Cantonese Style Bouncy Brown Sugar Cake (Malay Cake) A Simple Breakfast Delight
***Update*** Please read every step carefully before attempting to make this recipe!! If you cannot follow the steps, please close this recipe. Some have reported that the texture is too bouncy, unlike those sold in stores, or not tasty. I want to clarify that this is exactly the kind of brown sugar cake sold in various breakfast shops on the streets of Guangdong!! If you follow the recipe exactly, this is the texture and flavor you get. Every recipe I post is one I am confident in. They are the result of repeated trials to find the right proportions before sharing them with everyone. Please don’t give a low score to the recipe without reason. China is vast, and it’s natural that brown sugar cakes in other places or even your local area might taste and feel different. If it doesn’t turn out well, please don’t immediately state it’s not tasty—it’s truly disheartening. For those who couldn’t make it successfully, if it didn’t rise or didn’t rise well, I assure you there’s no problem with the recipe. So many people have successfully made it. If yours didn’t work out, think about where the issue might be, which step went wrong or was overlooked. You can also ask me in the comments; I will reply whenever I see them. Please describe the issue in detail, rather than simply saying, “Why didn’t it rise?” 【Important Notes】 1. Make sure to use high-sugar-tolerant yeast!! Otherwise, it won’t rise!! Also, confirm your yeast is active before starting!! 2. Cool the sugar water mixed with flour and yeast to body temperature before mixing it. If you have a thermometer, use it to measure. Otherwise, you can try the temperature with your hand—it should feel like body temperature or cooler. Temperatures above 40°C will kill the yeast, causing it not to rise. 3. Do not cut it while still warm, it will stick! Unmold it when slightly warm and let it cool before cutting—it will cut cleanly and evenly. 4. This is the Q-bouncy brown sugar cake you find in Guangdong breakfast shops, not the soft Malay cake served with dim sum (also sometimes called traditional Malay cake). That version is fluffy and contains eggs, which this version does not. If you want the dim sum variety, do not use this recipe. 5. This recipe has a higher tapioca starch content than most brown sugar cake recipes, giving it an especially bouncy texture. If you don’t like this texture, you can reduce the amount of tapioca starch. Everyone has their preferred texture, but I’ve shared what I think tastes best with this recipe. This recipe makes one 22cm cake. This is one of my absolute favorite Cantonese desserts, often sold alongside white sugar cakes in Guangdong breakfast shops. Living abroad, I always miss it since I can’t get it here! Every time I return to China, I make sure to seize every opportunity to buy and eat it—I adore this texture! In Cantonese, it’s called “yîn yan.” I’ve asked many people and searched online for many recipes, trying countless variations, but the taste or texture was always just a little off, which made me quite frustrated. Still, because I love it so much, I kept tweaking it—adjusting the sugar type, sugar quantity, tapioca starch ratio, baking powder amount, etc.—until finally, I achieved the perfect taste and texture I was happy with! I’m so thrilled to share it here for my reference in the future. Honestly, I am not entirely certain whether this cake should be called Malay Cake. In some places, it’s called Malay Cake, in others Brown Sugar Cake, and in some Yellow Sugar Cake. It’s sold sliced in many Guangdong breakfast shops—a bit bouncy with a pure brown sugar flavor. This is not the soft eggy Malay cake (sponge cake) served with dim sum. About the sugar used: I could probably write thousands of words about sugar, so I’ll keep it short. This information might be more useful for those overseas buying sugar. In China, you can buy black sugar directly, but abroad it’s not always available, which is frustrating… Here, I can find Chinese brown sugar (like ginger brown sugar), brown sugar (the typical type), raw sugar, Muscovado/Barbados sugar, rock sugar, palm sugar, and others. I think the closest flavor comes from Barbados sugar, not the typical brown sugar. The brown sugar I can get here is usually the bagged ginger brown sugar type, and not pure brown sugar. Plus, I feel that the unique flavor of such brown sugar is a little off for this cake. I did some research and found that in China, there is no standard distinction between black sugar and brown sugar. Originally, they were all called brown sugar, with black sugar being a Taiwanese term that later became popular in China. Compared to brown sugar, black sugar has a more pronounced caramelized sweetness while brown sugar does not specifically require this quality. The production process of Muscovado/Barbados sugar is similar to Chinese black sugar—it’s less refined and retains many flavor compounds from sugarcane, resulting in a particularly delightful taste. If you have black sugar, use it; otherwise, black sugar slices could work. From various other recipes, I’ve seen some people add white sugar to increase sweetness—but personally, as I’m not a fan of very sweet foods, I find using all black sugar results in better flavor. If using Chinese sugar, you can mix them up. Here’s something interesting: Chinese sugars might be sweeter than those abroad? It’s just a guess and not necessarily correct. This idea arose because some comments on my recipes mentioned that they’re too sweet, which puzzled me as I usually reduce sugar in my recipes—and I’m someone who doesn’t have a strong sweet tooth. Something worth exploring further.
