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.
- 2 middle size eggs (room temperature eggs)
- 60g cake flour (1/2 US cup)
- 40g castor sugar (around 3 tablespoons+1 teaspoon)
- 5g oil (olive oil or other vegetable oil around ¾ teaspoon)
- warm water (for speeding up the whipping process, not required in summer days.)
- 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.
These chinese egg cakes definitely take me back to my childhood.. I used to eat them ALL the time. Thanks for reminding me how delicious they are, I definitely need to make them myself soon!
This is my childhood food too. Very treasure memories.
how can u bake a big cake with this
Sure Hayley. Lots of Chinese birthday cake is made with this type of cake, called as sponge cake. But you will need to lengthen the baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.
What about the egg yolk ? Do we mix them too ? Or just the white egg
Whisk the entire eggs, including the egg yolk.
Hi Elaine,
I have tried your recipe 3 times now. I am doing something wrong but I am not sure what. I made my own cake flour and “blended” my own castor sugar. First and second times, the cupcakes came out compact and dense. This last time the cupcakes came out plump and beautiful, however, when I took them out of the oven, they deflated! Please advise. Thank you!!
Hi Salena,
I failed about twice before the final success. If the cake came out compact and dense, there might be two reasons: first, the egg is not whipped enough; second you kill almost the bubbles when blending with flour. Next time, use some warm water to make sure you can whip the egg to a perfect degree (around 7-10 minutes). And be gentle when mixing the flour.
If they deflated, the batter is not well mixed and there are extra large bubbles inside. When cooling down, the larger bubbles will become smaller, which cause the collapse of the cupcake. The final batter should be very smooth and without larger bubbles. If you use two egg and similar baking tool as me, the batter should be just perfect for the muffin tin.
Does all purpose flour work the same?
Thanks.
No Helena,
Low-gluten flour is a must for the fluffy cakes. So I am sorry all-purpose flour cannot work the same.
For the oil, what does the “g” stand for? Grams? But that is for weight. How many cups of oil does the recipe need? Thanks!
Hi Isabella,
Yes g stands for grams. We weigh the ingredients. 5g is around 1 teaspoon. You can slightly add more.
Hi
How much the amount of water
In cup
Hi Abir,
The warm water listed in the recipe is just use to speed up the egg whipping process. So it is depending on your tool. Besides, warm water will not be require in hot summer days.
Hi, do I have to whip the eggs until stiff peak or just until soft. Also if I whip by hand, how long should it take?
Hi Anne,
I have not tried to whip by hand, I use electric mixer and usually it will take around 7-9 minutes. The status of the egg should be nearly stiff peak and you can see obvious grains on the surface.
Hi,
Can I substitute the cake flour with self raising flour instead?
Thks!
Hi Doreen,
Cake flour (low gluten) actually is our best choice for this baked egg cake. Self raising flour may change the texture a little bit.
Hi Elaine,
If we prepare the dough/mixture for the egg cake today n bake it tomorrow morning, would it affect the taste n the texture of the cake? Tks for your help
Hi Irene,
I think it is not a good idea as the air in the dough might skip out and make the cake not fluffy as immediately baked one. I would suggest to bake it in the first night if you want to serve them as a breakfast. After cooling down, store them in air-tight bags and reheat for minutes if necessary. I used to bake the cake in the previous evening and serve as my daughter’s breakfast.
Hi Elaine,
Thank for your kind advise. Will try out advise. Have a great week ahead.
Cheers
You are the most welcome! Irene.
I’m planning on making this since I love buying sponge cakes when going to the Chinese bakery! I want to make these in regular-sized muffin tins instead of min-sized ones, so how long would I bake them? Thank you for the awesome recipes!
Hi Chloe,
I have not tried to make a regular muffin size yet. You can lengthen the baking time to 25 minutes to 30 minutes. Watch carefully at the last stage and so not let the cake rise too high. You can insert a toothpick to test it. If it comes out clean, then the cakes are done.
Hi looks yummy. Is there no baking powder?. Thanx
Hi ms,
The traditional version calls for no baking powder. The whipped egg holds the air. However you can add some to easy the process.
I’m not sure if this one is the same as my favourite cake, but they look a like except the fact that this one is made in a more modern way. I will try it one day
Hi can we use granulated sugar instead of castor sugar?
