Wednesday 10 April 2013

Pandan Ogura Cake


I love this cake! It is soft, moist and so delicious. This irresistible cake comes from Christine's Food@Home Sweet Home. Christine's Ogura cake is with buttercream which I have omitted as I prefer my cakes plain. She has a few other types of Ogura cakes which I have bookmarked to try.

If you are familiar with chiffon cake, you will have no trouble baking this cake. It is similar because there are two batters i.e. the egg yolk and egg white mixture. The tricky part is beating the egg whites to the correct stage of stiffness and folding the two batters together. 


Batter before baking.

I know I should use natural pandan as I have a pandan plant in my garden but I did not have the time to make the pandan extract. This is not a good excuse and I should plan ahead and prepare the pandan juice ahead of time. In place of the natural pandan I used pandan essence and I admit that nothing beats the real thing. But it comes quite close. And I substituted the corn oil with extra virgin coconut oil for  added fragrance. So my Pandan Ogura Cake pretty much smells like Pandan Chiffon Cake which I am happy to say is one of my most popular posts. 


Just out of the oven.

When it comes to folding the two batters together, somehow I can't get it right with a spatula. And I reckon there is no harm using my favourite tool of choice, my bare hand. I have more control and I can feel the density and evenness of the batter. It works for me and I will continue to fold my batters this way.


Cooling upside down. The cake shrinks a little bit.

I find that baking in a 9" pan is better as the batter rises quite a bit in the oven and requires more room to expand. You have to adjust the baking temperature and baking time to suit your oven. I gained a lot of experience from baking Mango Yogurt Cottony Cake and it helped me a lot when it came to this cake.



In my first attempt, I baked the cake at 150C for 45 minutes. The top was nicely browned (not too dark) and the cake was very moist. A bit too moist even though there is nothing wrong with that. In my second attempt, I extended the baking time by another 5 minutes and that was perfect for me. The top browned a little bit more, which was nice and the moistness of the cake was just right.



The level of sweetness I believe has been adjusted to accommodate the buttercream and it is just nice for me as I don't like things too sweet. Just to be sure I checked with my partner and he agrees. But for those of you with a sweet tooth, you may prefer to add a little bit more (if you are doing without buttercream). But trust me, this amount of sugar is enough for you. Too much sugar is bad.



Another thing I want to mention, in case you experience this problem. The egg yolk mixture is runny even after addition of flour because there is very little flour used in this cake. It is not like the egg yolk batter for chiffon cake. I had tiny lumps in the batter after adding the flour and I could feel them while folding the batter. My partner commented that he could feel the lumps when eating the cake (strange that I did not come across lumps while eating). So in my second attempt, I sieved the egg yolk mixture after adding flour.



And then I asked Christine about this lumpy problem and she advised me to add the flour a little at a time. So I did that in my third attempt, sifting the flour into the batter a little at a time and mixing. And I got a smooth batter yay! And thank you Christine!

For the steam bake method and other details such as lining the pan and inverting the cake, you can check the way I did it hereAll in all, this is a very good cake which I find a breeze to bake. For more Ogura or Cottony cakes, hop over to Food@Home Sweet Home and Cooking Pleasure.










Pandan Ogura Cake
Recipe source : Adapted from Food@Home Sweet Home

Ingredient A (Egg Yolk mixture)
- 65ml corn oil or any neutral tasting vegetable oil (I used Extra Virgin Coconut Oil because I like the coconut aroma)
- 80ml milk
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 65g Superfine flour
- 1 teaspoon pandan essence
- a few drops of green coloring)

Ingredient B (Egg White mixture)
- 5 egg whites
- 75g castor sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Method :

Ingredient A
1. Mix egg yolks, whole egg, coconut oil, milk, pandan essence and green colouring until well combined
2. Sift in flour a little at a time and mix until well incorporated.

Ingredient B
1. Add cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat until foamy.
2. Gradually add in sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks.

