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Sunday 19 December 2010

chocolate matcha steamed egg cake


slices of chocolate matcha steamed egg cake

It's International Incident Party time again and for December, the focus is on colour. Yet again, Jeroxie encourages us to run wild with a great theme! My offering for this month isn't quite as creative as my previous ones, I think. Though considering my first idea was a flop, I'm just glad I managed to get something done in time!

I love steamed egg cake and I learnt how to make it from my mum, who also loves it.
As always, the simplicity of the recipe is big drawcard for me. The basic recipe for steamed egg cake is incredibly easy. All you need is (by volume) 1 part flour, 1 part sugar and 1 part eggs. So it would go something like this...

1 cup flour (regular or self-raising, see instructions below)
1 cup sugar
1 cup eggs
oil (for greasing, and optionally, for adding moistness to the cake)

- Beat eggs and sugar until thick, pale and frothy. Due to limited equipment at my apartment, I can't get the eggs done quite as well as I would like, so I use self-raising flour to make up for it.
- Add flour slowly into the egg mixture, then oil (if using), stirring clockwise until smooth.
- Grease any heat-safe receptacle (I used a stainless steel bowl), and pour in the mixture.
- Prepare whatever steaming device you're using. I opted for a rice cooker. Pour in some water, put a stand in it, and switch it to cook mode.
- Once the water starts boiling, put your cake bowl in and close the lid.
- Steaming times vary. I made a regular-sized cake and it took just over 15 minutes. I then made mini cakes and they were done in about 10 minutes. Test by sticking a fork in - if it comes out clean it's ready.

Notes:
1 part sugar is perfect for most people, but neither my mum nor I have a very sweet tooth, and we usually put in a little less than 1 part.
Oil is optional for keeping the cake moist. I actually don't mind a slightly dry touch to this cake and only added about 1/2 teaspoon oil for every egg used. You can add more if you like.


While I like steamed egg cake just as it is, its easy recipe lends itself quite happily to modifications, as long as you don't add too much extra liquid to it. I decided upon chocolate and green tea to add natural colours and flavours to my cake, using cocoa and matcha powder.

I actually made two styles of steamed egg cake that night - a big one with swirly colour effects, and a couple of small ones with block colour effects.

The swirly one was created by mixing the matcha and cocoa powder respectively with a little bit of water, first ladling one of them onto the middle of the cake mixture in the greased bowl, running a fork through it in circles, then adding the other one and doing the same. For this one, I also used some concentrated cherry juice boiled down from mashed fresh cherries, which accounts for the purplish streaks.

the first chocolate matcha steamed egg cake

For the mini cakes, I divided the mix into 3 parts, one plain, one with matcha powder and one with cocoa powder. The plain one goes right into the greased bowls. Then I spoon the other parts delicately on top of the unmodified mixture, green tea on one side, chocolate on the other.

second batch - a duo of mini chocolate matcha steamed egg cakes

Both of the cakes don't look so pretty when they come out, but once you slice them into portions they look much nicer.

a swirly slice of the first chocolate matcha steamed egg cake

cute little slices from the second batch of chocolate matcha steamed egg cakes

The first cake had more subtle flavours entwined together, whereas the second batch had solid, distinctive flavours in each bite. Really, it's a good day when you get to choose from two cakes - the only dilemma being which one to eat first!

more colour crazy folk!

28 comments:

  1. Mmm... I haven't had steamed egg cakes for a while and your colorful, flavorful versions certainly look delicious!

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  2. I think I might bake this. :) But mind I ask, can I substitute sugar with honey?

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  3. I want to try and make this as well.. it has been on my list for so so long. It does look really pretty when you slice it open.

    Merry Christmas!

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  4. I don't know why you say it's not as creative as usual - I think it is!! The green color is so soothing.

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  5. Beautiful colours! I'm not going to attempt this, as I'll probably mess it up somehow! I'll wait for someone to do this for me :)

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  6. I love egg cakes and I also want to give this a go. YUM

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  7. This is a really cool idea, and I love how the different colours have distinct flavours, unlike your regular food colouring coloured things. Lovely texture too :)

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  8. Yum, yum, I love steamed egg cake! They look cute even before they're sliced up :)

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  9. What a cool idea to have a tri-colour cake!

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  10. Thanks everyone for your lovely comments!

    Michelle, I asked my mum and she doesn't think honey would be a good substitute... it wouldn't beat well and the result would be quite different.

    msihua, you've made much more complicated things than this, believe me! :p

    Penny, Cherrie Pie and anyone thinking about making this, do give it a go! Simple ingredients and easy steps, if I can make it anyone can! :D

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  11. Looks yummy...
    bises from France
    Delphine

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  12. What a delicious looking cake. I've never tried steamed cake but it sounds so delicious. Being a chocolate and Matcha addict this is a must try for me. Thanks for sharing :)

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  13. Very different! I love the colors.

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  14. I think they are stunning and I never saw this type of cake before.

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  15. Very simple indeed and good looking too, would love to give it a try.

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  16. ♥ Olá, amiga!♫
    ♫♥ Saboroso e decorativo!!!
    ♫♫ Boa semana!
    Beijinhos. ♥♫
    ♫♥ Brasil
    ♫♫♫♥

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  17. they look light and refreshing!

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  18. gorgeous colors. steaming a cake is something i never did before.

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  19. This looks beautiful and colourful...!

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  20. That looks absolutely amazing!

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  21. This reminds me of steamed cake that I used to eat as child in Korea. It had milky rice wine in it which was the leavener for the cake. Not as colorful as this one though. Beautifully done! Thanks for posting it.

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  22. These are so organic looking, like something found in nature. Truly beautiful. And I just love steamed Chinese cakes. It always reminds me of my childhood, when my Mom would surprise me with one from a bakery in Chinatown.

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  23. ♥♫ Querida amiga,

    "Que o Natal não seja apenas uma data... mas um estado de espírito a orientar nossa vida... e que o amor se renove a cada ano da nossa convivência."

    ♫♫♫ Feliz Natal!!!


    …………(¯`O´¯)
    …………*./ | \ .*
    …………..*♫*.
    ………, • '*♥* ' • ,
    ……. '*• ♫♫♫•*'
    ….. ' *, • '♫ ' • ,* '
    ….' * • ♫*♥*♫• * '
    … * , • Feliz' • , * '
    …* ' •♫♫*♥*♫♫ • ' * '
    ' ' • . Navidad . • ' ' '
    ' ' • ♫♫♫*♥*♫♫♫• * ' '
    …………..x♥x
    …………….♥

    Bj♥s
    Brasil♥♫

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  24. Thanks everyone for your lovely comments! :)

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  25. This recipe looks so interesting and colorful Never tried it before. good to have come to this lovely space.
    happy 2011 to you!

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  26. Thanks Sanjeeta, happy 2011 to you too! :)

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