 minutes longer baking time.
Mara
The recipe said warm water. How much water and do I put that on the mixture? The recipe is quite unclear on the purpose of the warm water. Thank you!
Elaine
Warm water is used to warm the container. So it is basically depends on your containers.
Hellen Tay
Sorry. What is cake flour? Is it SRF?
Elaine
No. It is low protein flour (around 7% to 9%) for the fluffy texture.
Suzi Castiglione
You are so sweet.
Elaine
You too!