To complete the cake :

1. Fold in 1/3 of egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture until well combined.
2. Add the combined mixture into the remaining egg while mixture and fold until well combined.
3. Pour batter into a lined 9" square pan, even out the top using your spatula and give the pan a few firm taps to remove any trapped air bubbles.
4. Steam bake at 150C for 50 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and invert on cooling rack to cool.


100 comments:

  1. The cake look so light and soft! I can't wait to try this out. Might do it this evening after dinner so we can have it for our breakfast.

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    1. Gertrude, it is very light and soft. I can eat many slices :)

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  2. Looks good. Can ask my daughter to rty - I'm really scared of baking, scared not jadi, throw it all away.

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    1. Arthur, this cake if tak jadi very sayang because got 6 eggs! I am sure your daughter can do it well. This cake is very nice to eat.

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  3. I always wanna bake this cake but keep delaying as I have no confidence, i am not good at chiffon cake lol. Phong Hong, I wanted to try the hand method after seeing it from Ann but have not tried it out yet, must really give a try as heard that this method can minimise the deflating of batter.

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    1. Jess, try lah! The hand method is good because our hand is so gentle that deflation is minimal. At first maybe you will feel a bit geli but you will get used to it :)

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  4. Your cake looks very well done. Light and fluffy plus i love the nicely browned, smooth top.

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    1. Thank you! I was very happy that it turned out well :)

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  5. Thank you for the detailed explanation.
    Linda

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    1. You are welcome, Linda. Hope you try the cake!

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  6. Oh wow your cake is so gorgeous, both in colour and its fine texture. I would love to have a slice. Always wanted to make this type of cake, will do so soon and your pandan version sounds like a great recipe.

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    1. Thanks, Mich! Hope to see your cake soon, I am sure you can do it well.

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  7. Oh wow, oh wow, wow, wow......so so so beautiful! Now you don't need to scare to bake any types of cakes anymore but I am still scare to bake this Ogura cake leh! You see, you are so good and I still have not start to bake this. You must be very pleased with this outcome of this cake, right Phong Hong?

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    1. Mel, I am still learning lah! So happen that I was lucky my auntie taught me the techniques for chiffon cake and I have applied it here. I still mess up my Cotton Soft Japanese Cheesecake :(

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  8. It looks very yummy this is one of my favourite cake.I got the one on the coffee ogura cake from Christine on my face book .I have been wanting to write to tell her I am anxious to bake this cake but I can't get superfine flour here so what shall I do.Oh Phong Hong help! help!I always love to eat this type of cake

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    1. Ee-Ee, no need to use superfine flour. Ordinary self-raising flour is good enough.

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  9. Oh, man, I think today my mind will just be full of the picture of these pandan ogura cake! They look so perfect, girl! Bravo bravo! I want, 1 nope, 2 slices please & I've brought my own tea, hehehe!

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    1. Jessie, you can have as many slices as you like! This cake is so light that I just can't stop eating. You must bake it too!

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  10. Super soft cake! I have not try any Ogura cake before, I must give a try soon :)

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    1. DG, try this cake! You and your family will love it :)

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  11. I'm going to try this as I've never heard of Ogura cake before. So sweet of you to list out all the details for us to share!

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    1. Cheah, I hope to see your Ogura cake soon!

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  12. Look at that texture... looks awesome.. am in love with the cake Phong

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    1. Thank you, Vimitha! You must try this cake someday, guarantee very delicious!

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  13. Hi Phong Hong, thanks for the shout out. Looks like we have all developed this strong liking for these cakes. I agree the sweetness is just nice but for certain flavours like vanilla, a little bit more sugar would make the cake perfect.

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    1. Kimmy, this type of cake is really my top favourite now. So light and so good to eat!

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  14. Your Ogura cake looks so fine and fluffy! I tried this once and it sank like the titanic:S Must pluck up enough courage to bake this again!

