Steamed Chinese White Sugar Sponge Cake

Soft, spongy, fragrant, and sweet, these steamed Chinese white sugar sponge cakes make a great snack when you’re craving something light and soft with a hint of sweetness.

What is Chinese White Sugar Sponge Cake?

Chinese white sugar sponge cake, also known as 白糖糕 in Cantonese or bai tang gao in Mandarin, is a popular Cantonese steamed rice flour sponge cake often seen at Chinese dim sum restaurants or Chinese bakeries.

These Chinese steamed rice flour cakes consist of rice flour, sugar, yeast, and water that are mixed together and then steamed to produce an incredibly soft and spongy cake that isn’t overly sweet.

These Cantonese bai tang gao only need a few simple ingredients; however, getting the right texture and softness is the hard part.

After several attempts at making Chinese white sugar sponge cakes, I’ve developed this easy and tasty Chinese white sugar sponge cake recipe.

Once you try this Chinese sponge cake recipe, you’ll be surprised at how easy and simple it is.

Chinese White Sugar Sponge Cake Ingredient Notes

Instant yeast: Adds extra flavor and helps the white sugar sponge cake rise. It also helps the sponge cake develop the beautiful honeycomb texture and patterns that you’ve come to love.

Rice flour: One of the main ingredients for this dish. Try to use an Asian brand if possible.

Cooking oil: You can use any kind of unflavored cooking oil that you prefer.

White granulated sugar: Adds a bit of sweetness to the steamed rice flour cakes.

How to Make Steamed Chinese White Sugar Sponge Cake

1. In a small saucepan, add your sugar and 350ml of water. Heat up the saucepan until all of the sugar is melted, and then remove the pot from the stove. You don’t need to bring the sugar water to a boil.

2. Now, in a large bowl, add in your rice flour and cooking oil and mix everything well together.

3. Next, add 250ml of water to the bowl. Mix everything well together until there are no more clumps of rice flour and the mixture is smooth.

4. Now add the sugar water into the mixture while stirring the bowl. After mixing everything well together, set the bowl aside and allow it to cool off.

5. Now, in a small bowl or dish, add in your instant yeast and 2 tablespoons of warm water. Mix everything well together and set it aside.

6. After about 10 minutes or so, once the yeast has been activated and your rice flour mixture liquid has cooled down, add in your yeast mixture to the large mixing bowl as well. Mix everything well together.

7. Cover the bowl and let it proof in a warm environment such as your oven. You can add a bowl of hot water to the oven to increase the oven temperature.

8. Let the rice flour mixture proof for about an hour until you see a lot of bubbles and a fizzing sound developing in the mixture.
9. While your rice flour mixture is proofing, grab a large mold or container and brush some oil onto the mold. This will help prevent the steamed rice flour sponge cake from sticking to the pan after you’re done steaming it. I’m using a large round mold (25cm in diameter), but you can use whatever you want.

10. After your rice flour mixture is done proofing, stir the mixture well, making sure not to let the rice flour settle at the bottom. Now pour the mixture into the greased mold.

11. Next, get your steamer or wok ready by bringing some water in the steamer or wok to a boil.
12. Once the water comes to a boil, give the mold a quick stir to prevent the rice flour from pooling at the bottom and then place the mold or container into the steamer or wok, cover it with a lid, and steam it on medium-high heat for about 27-28 minutes or until the steamed rice flour sponge cake is fully cooked.

13. You can check for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the white sugar rice flour sponge cake and seeing if the toothpick comes out clean or not. If it’s fully cooked, it should come out clean.
14. After you’re done steaming the white sugar sponge cake, turn off the stove, open the lid slightly on the edge, and leave the sponge cake in the steamer for an additional 4-5 minutes. Do not open the lid!
15. After 4-5 minutes, remove the white sugar sponge cake from the steamer and let it cool down while covering it with a cloth to prevent the top of the cake from drying out.
16. Let it cool down for about 30 minutes to an hour or until it’s no longer hot. This helps to get rid of the sour yeast smell from the white sugar sponge cake and makes it easier to come off the mold once it has cooled down.
17. Now, remove the white sugar sponge cake from the mold. Be careful as it is still fragile and can tear apart if you’re too rough with it.
18. Cut the Chinese sponge cake into pieces and serve.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

• Not greasing the pan or mold prior to steaming it causes the white sugar sponge cake to stick to the pan after it has finished steaming. It also increases the chances of it tearing when you try to remove it from the pan or mold.
• Pouring the yeast too quickly into the rice flour mixture while it’s still hot causes the yeast to die off and not proof.
• Not checking for doneness by using a toothpick leads to either an undercooked or an overcooked white sugar sponge cake, neither of which tastes good.
• Immediately removing the white sugar sponge cake from the steamer after it has finished steaming causes the sponge cake to deflate due to the rapid change in temperature.
• You tried to convert the measurements into Imperial measurements, leading to poor results. This recipe is meant to be used with the metric system (e.g. grams) and a kitchen scale. Do not try to convert it into something else!

