Traditional Water Chestnut Cake 馬蹄糕
Celebrate Chinese New Year with this traditional water chestnut cake (馬蹄糕), a soft, slightly sweet, and refreshingly light Chinese dessert. This easy water chestnut cake recipe is perfect for sharing with family and friends.
The Dim Sum Treat I Could Never Order
If you’ve even gone for morning tea (dim sum) before at a Chinese restaurant, then you’ve probably heard some old lady yelling out 馬蹄 糕 at the top of her lungs as she wheels a cart around stuffed full of hot, delicious dishes.
Despite having gone for dim sum since I was around 4 years old, perhaps even earlier, I never got the chance to try this delicious dish until adulthood, as my family typically always orders the same things every time they go for dim sum 🤦♂️
Typically, when it comes to steamed and pan-fried cakes at dim sum restaurants, the most popular choice is turnip cake, and either taro or Cantonese water chestnut cake competing for second place.
I would always see neighboring tables order a plate of water chestnut cake and my eyes would instantly focus on the bright yellow translucent color of the water chestnut cake slices.
I always wondered what it tasted like.
As I got older and more curious about different dishes, I typically went out to eat at dim sum restaurants alone whenever I was in Chinatown.
This led to me being more bold and adventurous with my ordering choices while not having to deal with my parents’ constant criticism and complaining.
Want to try out a new dish? Forget it!
“That doesn’t taste good” or “That’s a waste of money, why don’t you just order what we normally get”
They’ll just reject the idea of trying anything new and just stick with what they were familiar with 🙄
While some people might find the thought of eating alone at a restaurant quite intimidating, I actually find it quite liberating and free, as I can do as I please.
And it just so happened that I finally got the opportunity to try out Hong Kong water chestnut cake for the first time during one of these lone excursions.
And let me just say, the long wait was definitely worth it!
What Is Water Chestnut Cake
Water chestnut cake (馬蹄糕) is a traditional Cantonese steamed dessert made from water chestnut flour, sugar, water, and small pieces of water chestnut. It is commonly eaten during morning tea time (dim sum) or during special occasionals such as Chinese New year.
Chinese water chestnut cake is yellow and translucent in appearance and is usually cut into slices when being served. The water chestnut cake is either eaten as-is or pan-fried to a golden yellow color.
The water chestnut cake has a clean, refreshing mild taste to it that isn’t overly sweet unlike western style desserts. The dim sum water chestnut cake is soft and tender, with a jelly-like texture while the water chestnut bits are crunchy and light, providing the perfect contrast between soft and crunchy.
Where to Buy Water Chestnuts
All Chinese supermarkets sell water chestnuts. You’ll be able to find fresh and canned water chestnuts.
If you really can’t find fresh water chestnuts then you can buy canned. I’ve seen some regular grocery stores sell them as well.
Where to Buy Water Chestnut Flour
Water chestnut flour is readily available at most Chinese supermarkets. If you can’t find it, then ask the staff at the supermarket. It might also be called water chestnut starch or water chestnut cake powder, depending on the brand.
I’ve been to several Chinese supermarkets in my city and every single one of them carried water chestnut flour.
Now let’s discuss the key ingredients that you’ll need for this Chinese water chestnut cake recipe.
Water Chestnut Cake Ingredient Notes
Water chestnut: Water chestnuts give our water chestnut cake a nice, refreshing, crunchy texture and should not be omitted unless absolutely necessary. You can use either fresh or canned but I recommend using fresh water chestnuts if possible. They are readily available at all Chinese supermarkets.
Water chestnut flour (Chinese brand): Make sure that you’re using water chestnut flour and not chestnut flour! These are two completely different ingredients.
Rock sugar: You can use either yellow or white rock sugar but I recommend using the yellow kind to give the dish more color.
Chinese brown sugar slabs: Make sure to get the regular yellow brown sugar slabs and not the dark brown kinds. This sugar, along with rock sugar, is less sweet and not overpowering, unlike regular white granulated sugar, which makes it perfect for this pan-fried water chestnut cake recipe.
Substitutions
- Fresh water chestnuts: You can substitute it with canned water chestnuts if you can’t find fresh water chestnuts. Regardless, you’ll need to use water chestnuts for this steamed water chestnut cake recipe.