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    1. Jeannie, don't give up! Try again, sure will jadi :)

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    2. Hi Phong Hong, yesterday I beh tahan and went ahead and tried it, finally got into my head not to beat the eggwhites too stiff and it came out looking great! I should try to use hand to mix next time as there are some white spots in my cake! Will post about it soon!

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    3. Hah! Hah! That's great, Jeannie! I am anxiously waiting to see your cake :)

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  15. Phong Hong, ur ogura cake texture very moist n light. I am not going to make this until I try the original one on July. Have to go back to Msia to try la...

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    1. Li Shuan, uiks must come back to Malaysia then only can try kah? Heh..heh...I am sure your ogura cake will turn out very well. It is just like making chiffon cake. I wait for your post, ar?

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  16. Wow Phong Hong! The pandan cake looks so soft... looks like a sofa couch!

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    1. Alvin, now that you mentioned it, it does look like a plush sofa hah! hah!

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  17. Hi Phong Hong,
    Your cake looks so spongy and soft, perfectly baked! So sedap with a cup of warm tea!

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    1. Thanks, Joyce! This cake is so sedap and airy that you won't feel jelak after eating it. Can eat quiet a lot :)

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  18. Lovely and perfect! I also loved your Pandan Chiffon cake... :)

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    1. Thank you, Purabi! You must bake the cake too!

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  19. Phong Hong You did it, all thumbs up to you! madly fell in love with Ogura Cake like me leh? :)

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    1. Thank you, Christine! I am now Ogura crazy like you!

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  20. oh, my favorite cake!!! bookmark first hahaha....
    your beef curry very nice!
    thank you once again,hahahah....

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    1. Friend, I wait to see your Ogura cake!

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  21. Hi Phong Hong, your Ogura cake very cottony soft and moist. The colour just nice. Well done!

    Have a wonderful week ahead.

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    1. Thank you, Amelia! You will love this cake!

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  22. oh...miss the soft and moist cake....yours make me drool!

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    1. Stephanie, don't drool, bake the cake hah! hah!

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  23. Phong Hong, Very pandai lah!!!! Your pandan ogura cake looks cottony soft and moist,PERFECT!!!!

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    1. Esther, thank you! Thank you! This is after 3 attempts lah :)

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  24. Phong Hong,
    Wow wow! Your baking skill is greeting better and better.
    This Ogura cake is very addictive. Can't stop at one piece.

    Yours look great. Love the spongy texture like Dunlop :p
    Love the pastel green colour too.
    Can poslaju 2 pieces to me?
    Heehee

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    1. Thank you, mui mui! Yes, improving bit by bit lah hee..hee...I pos laju the whole cake lah, 2 pieces where got enough?

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  25. from your pictures, I can see your cake is very soft and moist, well done!

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    1. Thank you, Sonia! I love to eat this cake. I think the whole cake also I can sapu :)

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  26. adoiiii.....huhuhu..
    nak balik dulu lah!
    nangis I masuk sini...rasa macham nak gigit2 skrin ni...this air liur meleleh and beautiful kek so cruel la PH...

    I setuju ngan kata Sonia, your soft and moist! well done!

    balik dulu la....lainkali nak masuk sini kena teropong dulu...
    btw, you guna kamera apa? all the gambar cantik2, terang and superb!

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    1. Hi Queenie, thank you lah sebab sudi jenguk-jenguk dapur I. Kek ni mudah aje, you pun terror membaking. I pakai kamera buruk je, Canon Powershot A495. Itu camera lama adek I. Dia dah tak nak so sedekah kat akak dia. Jumpe lagi, ok?

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  27. Looks so soft and delicious, makes me want to take a bite through the screen. :)

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    1. Hah! Hah! It's a nice cake, try it sometime!

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  28. i have been wanting to bake an ogura cake since i bookmarked it few months ago! i'm so slow!! thanks for the tips givens ya!