Hi Lisa,
Castor sugar will be firstly recommending for the best result. Granulated sugar is much difficult to dissolve and may influence the texture.
what is castor sugar?
Castor sugar is finely granulated sugar which can be dissolved quickly.
Marvelous recipe! I cut down the sugar by 10g as i made the cakes for my 22 months old girl. Thank you!
Thanks Phyllis for the feedback. I always reduce the sugar in my daughter’s egg cake.
Sorry to say that this recipe is a failure. It is so hard. I followed all your instructions. Don’t know what has gone wrong. 🙁
Hi Amy,
Can you describe what’s wrong with your cake? Although the steps are quite easy but there are lots of details may bring failure especially in whipping and mixing process. If the air bubble is spoiled, the cake will not be fluffy.
Hi Elaine…..i am a teacher and i would love to try this with my students……do i have to use only the egg white…or i have to whisk both the yolk and the egg white…….thx
Hi Gertrude,
For this cake, we whisk yolk with the egg white and it may really take some time to make the batter fluffy. Be patient during the process. Good Luck and Happy cooking.
Will this recipe work in a full sized cake pan (6 or 8 inches diameter)?
Hi Cortney,
I have not tried yet but I guess the batter should work in a 6 inch cake pan.
Hi Elaine i have tried your recipe but i did not use the hot water below the mixing bowl since it is quite warm nowaday . the cake rise and very nice except the taste seems to be dry and a little bit hard in texture. Can i ask what causes the failure of my mixture. thanks
Hi Solang,
Thanks for trying the recipe and send me feedback.
As there is only a little oil contained, the cake itself is not moist and it should be slightly dry. But if it is too dry, I guess the problem is the batter is not combined enough and there is still really large bubbles inside. If possible, can you send me a picture of it so we can find out the possible reasons.
Hi, do you mind leaving the measurements in cups and tsp/tbsp?
Recipe updated Kelly. Happy cooking!
My cakes came out hollow, and I followed the recipe. Do you have any idea how they would become that way?
Sorry Mia, I really cannot figure the details if the cakes are described as hollow. I will try to bring a video later for showing the details process and steps. It is really not that difficult but there are some important tips.
Hi elaine,
I tried out this wonderful recipe as i couldn’t stop thinking about them after looking at the pictures :-). my cake turned out to be pretty decent. I am from India and have no idea how sponge cakes are supposed to be. Mine were kind of a bit tight sponge and I figured i could have added a bit more sugar. Is that how these are supposed to taste?
Thanks a ton for the recipe i am going to try them out again for my family based on your inputs.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for the great n easy recipe!
I love everything about the cake, except that the egg smell is quite strong Australian eggs are 700 gram each, is it too big?
What do you think if I add a bit of vanilla essence to get rid of the strong egg smell?
thanks in advance!
Hi Wita,
I use 60g smaller eggs. If the egg smell is too strong, you can add some lemon juice or vanilla essence to cover the smell.
Oh I remember when I visited Australia that the eggs were rather smelly and they also tasted different.
Just making some now before my family wake up! Many thanks for this recipe, look forward to trying one.
Did you use a standard muffin pan or mini muffin pan? I’m really confused about it based on the measurements that you’ve posted for the muffin cup.
Hi Lauren,
I am using mini muffin pan around 50mm in diameter and 15mm in depth.
why you didnt add some baking powder or yeast just asking
Hi Malou,
It is ok if you prefer to add some baking powder, as it is just our traditional way to make egg cake.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for your detailed recipe,
But do you mind uploading a video showing the steps and tips?
Thanks again.Hope to hear from you.
Thanks for the suggestion. I just re-start my video recently since I get lots of other things in the previous months. This is my daughter’s favorite snack and I will schedule it soon.
Thanks for your time.
I have tried to bake this recently, it was fluffy when it is hot but it turned hard when it is cooled down to room temperature.
It there any steps that I missed?
Thank you.
Hi Elaine. I have a question regarding the whipping time. Is the 12-15 mins you mentioned above just on low speed or the total whipping time? Can you give me a breakdown roughly how long on med speed and how long on low speed? Many thanks…can’t wait to make this for my daughter.
