Prosperity Cakes (大發糕)

祝各位兔年大發及笑口常開！
May the year of the rabbit being you prosperity and happiness!

Why are these called prosperity cakes?
Prosperity cakes are rising cakes that burst, symboling that one’s wealth will rise and burst and overflow (it’s a good thing).

 

Prosperity Cakes
Ingredients:
150g Dark Brown Sugar
240g Warm Water
120g Rice Flour
120g Cake Flour (I didn’t have cake flour, so I used 105g All Purpose Flour & 15g Potato Starch)
8g Baking Powder
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, stir dark brown sugar in water until sugar is dissolved.
2. In a separate bowl, combine powder ingredients.
3. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, gradually stir the powder ingredients into the sugar/water mixture until smooth.
*You may need to strain the batter through a sieve to achieve smoothness*
4. Pour batter in cups/mini bowls/mini tart pans (something that won’t collapse) almost to the rim.  If using bowls/pans that may stick, brush on some vegetable oil before pouring in batter.
5. Steam in a pan/pot over boiling water for 15 minutes (they should have bursted).
Enjoy!

These cakes have a chewy consistency due to the rice flour.  I personally don’t really enjoy eating these, but I like to make them during CNY just to be festive!  😉

Malaysia Style Steamed Cake with Salty Duck Egg Yolks

Couple months back, I discovered a Malaysian Steamed Cake recipe that called for Salty Duck Egg Yolks.  Being the biggest fan of this special egg yolk, I had to try this recipe out, and of course, I had to put MORE than the suggested amount of yolk (I quadrupled it to be exact…:P).

I didn’t make this recipe again until last week, and that’s when I realized that I’ve never shared this recipe with you guys, so here I am, introducing you to this yummy dim sum cake.  🙂

As you see in the pictures, I used a 7-Inch bamboo steamer to steam this cake. The bamboo gives the cake a unique taste and fragrance. If you don’t have a bamboo steamer, a 7-inch cake/springform pan would work too, just make sure you seal the bottom seams with foil so that steam/water doesn’t seep into the cake. 🙂

Ingredients:

120g All Purpose Flour
3 Tbsp Custard Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
3 Eggs
180g Sugar
4 Tbsp Butter
1 tsp Instant Dry Milk
2 Tbsp Whole Milk
4 Salty Duck Egg Yolks, cooked (I steam the yolks by themselves to cook them.)
40g Sugar
40g Butter

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, custard powder, baking powder and baking soda together.
2. In the bowl of a hand/stand mixer, whisk eggs for 8 minutes, eggs should appear thick and almost foamy.
3. Add in powder mixture, mix until incorporated.  Let stand for 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, line steamer with parchment paper by folding it into a bowl-like shape.  DO NOT cut a circular sheet for the bottom and a strip to line the sides.  There should be no holes/seams for the water to seep into the cake.
5. Melt 4 Tbsp butter and dissolve dry milk in it.  Add butter with dry milk and milk into batter, and mix well.
6. In a 12-13 inch pot, high enough for the steamer plus 1 to 2 inches boiling water, place a steaming rack in the pot and add enough water to reach the top of the rack.  Turn heat to high and bring water to boil.
7. Create the yolk mixture: melt 40g butter, add 40g sugar and mash with egg yolks.
8. Pour 1/3 of the batter into the parchment lined steamer, pour 1/3 of the egg yolk mixture, and alternate until all batter/egg mixture are in the steamer, cover steamer with the lid.
9. Pot of water should be boiling by now.  Place steamer on top of the rack, cover, and steam for 25 minutes.
10. Serve hot.  This cake can be reheated when cool.