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    1. Lena, hope to see your Ogura cake soon :)

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  29. Wow! Hats off to you dear.. Your cake looks soft and perfectly made :-)

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  30. so sad i tried making this, in the oven it went up and up and up...then down down down :( not sure what i did wrong but not discouraged...gonna try again!!! :D

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    1. Did you invert the pan after taking out of the oven? Try again, I am sure you can get it right!

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  31. Hello Phong Hong

    Is the cake unmoulded when it's inverted? Or does it cool down inverted and still in the pan? Thanks!

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    1. Sorry, forgot to ask if the 9 inch pan is 2 or 3 inches deep? Thanks again.

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    2. Hi there! The cake is unmoulded when it is inverted. I peel off the baking paper gently after about 5 minutes or so. The pan I used is a deep pan and is about 3 inches deep but I have also used another pan which is 2 inches deep and it is still OK.

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  32. Hi PH
    I tried this one. My boy love it. So soft n moist. I eat half cake T.T cham la. Pui liao. Everyone love it. Bug i have 1 prob. The cake is set. But i can feel like foamy or a bit wet at the bottom of the pan. Can you give me some advice to fix it? Thanks
    Xinling

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    1. Hi Xinling! Glad to hear you tried the cake and your boy loved it. When you invert the cake, remove the pan immediately. Wait for about 5-10 minutes and peel off the baking paper. That will prevent the bottom from becoming wet.

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    2. Thanks PH for the tips. Tomorrow i will try again. Everyone loves the cake. But most importantly my boy love it. He is so picky about food. Pening thinking what to cook everyday. Everyting you give is just so accurate PH. Thanks for sharing

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  33. Hi, I baked this cake for the first time and it turned out great. Thank you for the recipe.

    Yvonne

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    1. Hi Yvonne! You are welcome and I am happy that your cake turned out well :)

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  34. Try baking but the cake shrank quite a bit - after removing from oven, I reverted it and remove the lining. Please advice.

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    1. Hi! The cake does shrink but I am uncertain why yours shrank a lot. Perhaps you can go to The Kitchen Tigress and watch her video on Ogura Cake. It might help.

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  35. Hi Phong,

    I tried this recipes three times and each time it shranks but the cake still moist and soft.
    is there away to prevent the cake from shrank?

    Thanks

    SW

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    1. Hi SW! My cake did shrink a bit too. I read somewhere that we should only line the bottom of the pan to allow the cake stick to the sides (ie not a non-stick pan). Then when inverting, let it cool a bit longer without removing the pan. I haven't tried that yet. Good luck!

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  36. Phoon Hong,

    I do not have an 9"pan, can I use an 8"round pan or 10"round pan?

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    1. Yes, you can use a round pan. I am just concerned that the batter will rise up quite high and your cake will crack if you use an 8" pan. A 9" pan will give your cake more room. But you can try though, because I know of others who use an 8"pan with no problems. Good luck!

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  37. Hi Phong Hong, question! I realize that you are using a 9" pan to bake this cake. But I dont have a 9" pan so I was using a 7" pan to bake this cake today. Dont worry! My pan is a 7cm height pan, so it wont overfill. Somehow, my cake shrunk in the last 10-20mins of the bake. When I took it out, it shrank even more. It is pathetic. This is not the first time... nor the second time... nor the third time... omg! it has been doing this almost every single time since I started baking this cake!!! :'( I beat the white eggs to stiff peak since I found out that one of my cakes that didnt sink much was when I beat the whites to stiff peak. Also, because my eggs was super large, I only use a total of 5 eggs instead of the listed 6 eggs. Could that contribute to my failure? Also, that very time that I found out my cake didnt sink as much, I was using a temp of 160C for 10mins then 140C for 40mins. Anyhow, those might not matter now since I fail this time using the exact same temp. Omg, PH! Can you help me master this cake? I really want to master this cake. Please guide me!!! (T----T)

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    1. Hi Cherish! I am assuming that you did all the steps including using the steam bake method. I am not too certain why your cake shrank. My theory is that because you pan is smaller, therefore the cake rises higher. That probably cause it to be unstable and therefore it will collapse. Why don't you try with a bigger pan or scale down your batter. Hopefully it works. Good luck! And by the way, thanks for coming over :)

