[b]in a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, soy sauce and vanilla until well combined (sugar is dissolved) using an electric whisk. Optional if the weather is too cold, Prepare a water bath by filling a larger bowl with hot water (hottest water from the tap, you don’t want to use boiling water) then place a smaller bowl with tall edges in the water bath. Place the eggs, sugar, soy sauce and vanilla in the smaller bowl and whisk. Be careful not to have water spill over! You are essentially warming up the batter here gently.
Add in the yeast and olive oil. Sift in the flour. Beat until the batter is smooth. Do not over mix, until just combined.
Cover with a damp towel and set aside.
Preheat oven for 200F for 1-2 mins and turn it off. Place your bowl inside covered with the towel and let it ferment for 3 hours. This allows the batter to rest at a warm temperature.
hours later check on the batter. You should see bubbles. Since there is no gluten, the mixture will not increase in size. Yeast is there to add flavor!
Once ready, prepare your steamer. If you don’t have one it’s easy to make a DIY one you just need a large pot with some water and a bowl/rack so the cake tin can sit on top of it! If you have a steamer, fill it with water and bring to boil. The water should be just under the rack.
In the meantime, sift in baking powder and baking soda into the batter and mix until all lumps are clear. Do not overmix.
Line a 8x8 baking pan OR a 7 inch cake pan with parchment paper OR oil the pan generously. Pour in batter. Make sure it’s leveled.
Place in steamer and steam for 20 mins over high heat. You want to put a cloth over the cover between the batter and the cover to prevent water droplets from the steam falling onto the cake.
After 20 mins, turn off heat and let it sit for covered for 5 mins.
Carefully remove the pan from the steamer and place onto a heat pad. Let it cool slightly and cut in 12-15 slices. (5 x 3 slices rectangular slices). This is best served hot.
It can stay good in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. Make sure to heat up before enjoying!
Notes
* Low Sugar option: We have tried this with trivia brown sugar (which is 1:1 equivalent) or 200g for allulose. You will need to add 2 tsp of dark soy sauce to get the dark color without using coconut palm sugar
Recipe by Unconventional Cooks at https://unconventionalcooks.com/2024/02/04/gluten-free-dairy-free-cantonese-soft-sponge-cake-%e9%a6%ac%e6%8b%89%e7%b3%95-soft-and-fluffy/