Hi Catharina,
I am sorry that I cannot give a very exact time, as it depends on your speed and also the temperature of the mixture. I usually use middle speed for the first 8-10 minutes and slow down in the last stage. I will try to arrange a video with the hope of made myself understood clearly.
Hi
Thanks for the recipe
The cake turned out great
Thanks again
You are the most welcome, Anantha. Love your feedback.
Hehehe I’m in love with this, so I’m going to try to do it in a waffle iron, see how it works ahaha
I made a batch today for a family picnic tomorrow (Singapore’s national day) Followed the instructions and the cakes turned out really good. Brought back memories if my childhood. Thanks for the recipe. Wish i could upload photo of the cakes. Lovely texture. Will definitely bake this again.
Thanks Sylvia for the feedback. You must be a talented cook. I have received lots of failure about this recipe but I really cannot figure out why. There are lots of details might influence the final texture. Thank God! I still have readers like you.
Hi Elaine i have follow your receipe closely.For the first time it turn out well n nice even though i accidently put more sugar but the second n third time i made it didn’t turn out well .It was hard.it was a failure . Why n what was the mistake .
Hi Joan,
Though the recipe seems quite simple, but there are lots of details may cause the failure. The stiff cake might be caused by your whipping process or your mixing process. The bubbles inside the egg is killed by long time mixing.
Your article mentions lemon zest, but I don’t see lemon zest in the recipe. I’m trying to recreate something I had years ago while traveling and thought there was a slight lemony taste. Should there be any lemon added?
Hi there,
There is no need to add lemon zest in the baked version.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for the receipt 🙂
You are so right about the receipe looking simple but there are actually details in it, though.
I think mine is considered as a failure too 🙁
Not sure if I’ve mixed the flour and oil too long or I baked too long?
The cake turns out to be quite stiff and it’s quite hard to peel off the muffin paper.
Is it possible to advice roughly how long does it take to combine well the flour and oil? When I mix the flour, do I have to mix till there are no visible ‘lumps’ then add the oil in?
I will definitely try it again as my mum looks these simple sponge cake 🙂
Hi Yan,
Do not get frustrated! I failed at least 10 times before getting the right texture. Try to choose larger eggs, so there will be more egg white.
According to your description, there might be two reasons. 1. The batter is not fluffy enough (next time, you can lengthen whipping time). 2. you mix the flour too long and kill the treasurable bubbles inside the batter. It is quite important to be quick and gentle when mixing the flour.
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for your encouragement 🙂
I made another attempt today and it turn out better 🙂 But I think maybe this time, it’s a little too fluffy 😛 The batter ended up making 24 mini cakes instead of 12! And it feels really ‘light’ when we ate the cake – like ‘nothing’ 😛
What do you think went wrong this time?
Sorry.. so many questions 🙁
I just made this recipe and it turned out really good!! Everyone else said it was good, but I gave it to my brother to try and he found it really dry. He couldn’t swallow it and had to spit it out. I’ve never had an actual store bought egg cake so I’m no quite sure how it should be tasting. Is it supposed to be dry? Or did I do something wrong? Is there a way I can fix it?
Hi Jenny,
Yes, the cake is relatively dry comparing with other cakes, because it contains just a small amount of oil. Adding more oil can help to make the cake moist.
I would like to know what is castor sugar.
Thank you for send me your recipes.
It means granulated sugar.
How many gram of one medium size egg that you are using?
How many gram of one medium size egg you are using?
Around 50g to 55g each one.
Thank you for your answer. 🙂
Hi Elaine,
Would you try this recipe with a bit of matcha powder?
You can add some matcha powder in the batter. But I never tried before.
Hi Elaine.
I have been looking for a really light fluffy sponge cake as seen in the picture for a while and am going to give this a try. I am from Ireland and would like to know what Cake flour is? Is there a supplement I can use for this?
Thanks,
Yvonne.
Hi Yvonne,
Cake flour is low gluten flour, which can bring a fluffy texture to the finished cake. The protein content should be around 6.5% -9.5% (differ in area). You can firstly check the protein content on the package. If the protein content is too high, then mix your flour with cornstarch at a ratio around 3:1 or 4:1.
Can I use almond flour or coconut flour or arrowroot flour for low carb version or only cake flour?
I never tried to use almond flour and coconut flour. But I guess they can produce a similar result.
Exactly how much water is needed?
