Tuesday 28 March 2017

The Ugly Taiwanese


Hah! See that up there? No no. That is not another one of my epic Japanese Cheesecakes. 

That wrinkly, shaggy looking thing is a........wait for it.......Taiwanese Sponge Cake. Huh? Taiwanese Sponge Cake?? Hello, Madam. Biar betul.


I don't bluff you. Here, this is the recipe.


I had to make modifications.
I found it in my recipe folder, ok? Where it came from, I forget.

I read somewhere that there is a craze over Taiwanese Sponge Cakes at a cake outlet at Sunway Velocity that had people queuing up for hours.

Anyway. There are no queues for this one.


In spite of my lack of finesse, the result was not too bad. It is spongy, soft, with a strong egg aroma. Something like our Terengganu kay nui kueh. Besides, my partner pronounced it "ho chiak!" upon first bite heh..heh...


Never fear. You know this madam won't give up so easily. Expect to see this sponge cake again, looking more presentable in a future post.

Taiwanese Sponge Cake
Recipe source : Adapted from Unknown (Try at your own risk)

Ingredients :

Egg Yolk Batter :
- 125g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp double action baking powder
- 5 egg yolks (plus 2 more just because I had extra)
- 70g castor sugar
- 1/4 cup milk and extra in case the batter is too thick
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or any flavorless vegetable oil)

Egg White Batter :
- 5 egg whites
- 70g castor sugar

Method :
1. Line the bottom of an 8" round pan. I did not grease the pan.
2. Make the egg yolk batter first. Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick and creamy.
4. Add milk and oil and whisk until emulsified.
5. Sift the flour in 3 additions and fold into the mixture. If it is too thick/dry, add some more milk to loosen the batter. It must be thick and flowy, not too thin. Set aside.
6. In another mixing bowl, using a mixer beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks.
7. Add 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk batter to loosen it.
8. Pour the egg yolk batter into the beaten egg white and gently fold until evenly mixed (I used my bare hand).
9. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake on the lowest rack at 160C for 50 minutes or until top is brown and skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Remove from oven and drop the pan onto your work surface from a height, 3 times to minimize shrinkage.

34 comments:

  1. ah, so your partner likes eggy taste. i know i will like this. your cake looks soft enough so if i don't stop myself i will eat the whole cake myself!

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    1. LOL! Yes, it is very possible to finish up the whole cake :)

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  2. Phoon Huat, your sponge cake looks good and the colour is so pretty!

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    1. Thanks, Ann! I hope to make it smoother next time.

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  3. Can i have a piece for my breakfast tomorrow? wink wink lol...

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  4. Hi Phong Hong,
    I saw some Taiwan Sponge cake posted in FB. But it's kinda sweet?
    Yours look very inviting.

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    1. Hi Karen! The original recipe used a lot of sugar so I adjusted it lower, so mine is barely sweet.

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  5. I like this type of sponge cake with its eggy and buttery taste

    BTW, since when you become Phoon Huat or Phoon Huat is your hubby? Hee hee LOL

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    1. LOL! I think Ann was thinking of what baking ingredients to buy from Phoon Huat, so she accidentally call me Phoon Huat :D

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  6. Morning madam :)

    To me the cake looks good and surely it tastes good too...

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    1. Morning Puan Hazel! That taste was good in spite of the looks hee..hee..

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  7. My mum makes a fantastic sponge, and she says one of the tricks is to not let the oven be disturbed. You can't open the oven to check on it while cooking, and you can't jump around too much (I was a kid when I heard this advice. ;-)

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    1. LOL! Your mum is rather wily to add in that caveat about not jumping around to ensure a good sponge. I am so tickled!

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  8. haha ... from the title, a reader who's not used to your blog might think you'd be scolding a taiwanese tourist for doing something rude :D now there'll be a queue outside your home of friends wanting to sample your cake :)

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    1. hee..hee.. Well, I would be very flattered if anyone found my sponge cake worth queuing for!

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  9. I love sponge cakes more than any other cakes...and I'm also waiting to try the long queue one (but after the hype is over) when the queue is non-existent. I was there last Friday for a very late dinner and when I left 10 minutes before closing time, I thought it'd be safe to get the Taiwanese sponge cake. But lo and behold, I was wrong, there was still a queue at that god forsaken hour! What? >_<

    Your cake top may not have the smooth finish but as long as it tastes good, that's all that matters...and the best thing is, you don't have to queue! ^o^

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    1. Oh, there is still a queue, the sponge cake must be fantastic. I am eager to try it too. Just to see what is so special about it :)

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  10. Ugly? That looks beautiful! I sure would not mind getting that to enjoy!

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  11. I does look so soffftttttt

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    Replies
    1. Yes, soft with a bit of chew. I loved it :)

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  12. That looks like a soft chiffon cake to me. In Penang we do call them Kay Nui Ko instead and I loved them when I was a kid.

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    1. Even the method is like a chiffon except not using the tube pan. I love kay nui ko and won't get bored with it.

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  13. Rupa paras dia mcm Japanese cheese cakelah kan LL. Tengok rupa dia pun dah tahu sedap LL.... tak tahan tengok kegebuannya... rasa nak ngap je weyh

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    1. heh..heh..kek macam ni Hainom, boleh cepat perabis sebab gebu dan ringan. Rasa-rsasnya, LL boleh makan sebijik kek sekali gus kot :D

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  14. Nice texture and colour.


    Note: Thanks for the feedback re your yoghurt cake. I am still trying to get to know my oven. I tried it yesterday morning before work (not a good idea) with top heat and bottom heat. The meringue was much lighter but it was too brown. Take 3��

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    1. Thanks :) I feel that bottom heat works better. Hope you find what works for you.

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  15. Hey dear, the cake is not ugly at all! Even the cake we bought outside is like that, as long as it is tasty, appearance doesn't matter for me ^__*

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  16. The sponge cake is very spongey and light.. I like it too. Can eat is good enough lor.

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