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close up of baak tong gou (white sugar cake) to show the honeycomb interior

Baak Tong Gou, a Top 9 Allergen Free Chinese Dessert

Baak Tong Gou, in Cantonese, or Bai Tong Gao, in Mandarin, is a beloved dessert that is popular at Chinese bakeries or dim sum restaurants. This steamed and lightly sweetened rice cake with a honeycomb-like interior is naturally nut-free, as well as free of the top 9 allergens. This recipe is adapted from Woks of Life's White Sugar Cake recipe (https://thewoksoflife.com/bai-tang-gao-white-sugar-sponge-cake/).

Course Dessert, dimsum, Snack
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword baak tong guo
Prep Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 120 kcal
Author Sharon Wong

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup water divided, plus more for a warm water bath and steaming
  • 3/4 teaspoon yeast 3 g
  • 1/4 cup and 1 teaspoon sugar divided
  • 1 1/4 cup rice flour
  • 1 teaspoon oil neutral tasting, optional

Instructions

  1. Find a small bowl that can nest inside a cup filled partway with hot water. In the small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon sugar, and yeast and set aside on top of the cup. The yeast will be ready when foamy (approximately 5-10 minutes).
  2. In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup water and the rice flour until the rice batter is smooth, set aside.

  3. In a small saucepan, combine remaining ~1/3 cup water and remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cook on medium heat until the sugar melts, the water does not need to boil (3-4 minutes). Add the simple syrup to the rice batter and stir to combine. Check that the batter is just warm but not hot (due to boiling the syrup) and add the yeast and stir to combine. Cover the bowl of rice batter with plastic wrap.

  4. Add more water to the cup of water from step 1 and microwave for 1 minute. Place the rice batter into the microwave next to the cup of hot water, close the door, and allow the rice batter to ferment for 3 hours.

  5. About 10 minutes before the rice batter is done fermenting, set up a steamer in a large frying pan with a lid that can hold a pie plate or cake pan. Fill with about 1 inch of water and add a steamer rack, bring to boil.

  6. While you are waiting for the water to boil, gently stir the rice batter and transfer the rice batter to your pie plate and add the rice batter in the pie plate to steam on medium heat for 20 minutes.
  7. When the cake is ready, turn the stove off, wait a minute or two, and carefully lift the lid. Brush with oil (optional step to keep the cakes moist). Cut the rice cake into approximately 8 pieces and they can be served warm or at room temperature.