- Chinese brown sugar slabs: If you really can’t find Chinese brown sugar slabs, then you can opt for dark brown Chinese brown cane sugar slabs. These are nearly identical to regular Chinese brown sugar except for it’s color. Note that if you do substitute it with this sugar then your water chestnut cake will look a lot darker. I suppose you could also just use rock sugar but you’ll need to experiment with it as this recipe was not tested using just 1 type of sugar.
How to Make Water Chestnut Cake
- Wash and peel the skin off the water chestnuts and then divide the water chestnuts in half.
- Mash and dice half of the water chestnuts and slice the rest and set them aside.
- In a large bowl add in your water chestnut flour + water
- Mix everything well together and then sieve the mixture into another bowl. Make sure to break up any lumps that you see as well.
- Now, in a pot add in your Chinese brown sugar, rock sugar and water.
- Turn on the stove and melt the sugar in the water on medium-low heat.
- Next, slowly pour in the water chestnut flour and water mixture in 3 stages into the sugar water that you just melted in the pot while keeping the heat on low to medium-low heat and constantly stirring the pot.
- Cook it until it becomes thick making sure not to let it stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
- Once done, remove it from the stove and add in your water chestnut to the batter. Mix everything well together.
- Now grease your container with a little cooking oil.
- Then pour the mixture into the greased container.
- Now, pick up the container and slam it back down onto your countertop a few times to even out the mixture in the container.
- Pop any air bubbles that you see with a toothpick on the surface.
- Now cover the top of the container with some aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
- Then place the container inside a steamer or wok with boiling water and steam it for about 45 minutes on high heat or until the water chestnut cake is fully cooked (it should look translucent). Make sure the water inside of the steamer is already boiling when you add the container. Note: steaming time will vary.
- Once the water chestnut cake is fully cooked, remove it from the steamer.
- Let it cool down at room temperature and then cover it and place it in the fridge overnight.
- After cooling down in the fridge overnight, the water chestnut cake can be easily removed from the container.
- Slice the water chestnut cake into pieces and pan-fry it with a little oil in a non-stick pan before eating, or just eat it as is, either cold or warming it up in the microwave.
A Few Helpful Tips
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
- Not steaming the water chestnut cake long enough: If the water chestnut cake is not steamed long enough, it will be undercooked, gooey, and have difficulty setting. To check for doneness, look and see whether or not the steamed cake has turned translucent and yellow, and then let it cool down for about 10 minutes. Gently tap the top of the water chestnut cake on the sides and middle, and see if it sticks to your fingers and becomes gooey. If it doesn’t stick to your fingers and it looks like it has set, then it’s fully cooked.
- Not popping any air bubbles on the surface of the water chestnut cake: This leads to one ugly-looking water chestnut cake after it has finished steaming.
- Not greasing your container prior to pouring in the water chestnut batter: This makes it difficult to remove the water chestnut from the container after it has cooled down and set.
Storage Tips
The water chestnut cake can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Other Related Recipes
Since water chestnut cake is typically eaten during Chinese New Year and also during morning tea time (dim sum), the most logical related recipes would be nian gao, smiling Chinese sesame balls, braised e-fu noodles, Chinese peanut cookies, and steamed Chinese sausage buns.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I Substitute Something Else for the Water Chestnut Flour?
No!
You need water chestnut flour to make water chestnut cake.
If you can’t find water chestnut flour in a grocery store then try online. Also most Chinese supermarkets should sell it.
Why Does My Water Chestnut Cake Taste Weird?
This is almost certainly caused by using expired water chestnut flour or some low quality water chestnut flour.
I encountered this issue for my third batch of water chestnut cake.
I used an old box of water chestnut flour that my father bought a while back. When I opened the box, I noticed that the water chestnut flour was not sealed in a plastic bag but was instead slightly rolled up in a paper bag. There was also a weird, funky smell coming from the water chestnut flour.
That was my cue to throw it in the trash, but seeing as it was my last box of water chestnut flour, I decided to continue using it 🤦♂️
After steaming the water chestnut cake, I noticed that it was much softer compared to my previous batches of water chestnut cake that were firmer, even after leaving it overnight in the fridge.
Needless to say, it also had a weird, funky smell to it. Now don’t do what I did and eat a slice, or you might end up in the washroom for the next 3 hours.
Oh well… you live and you learn 🤷♂️
Why Is My Water Chestnut Cake Very Runny?
