White sugar sponge cake

White sugar sponge cake (also called white sugar cake and white sugar pastry) is a type of Chinese pastry.

White sugar sponge cake

Alternative names	White sugar cake, white sugar pastry
Type	Cake
Place of origin	Foshan, China
Main ingredients	Rice flour, sugar, water, leavening agent
Variations	Bánh bò
Similar dishes	Htanthi mont, Fa gao, Bánh bò, Sanna
Media: White sugar sponge cake

White sugar sponge cake
Chinese	白糖糕
Hanyu Pinyin	bái táng gāo
Jyutping	baak6 tong4 gou1
Literal meaning	white sugar cake
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin bái táng gāo Gan Romanization pak7 tong2 gau1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization baahk tòng gōu Jyutping baak6 tong4 gou1 IPA [pak̚˨tʰɔŋ˩kɔw˥]

It is made from rice flour, white sugar, water, and a leavening agent.^[1][2]

Although called a "cake", it is not circular. It is usually purchased as an individual square piece or a mini triangle. The cake is white, spongy, and soft. The taste is sweet and sometimes slightly sour due to fermentation of the batter prior to cooking. Like most Chinese cakes it is steamed, which makes it moist, soft, and fluffy.^[3] If left exposed to the air, it hardens quickly. It is usually kept under some cover to preserve moistness. It is typically served hot, because when it is cold it is not as soft and moist. The batter is either poured over a bowl in a steamer, a Chinese steamer cloth or aluminum foil. If made from brown rice flour and brown sugar it is called a brown sugar sponge cake.

A Vietnamese version of the cake, called bánh bò, differs from the Chinese version in that it often uses coconut milk as an ingredient,^[4] and does not have the sourness that often typifies the Chinese version.

Names

The cake has a variety of regional names, including:

• Baak Tong Gou (Cantonese)
• Bai Tang Gao (Mandarin)
• Pak Thong Koh (Malay)
• Puting Asukal Bibingka (Filipino)

See also

• Bánh bò
• Idli
• Jiuniang
• List of steamed foods