Chinese Cake

The perfect sponge cake:  How many of you have had the chinese roll cakes or birthday cakes purchased from an asian bakery?  Aren't they the lightest, softest, most moist, and perfectly lightly sweetened cakes you have ever eaten?  I know that I can eat a huge slice and not feel full.  A buttercream frosting would be too heavy for this cake.  A filling and frosting of whipped cream and fruits is all it needs.  This cake is pretty much my "go to" cake base for all asian birthday cakes and strawberry shortcakes.  It can be flavoured with extracts, fruit purees, green tea or pandan.

For over 30 years I would drive out to the east end of Montreal and purchase a cake for all my special occasions, from birthdays, anniversaries, children's full month, Mother's Day or just because I felt like I needed one.  It was also the same cake that all friends and families bought for their birthdays and special events.  Have you heard of the saying "Too much of a good thing is a bad thing"?  We stopped buying it because it wasn't special anymore.  Fast forward 30 years and I took a baking class from this bakery.  Because of this class, it then motivated me to take a 1 year pastry course!  I now have the coveted recipe for the Chinese cake and can jazz it up with different flavours and decorations to make it special for any occasion or cravings I have.

Such a simple cake can make such beautiful cakes!

Makes 1 x 8" x 14" pan for cake roll or 1 x 8" x 3" or 1 x9" round cake.  I like the resulting height of an 8"x3" round cake pan as it cuts and gives 3 nice cake layers.

Ingredients:

85g    egg yolks (approx 4 XL eggs or 5 large eggs)

25g    sugar

45g    oil

45g    milk

85g    cake flour

1g      salt

1 tsp  vanilla extract (or any other flavour)

170g  egg whites (approx 5 XL eggs or 6 large eggs)

85g    sugar

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 325F

2) Mix egg yolks with sugar.  Mix in oil.  Mix in milk.  Sift in flour and salt and mix.  Mix in any flavouring.

3) Whisk egg whites, adding sugar in 3 batches, at medium high speed until firm peaks.  Lower speed and continue beating for a couple of minutes to medium peaks.

4) Fold in egg whites, in 2 to 3 batches, into the egg yolk batter, until no whites are visible.

5) Bake in a parchment lined pan for 30-40 minutes until inserted toothpick is clean.

Adapted from Patissierie Legault