Ma lai go is a tall, airy steamed sponge cake colored golden-brown by brown sugar and enriched with evaporated milk and butter. Steaming gives it a moist, springy crumb full of fine holes and a soft, pale top with no crust. Makes 8 servings in about 1 hr 40 min.
Prep20 min
Cook35 min
Cooling10 min
Total
1 hr 40 min
Servings
8
Ingredients
Adjust yield
servings
Scales from a half to a double batch; give a bigger batch a little more time.
Grease the cake pan and line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. Fill a wok or large steamer with about 2 inches (5 cm) of water, set a rack inside and bring to a boil over high heat. Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel so condensation does not drip on the cake.
Sift the all-purpose flour, custard powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together twice.
Beat the eggs and dark brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until thick, pale caramel-colored and the beaters leave a ribbon that holds for a few seconds, about 6 minutes.
On low speed, beat in the evaporated milk, melted unsalted butter and vanilla extract just until combined, about 30 seconds.
Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture in two additions and fold gently with a spatula until no dry streaks remain; do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the lined pan and tap it once on the counter to release large bubbles.
Set the pan on the rack, cover and steam over high heat until the cake has risen well, the top springs back when pressed and a skewer in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Do not open the lid for the first 20 minutes, and top up with boiling water if the level drops.
Lift the pan out, let the cake rest 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool right side up on a rack for 5 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges and serve warm.
Tips
Keep the water at a strong, steady boil the whole time; a weak steam gives a dense, wet cake.
Dark brown sugar gives the classic deep color; light brown sugar makes a paler cake.
Good with hot pu-erh tea.
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How long does it take to make ma lai go (steamed malay sponge cake)?
Plan on 20 minutes of prep and 35 minutes of cooking, plus 45 minutes to rise and rest. The recipe makes 8 servings.
How should I store ma lai go (steamed malay sponge cake)?
Best warm the day it is made. Wrap airtight and keep at room temperature up to 1 day or refrigerate up to 3 days; re-steam slices 5 minutes to make them soft again.
Can I make ma lai go (steamed malay sponge cake) ahead?
It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.
Can I use a different form of vanilla?
Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp vanilla extract (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.
A Cantonese dim sum cake whose name means 'Malay cake', thought to have come from the Malay world; it is a fixture of dim sum restaurants and kopitiam cake stalls in Singapore, always steamed rather than baked. Serve it with hot pu-erh tea.
Variations
Individual cakes: divide among ten 4-oz (120 ml) paper-lined cups, filled three-quarters full, and steam 15 to 18 minutes.
Pandan ma lai go: replace the vanilla with 1 tsp (5 ml) pandan extract and use light brown sugar for a greener crumb; no time change.
Gula melaka: swap half the brown sugar for 75 g (1/3 cup) finely grated palm sugar dissolved in the evaporated milk; steam time unchanged.
Estimated · per serving
Nutrition
Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.
263Calories / serving
9.8gFat
37.1gCarbs
6.3gProtein
20.0gSugar
Whole recipe (8 servings):
~2104 cal ·
78g fat ·
297g carbs ·
50g protein ·
160g sugar
Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.
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