Ingredients
Steps
Dissolve sugar in warm water. 【Detailed Notes on Sugar Amount】 Some people found it too sweet. I suspect that the sugars I buy in New Zealand might not be as sweet as those in China? I’ve tested with various amounts, and using 120g of brown sugar with no white sugar doesn’t feel overly sweet to me—which is saying a lot since I don’t love overly sweet things. For Malay Cake, I think this is just right. I’ve also made it using whole-grain flour (red beans, purple rice, oats, etc.) blended into a paste for this recipe, using 60g of black sugar. The result had the fragrance of the grains with a mild sweetness—wonderful as well! But for the pure brown sugar flavor Malay cake, reducing too much sugar might result in a less aromatic cake. And if the flour quality isn’t great, it could end up tasting starchy. Feel free to adjust the sugar level to your preference, and note what works for future reference. Generally, a total sugar amount between 110g and 120g is reasonable. Cut back if you don’t want it too sweet, but do remember that this cake is meant to be sweet—too little sugar will make it less enjoyable.
Add low-gluten flour, tapioca starch, and yeast into a large bowl. Mix lightly; no need to sift. Make sure to use high-sugar-tolerant yeast, otherwise, it won’t rise. Also, ensure the yeast is active.
Ensure the sugar water is not above 40°C. It should feel close to body temperature, neither hot nor cold, and pour it into the flour mixture to create a smooth batter. Break up any clumps with a scraper. The purpose of using slightly warm water (around 30-40°C) is to activate the yeast and speed up proofing. If unsure about the temperature, keep it cooler rather than too warm, as temperatures over 40°C will kill the yeast.
The mixed batter should look like this consistency.
Let the batter ferment until it doubles in size. At around 30°C, this takes about an hour, but the timing may vary based on temperature. Look for the batter volume to double with visible bubbles on the surface.
【Optional step if you're confident about the fermentation】 Add baking powder to a small container. Take a small amount of batter and mix it thoroughly with the powder. Many recipes online recommend a high proportion of baking powder, but I’ve found this affects the flavor, so I’ve reduced it to 3g. If the fermentation looks great, you might skip this step. However, retaining 2-3g of baking powder increases the success rate.
Add the mixed batter with baking powder back to the main bowl. Add 10g of vegetable oil (preferably neutral ones like corn oil) and mix well. Don't worry about deflating air bubbles; the more you mix, the fewer bubbles there'll be, and the finer the cake texture. However, if you prefer a more porous texture, mix less.
Even after thorough mixing, some bubbles will remain, but these can dissipate later when poured into the steaming pan.
Prepare a stainless steel pan by greasing it lightly or line a steamer with parchment. Pour the batter into the pan. Once poured in, gently tap the pan's bottom on a table to remove large bubbles. Start boiling water on high heat. Place the pan in only after the water is boiling! Boil for 20 minutes, then let steam for another 5 minutes before opening the lid. (Throughout steaming, do not open the lid.) Reminder: Always steam with boiling water to prevent the cake from collapsing. If the steaming container is smaller, resulting in a thicker cake, increase the steaming time. An undercooked cake will have a powdery and unpleasant texture.
Let the cake cool before cutting, as cutting it warm will cause it to stick to the knife. The cake texture is best enjoyed once cooled. If leftovers harden overnight, you can steam them until hot again or microwave them after wrapping them with plastic wrap. Warm thoroughly to restore its original texture; otherwise, it will taste powdery.
Once cooled, the cake has a lovely bouncy texture.