Pak Tong Gou (White Sugar Cake)

Making this like renewing childhood memories as it is a favourite childhood cake for many people. It is a traditional Chinese snack that is white in colour, sweet and light as it is steamed. The cake is not too sweet, slightly chewy and it wonderfully spongy from the honeycomb-like appearance on the inside of the cake.

It's easy to recreate this traditional kuih at home. This kuih is only using just a few ingredients. 

 

 Ingredients:

• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp lukewarm water
• 300g rice flour, sifted
• 280g water
• ½ tsp cooking oil

ingredients for the sugar syrup:

• 200g sugar
• 340g water
• 3 pieces pandan leaves, knotted

Method:

Start by dissolving 1 tsp instant yeast with 1 tbsp lukewarm water. Set aside the mixture for 10 minutes or until the mixture turns foamy.

Place the rice flour in a medium size bowl and add in the water. Whisk and combine until you get a smooth and thick batter. Set aside.

In a saucepan, heat up the sugar with water and pandan leaves until sugar dissolves. Then slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the tice flour mixture, stirring it constantly to prevent limps forming.

Leave aside the rice flour batter to cool until warm. When cooled, add in the foamy instant yeast mixture and stir well to combine everything together.

Then cover with cling film and leave the mixture to proof in a warm area for 2 hours or until large bubbles form on the surface.

When ready, add in ½ tsp of cooking oil. Stir the batter again, mixing well. 

Prepare the steamer by bringing the water in the steamer to a rapid boil. Brush a 10 inch round cake pan with cooking oil. Pour the batter into the oiled cake pan. Rest 20 minutes until small bubbles appear.

Place in steamer and steam for 30 minutes on high heat. Remove the cake pan from the steamer and let the kuih cool on the counter before cutting the kuih.

Once it is cool enough to handle, gently run a spatula along the edges to loosen the cake from the sides of the pan. Then remove the rice cake from pan.

Simply cut the kuih into slices and served as snacks.

 Enjoy!!!