This is caused by not cooking the water chestnut batter long enough in the pot and allowing it to thicken up.
If it has been cooked sufficiently then it should turn into a thick batter prior to pouring it into the mold.
Why Is My Water Chestnut Cake Very Soft After Steaming?
This is completely normal, assuming your water chestnut cake is fully cooked (It should look yellow/light brown & transparent, and you should be able to clearly see the water chestnut pieces that you added in).
Just leave it out to cool down at room temperature and then put it in the fridge overnight and it will firm up the next day.
If it’s still too soft and smells funny despite cooling down in the fridge overnight, then perhaps your water chestnut flour has expired or you didn’t steam it on high heat.
How Do I Know When My Water Chestnut Cake Is Fully Cooked?
It should look transparent with a bit of yellow to it. Also after you remove it from the steamer or wok, and you allow it to cool down for a bit, if you gently tap the top of the water chestnut cake, it should not feel gooey nor stick to your fingers.
If the water chestnut cake sticks to your fingers after allowing it to cool down then it’s not ready yet.
How Do I Eat Water Chestnut Cake?
After allowing the water chestnut cake to firm up overnight in the fridge, cut the cake into slices.
Now you can either just reheat the water chestnut cake in the microwave and eat it as is, or you can pan-fry them with a little bit of oil in a non-stick pan. I recommend using a non-stick pan as it can easily stick to the pan.
You can also eat it chilled straight out of the fridge after cutting them into slices if you prefer. It’ll be firmer though.
Why Does My Water Chestnut Cake Look Very Dark Compared to Yours?
This is most likely caused by cooking the water chestnut batter on the stovetop for too long or allowing the bottom of the pan to burn while cooking the water chestnut batter. You’ll notice that the batter will start to turn dark when you’re cooking it in the pot.
To fix this issue, don’t cook it for too long and also remember to stir continuously while it’s cooking in the pot and not allow the bottom to get burned.
Can You Freeze Water Chestnut Cake?
Not recommended.
But if you must then make sure to wrap it tightly and store in an airtight container and finish eating it all within a month. I’d also let it thaw overnight in the fridge as well before heating it back up either with the microwave or pan-frying it.
Traditional Water Chestnut Cake 馬蹄糕 Made Easy
Equipment
- 1 Steamer or Wok with lid
Ingredients
- 7-8 Pieces Fresh water chestnut
- 125 g Rock sugar
- 70 g Chinese brown sugar slab
- 390 ml Water Combine with sugar in a pot
- 115 g Water chestnut flour
- 345 ml Water For mixing with water chestnut flour
Instructions
- Wash and peel the skin off the water chestnuts and then divide the water chestnuts in half.
- Mash and dice half of the water chestnuts, and slice the rest and set them aside.
- In a large bowl, add in your water chestnut flour + water
- Mix everything well together and then sieve the mixture into another bowl. Make sure to break up any lumps that you see as well.
- Now, in a pot, add in your Chinese brown sugar, rock sugar, and water.
- Turn on the stove and melt the sugar in the water on medium-low heat.
- Next, slowly pour in the water chestnut flour and water mixture in 3 stages into the sugar water that you just melted in the pot while keeping the heat on low to medium-low heat and constantly stirring the pot.
- Cook it until it becomes thick, making sure not to let it stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
- Once done, remove it from the stove and add the water chestnut to the batter. Mix everything well together.
- Now grease your container with a little cooking oil.
- Then pour the mixture into the greased container.
- Now, pick up the container and slam it back down onto your countertop a few times to even out the mixture in the container.
- Pop any air bubbles that you see with a toothpick on the surface.
- Now cover the top of the container with some aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
- Then place the container inside a steamer or wok with boiling water and steam it for about 45 minutes on high heat or until the water chestnut cake is fully cooked (it should look translucent). Make sure the water inside of the steamer is already boiling when you add the container. Note: steaming time will vary.
- Once the water chestnut cake is fully cooked, remove it from the steamer.
- Let it cool down at room temperature and then cover it and place it in the fridge overnight.
- After cooling down in the fridge overnight, the water chestnut cake can be easily removed from the container.
- Slice the water chestnut cake into pieces and pan-fry it with a little oil in a non-stick pan before eating, or just eat it as is, either cold or warming it up in the microwave.
