Steamed Sponge Cake recipe

This tasty sponge cake is a light version of a traditional Chinese steamed sponge cake. It’s very light and very fluffy, and tastes delicious as it is, although you could lightly flavour the sponge using anything that you like – try cinnamon, ground ginger, or ground clove for a gentle sweet heat.

Ingredients:

• 215g plain flour
• 125ml milk
• 125ml warm water
• 75g melted butter
• 70g polenta
• 65g caster sugar
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. dried active baking yeast

Method of Preparation:

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and leave to stand for five minutes or so for the yeast to begin to work and to foam.

2. Beat together the egg, milk, melted butter and vanilla until smooth.

3. Sieve the flour, polenta and salt into the mixture, and then stir in the sugar until combined.

4. Stir the yeast water into the cake batter and cover the bowl with a damp tea towel.

5. Leave the mixture to rise for around two hours, and then pour it into a 23cm greased and lined baking tin.

6. Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill it with water, making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to the boil.

7. Add the cake in the tin, then cover the saucepan and cook the cake for 20-25 minutes. Cool the cake for ten minutes before turning it onto a rack to cool.

You can serve this cake warm from the steamer, but it’s absolutely beautiful when completely cooled. The polenta gives the cake a sweetness that doesn’t usually come from just using flour. This cake will serve around eight people.

Author: Laura Young

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