I use warm water to speed up the whipping process only. It depends on your container. I usually make a 2cm warm water base.
Yay thank you for the recipe. Made a batch of these this morning for my toddler.. Love them to bits..
Good job, Veron! I love your feedback.
i just made these and it was a success. they were soooooo light and airy, i felt like i was eating air! i doubled the oil as i don’t like overly dry cakes. the raw egg taste was so obvious even though i added vanilla extract. I’ll try to add in other flavours next time. thanks for this easy recipe!
You are the most welcome. Happy cooking!
Smell nice taste nice, easy to make. But mine is not very fluffy, is it because I over mixed when adding the flour? I added bit by bit, not pouring all in, is that correct? How to send u the pic of the cake ?
Hi Syteo,
The most possible reason is that you mixing time is too long so the bubbles are over killed. You can send me a picture via instagram or facebook.
Hi,
I have made these and they are really amazing and light. I serve them for breakfast but I would love to know what I can serve with them?
Thank you!
Hi Arlette,
We usually serve it directly as snack for children. You can serve it with milk.
Made this. Instead of muffin cups, I used smaller cups. For my so ‘s bento box. Oh so cute and yummy! Thanks!
You are the most welcome, Kaven. Thank you for your feedback!
Can confectioners sugar be replaced for caster sugar?
Sure.
i love it
Thanks.
Hi Elaine. I have gluten All purpose flour, can replace with the cake flour ?
Gluten free flour should work for this recipe. We do not need to the power of the gluten in the fluffy cakes.
Ok, for about 6 years I have been looking for a recipe for a pastry or cake or whatever they call it at the China Star Super Buffet in Athens Ga. I cannot find it. I love it. I have a picture of it that I posted in a forum I belong to. It looks like it was baked in a muffin tin. Their were wrappers in the tin, don’t know what type, the filling itself was extremely moist and elegant and I can taste a hint of lemon. Not sure if your recipe is the same or not. Is your cakes extremely moist? If you can, please email me and I will send you a picture of what it is and what I am looking for.
Sure, Nina. I will send you an Email. You can send the picture back via email.
I have a picture of the dessert I am looking for and am not sure if yours is the same one or not. I can send you a picture if needed
Hi, I love the look of this recipe and i am going to give it a go for Chinese new year for my nursery. My only question is have you ever added any flavours like raisons or coconut to the cakes?
We usually do this basic version. But you can add matcha or cocoa powder for additional flavors. If you want to use raison or coconut, you can add a small layer on the top.
I made this today,i like the taste but it turned out hard.can you tell me what went wrong.
There are two possible reasons. Firstly the eggs are not well whipped. Secondly, the bubble are killed by the wrong mixing skill after adding the flours. Next time, whip the eggs for a longer time and be gentle when mixing. Keep trying, you will approach the success soon.
How much batter per cupcake?
I scoop around 1 tablespoon firstly and then evenly add the remaining batter.
Would these mini cupcakes turn wet and sticky if I store them in a covered container for couple of days?
Did you pinch all of the air out? Do not keep them for a long time since we do not have drying agent included.
hey dear , your recipe is looking fabulous but sad i don’t eat eggs.
can you please tell me if i can use egg-replacer instead of eggs.
No Disha, eggs are quite important for this cake.
HI, Elaine!
Can I use an electric hand mixer for this recipe?
Sure, I use it too.
I would like to make thiese as a standard size cupcake..What would you suggest for a baking time? Also would an american “medium” sized egg be correct?
It actually depends. I would suggest baking 20 to 22 minutes firstly and check whether longer time is needed. American “medium” sized egg is correct by the way.
Hi! love this simple recipe.
but may i know how much full do i fill the liners?
Thanks!
Leave around 1/4.
Thank you! =)
I feel a bit silly asking you this, but mine came out a bit hard… is it necessary to add baking powder to the mix? Thanks.
Andrea,
We do not use baking powder in traditional crispy egg cake. If it comes hard, the most possibly reason is the bubbles are killed when stirring with flour.
I tried the recipe and I have a question.
Is the top supposed to be slightly crispy?
The cake is okay, but not as fluffy as yours. Probably because I whisked the eggs manually.
Yes, the top is slightly crispy.
If the cake is not fluffy, the egg mixture is not whisked enough.