White Sugar Cake - Pak Tong Koh.
This cake is no longer sold in China Town in London so when I came across the recipe online I just knew I had to try making it. This Chinese treat uses yeast to create a comb effect which in result gives it a spongy and soft texture.
As this was my first try I was a bit scared of the results but once I saw the comb texture running through the cake I secretly pat myself on the back then I tasted it..... It was slightly sour which wasn't how I remember it tasting as a child. I thought I had done something wrong until I gave some to our favourite customers to try and they loved it. Turns out they been trying to hunt this cake down for ages in China Town with no luck. Afterwards I decided to check online just to see if I had got it right or not and it turns out that there's a whole debate on sourness, some say if it hasn't got the sour taste it isn't made right and vice verse. I also found out that sourness comes from the fermentation process of the batter before cooking, the longer the fermentation the more sour it gets. So YAY! for the internet because now I can make it the way I remembered but I'm going to post the recipe up for all you pro sours out there.
Thanks to Florence for the posting this and many other great recipes once again I have changed the recipe a tiny bit.
White Sugar Cake - Pak Tong Koh
INGREDIENTS
Flour mix
170g rice flour
150 caster sugar
360ml water
Yeast mix
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp oil
Mix the yeast mix in a small bowl and leave for use later. Sift flour in a bowl, add the sugar and add the water in slowly while mixing to form a batter. Transfer in to a sauce pan and cook on a low heat while mixing with a whisk at all times till thickens. (It's best NOT TO cook the batter for more then 5 minutes otherwise small flour pearls willing start forming).
Pour the cooked batter through a sieve in to bowl and leave to cool in a basin of cold water. Once cooled mix the yeast mix in to the flour mix and blend well, cover the mixture with cling firm and leave to ferment in a warm place for 1 - 2 hours (when the mixture show sign of tiny bubbles all over the surface of the mixture it is ready for steaming).
Put the steamer on.
Lightly mix in the 1/2 tsp oil in to the mixture, pour the batter in to a 9" x 9" greased round tin and steam on high heat for 25 - 30 minutes.
Leave to cool then cut and serve.
As this was my first try I was a bit scared of the results but once I saw the comb texture running through the cake I secretly pat myself on the back then I tasted it..... It was slightly sour which wasn't how I remember it tasting as a child. I thought I had done something wrong until I gave some to our favourite customers to try and they loved it. Turns out they been trying to hunt this cake down for ages in China Town with no luck. Afterwards I decided to check online just to see if I had got it right or not and it turns out that there's a whole debate on sourness, some say if it hasn't got the sour taste it isn't made right and vice verse. I also found out that sourness comes from the fermentation process of the batter before cooking, the longer the fermentation the more sour it gets. So YAY! for the internet because now I can make it the way I remembered but I'm going to post the recipe up for all you pro sours out there.
Thanks to Florence for the posting this and many other great recipes once again I have changed the recipe a tiny bit.
White Sugar Cake - Pak Tong Koh
INGREDIENTS
Flour mix
170g rice flour
150 caster sugar
360ml water
Yeast mix
3/4 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp water
1/2 tsp oil
Mix the yeast mix in a small bowl and leave for use later. Sift flour in a bowl, add the sugar and add the water in slowly while mixing to form a batter. Transfer in to a sauce pan and cook on a low heat while mixing with a whisk at all times till thickens. (It's best NOT TO cook the batter for more then 5 minutes otherwise small flour pearls willing start forming).
Pour the cooked batter through a sieve in to bowl and leave to cool in a basin of cold water. Once cooled mix the yeast mix in to the flour mix and blend well, cover the mixture with cling firm and leave to ferment in a warm place for 1 - 2 hours (when the mixture show sign of tiny bubbles all over the surface of the mixture it is ready for steaming).
Put the steamer on.
Lightly mix in the 1/2 tsp oil in to the mixture, pour the batter in to a 9" x 9" greased round tin and steam on high heat for 25 - 30 minutes.
Leave to cool then cut and serve.