How to Store Bai Tang Gao

The white sugar sponge cakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

How to Reheat White Sugar Sponge Cakes

Either steam the white sugar sponge cake on low to medium-low heat until it becomes soft, or heat it up in the microwave until it becomes soft.

Recipes That Go Well With This

You may want to consider combining this Chinese steamed white sugar cake recipe with something savory like my steamed Chinese sausage buns or a beverage like my homemade soy milk recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why Did My White Sugar Sponge Cake Deflate?

You opened the lid too soon, right after it finished steaming. After steaming the white sugar sponge cake, let it rest in the steamer for 4-5 minutes with the lid slightly opened on the edge to allow the temperature to slowly change.

Why Does My White Sugar Sponge Cake Have a Sour Taste or Smell to It?

After removing the white sugar sponge cake from the steamer, cover it with a towel or cloth and let it cool down for at least 1-2 hours to get rid of the sour smell.

Why Does My White Sugar Sponge Cake Taste Dry?

You’re steaming it for too long!

It should only be steamed until it’s cooked, but no more. The sponge cake should still be very soft and springy.

If you see the edges of the white sugar sponge cake coming off the sides of the pan and shriveling up, then you’re steaming it for too long.

How Do I Prevent My White Sugar Sponge Cake From Tearing Apart When I Remove It From the Mold?

For this bai tang gao recipe, make sure that you’re greasing the mold prior to steaming the white sugar sponge cake, especially the bottom of the mold in the center. I find it tends to stick a lot in the center.

After steaming, allow the white sugar sponge cake to cool down a bit. This will make it easier to remove.

Also, be very gentle while removing the sponge cake from the mold, as it’s still very fragile.

You may also opt to use a non-stick type of pan to make it easier to remove, although I have not tried it with a non-stick pan yet.

How Long Should I Steam My White Sugar Sponge Cake For?

On my stove, it takes about 27-28 minutes on medium-high heat to be done; however, this may be different for you.

The best way to check for doneness is to use a toothpick and see whether or not it comes out clean.

The sponge cake should still remain soft and spongy. If it’s very dense, then you’re steaming it for too long.

How Do I Prevent Water From Dripping Down Into My White Sugar Sponge Cake?

Cover the lid with a cloth or towel while steaming the white sugar sponge cakes. The towel will help absorb the water.

Likewise, you can also very carefully tilt the lid to the side so that all of the water on the lid drips to the side when you open the lid after steaming.

I Don’t Have Rice Flour, Can I Use Something Else?

If you’re just trying to avoid a trip to the Asian supermarket—I’m sorry, I can’t help you. 😥

Why Is My White Sugar Sponge Cake Overly Gooey and Sticky?

It’s undercooked, and/or you added too much water to it. Place it back into the steamer and continue steaming it until it’s fully cooked. Check for doneness by sticking a toothpick into the sponge cake. It should come out clean if fully cooked!

Why Is the Top Part of My White Sugar Sponge Cake Soft While the Bottom Is Hard and Dense?

You didn’t stir and mix the rice flour mixture before pouring it into the mold. This causes the rice flour to pool at the bottom, leading to a dense sponge cake.

You might also have overcooked the white sugar sponge cake.

Why Is My Rice Flour Mixture Not Proofing?

Did you activate the yeast? Mix yeast with 2 tablespoons of warm water and let it activate. You will see foam and bubbles appear at the top along with a very sour yeast smell.

Is your yeast still alive, or has the package expired?

Did you add your yeast to the rice flour mixture while the liquid was too hot? The yeast will die if you add it to hot liquid!

Did you place the rice flour mixture in a warm place, like inside an oven with a bowl of hot water to proof?

Can I Substitute the Water With Milk or Coconut Milk or Something Else?

No!

Just follow the recipe and stop trying to substitute everything 🙄🤦‍♂️

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!