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  38. Oh yeah, Phong Hong. Do you really have to refrigerate your ogura cake for storing purposes? My ogura cakes became a bundle-like if I put it in the fridge. It is not fluffy anymore not to say cottony. BUT! If I didnt put it in the fridge, it will only last for 1 night. Then... to the garbage bin it goes. I am not sure if this is caused of my cake that is moist in general. It cracked, exploded, and skewer tested out clean. However, my cake still came out moist a lot of the time. Does your ogura cake have to store in the fridge? If not, how long can your cake be stored in room temp? Thanks for helping!

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    1. Hi Cherish! OK, I keep my Ogura cake at room temperature and I find that it keeps up to three days i.e. day 1 is the day baked, day 2 still OK, day 3 still OK but day 4 it goes bad. So, if you want to keep it longer it will have to go into the fridge. Generally, I don't like to store cakes in the fridge unless if necessary like cheesecakes. If you keep the Ogura cake in the fridge, bring it out to room temperature before consuming or zap for a few seconds in the microwave. Hope this helps :)

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    2. Ok, got it! At least, I have a good reference now. Thank you, PH! <3

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  39. hi Phonghong, could I use standard flour or is it better selfraising flour?thankyou so much

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    1. Hi Peaceful! Yes, you can use standard flour. In fact the flour I used is not self-raising flour. This cake does not need baking powder because the egg whites act as a raising agent.

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  40. by the way I forgot to ask you, is the steam bake method that you use is the same as au bein marie method?thank you Phong Hong

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    1. Hi Peaceful! It is different. Please see this post :
      http://phonghongbakes.blogspot.com/2012/11/mango-yogurt-cottony-cake.html

      I have a photo of how I did the steam bake method. Hope that it is helpful to you :)

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    2. hi Phong Hong, thankyou for d info. I baked it last night n it turned out beautifully....so soft like a cotton.....unfortunately I need to bake it again, my husband n my daughter ate them all ;-) less than 1day hhmmm.....

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    3. That's how good your cake is!

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  41. Hola :)
    I was so impresed by this cake, looks amazing !
    So I cooked it this morning.
    But I don't know why the mine are really flat and looks more moist :(
    I did exactly what you explained, I just don't add sugar (but my eggs white were perfect).
    My pan was a little bigger than yours, maybe it's the problem ...
    When I took it from the oven it has a good aspect (inflated well) and then ... flat flat falt !

    I'm so sad, help me for the next one , please !
    Adé

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    1. Hi Adelaide! Thanks for trying the recipe. Honestly, I don't know what went wrong with your cake. Give it another try and see how it goes. Use a smaller pan, maybe that will help .

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  42. By steam bake did you mean water bath? If yes then how much water should we pour into the pan? Thank you so much for the recipe!!

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    1. Hi Isabelle! Please see this post :

      http://phonghongbakes.blogspot.my/2012/11/mango-yogurt-cottony-cake.html

      I have a photo to show how to steam bake. Good luck!

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  43. Hi Phong Hong,
    I like that your cake has very little sugar because I find that cakes nowadays are just so sweet they make my mouth turn acidic after eating a few slices. I will definitely try your recipe because I love moist cakes and I have all the ingredients on hand too. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Hi Foon Lam! Hope this recipe works out for you. Thanks for coming by :)

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    2. Hi, Phong Hong
      Can I use plain flour n add 1/4 tsp double active baking powder?
      Thanks. Lyn

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  44. Hi, Phong Hong
    Forgotten to ask, can I omit cream of tartar?
    Tks
    Lyn

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    1. Yes, Lyn. You can. I have omitted cream of tartar sometimes and I find it does not make any significant difference.

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  45. Please may I know if I need to line the tin with grease proof paper? Thanks, susan

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    1. Yes, do line it with greaseproof or baking paper. Which was what I did.

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