Vegan Ma Lai Go Inspired Sponge Cake

I am back with a Vegan Ma Lai Go Inspired Sponge Cake recipe for my 12 Months of Dim Sum Project! Yes, this would’ve been for September. I’m still showing up even though I’m late!

Ma Lai Go is the perfectly soft and steamed sponge cake at dim sum. Yes, it is a cake that isn’t baked in the oven but instead steamed in a bamboo steamer. It’s warm, fluffy, light and perfectly sweet and I love Chinese cakes the most because of those things.

There are opposing theories as to where Ma Lai Go originated but a common denominator is that the Chinese were always involved so I’d say some credit for this specific take on spongecake goes to them. But if you look at the words “Ma Lai” it’s “Malay”. There are also theories that the cake originated in Malaysia so credit goes to them as well of course! So Ma Lai Go would then be a Malaysian-inspired Chinese cake right? Let me know what you think in the comments! And if I’m wrong, please remember I’m human, make mistakes and am always open to learning. Thanks!

This Vegan Ma Lai Go Inspired Sponge Cake recipe is doubled and adapted from the Woks of Life Chinese Steamed Cake recipe.

This recipe uses aquafaba instead of eggs to help make the cake nice and fluffy in addition to what may seem to be loads of fresh baking powder but is actually the perfect amount! I know because I tested this four times. I was worried about the taste of baking powder coming through because it seemed to be so much but it didn’t. It’s perfect – to me! This recipe also highlights custard powder and I had to research to make sure that the custard powder I used was vegan.

I had to make this cake to get it just right so I’ll give you some tips.

For our Vegan Mai Lai Go Inspired Sponge Cake, we use aquafaba at room temperature (canned chickpea brine), vegetable oil, organic dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, unsweetened vegan milk at room temperature(I tested with both almond and soy and they’re interchangeable), vegan custard powder, cake flour, kosher salt and fresh baking powder.

Let’s start out with the downright non-negotiables when it comes to the ingredients:

1: The aquafaba and vegan milk must be at room temperature. Use a thermometer if you need to heat up either ingredient and get it to measure it to room temperature (68°F).

2: The cake flour cannot be replaced with all-purpose flour. Cake flour is made from soft wheat and has lower gluten protein amounts than all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour has more protein therefore it produces denser baked goods. Obviously, we don’t want a dense cake. Stick with cake flour.

3: The baking powder also must be fresh. It cannot be the one that’s been sitting in the pantry for a year or sometimes even only several months. If you want to test the freshness of your baking powder, put a teaspoon of it in some boiling water. If it fizzes up, it should be fine. If it doesn’t, then it’s time to open up a new can.

If you substitute any of these ingredients for something else or use them when they’re at the wrong temperature, it will mess up the cake.

So let’s get started. Here’s how we make our Vegan Ma Lai Go Inspired Spongecake:

We whisk the aquafaba, vegetable oil and dark brown sugar on high using a stand mixer for five minutes exactly. Then we add the vanilla extract, vegan milk and custard powder and whisk again on high for another minute. Make sure you actually grabbed the custard powder and not the baking soda. You don’t want a gelatinous mess of a cake.

After the high power whisking, it’s time to add the cake flour, kosher salt and baking powder by sifting it little by little. We fold in the ingredients and prevent overmixing. In all my tests, I found that using a little sieve and adding the flour mix little by little (and folding in each time before the next small batch is added), produced the least amount of flour lumps. Worth the extra time and patience.

When the cake flour, salt and baking powder are all folded in, we let the batter sit uncovered for half an hour in its bowl.

Meanwhile, we’ll set up our steaming station by getting a 10 inch pan and filling it almost to the top with water and then setting it aside on the stove. The pan has to be almost full (but not all the way) because the water decreases as it steams. At one point, I accidentally burned another bamboo steamer tray because I ran out of water when I had the heat too high and the cake wasn’t cooked enough. My mistake. But for now, we set this pan aside, almost full.

We line our 10 inch bamboo steamer tray with two large parchment paper strips we make ourselves to make “handles” so that we can pull the cake out with ease.

After making the handles, we line the sides with more parchment paper to create a higher wall, even if it means it leans over onto the top of the cake, to prevent any batter from spilling over the sides onto the steamer and lid. And, lastly, we add a round liner to the bottom of the pan.

That looks so sloppy but it works! Ideally the round liner would be smaller. But again, this works for me!

After the half hour of sitting batter is up, we pour it into the lined bamboo steamer and let it sit for another ten minutes. Meanwhile, we bring our large pan that’s almost filled to the top with water to medium heat. This will create the steam. It shouldn’t be boiling but more of a simmer. At ten minutes, we place the bamboo tray on the pan. The setup should look like this (but on the stove at medium heat obviously).

We let the cake cook for a good hour. After an hour we check with a toothpick to see if it’s done. If the toothpick comes out dry with a few crumbs, it’s just fine. If it’s wet, then obviously it’s not done. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.

When done, turn off heat and let sit for 10 minutes without moving anything. Then transfer the cake itself onto a wire rack to cool for half an hour before serving.

12 Months of Dim Sum Recipes

January 2021: Vegan Siomai

February 2021: Instant Pot Congee

March 2021: Vegan Potstickers with Ginger Scallion Tofu

April 2021: Crispy Golden Fried Tofu

May 2021: Toasted Cumin Scallion Pancakes

June 2021: Gluten-Free Asian Dipping Sauce

July 2021: Sweet Red Bean Paste and Perfectly Golden Sesame Balls

August 2021: Sweet Leeks and Ginger Bok Choy

September 2021: Vegan Ma Lai Go Inspired Sponge Cake

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