Ma Lai Zhan Zheng Gao

Day 233: I may not be able to wrap my tongue around the name of these cute little steamed sponge cakes (ma lai zhan zheng gao), but I can certainly sink my teeth into them! Mandy of Souped Up Recipes posted the instructions on YouTube a few days ago, and after inventorying my egg supply, I decided I could probably make it through to the middle of next week if I took only left one in the fridge. Out of respect for Mandy's intellectual property, I will not share the recipe here. You can look up her channel easily enough if you'd like to make these very simple dessert dim sum. You undoubtedly have all the ingredients on hand, and in a mere ten minutes, you will have soft, spongy, sweet cakes similar to madeleines, if not almond-flavoured. However, you could change up the recipe by using almond or lemon extract to replace a portion of the vanilla. To me, the flavour as produced by Mandy's recipe was like a light eggnog. In fact, I think I may add a dash of nutmeg the next time I make them! Ideally, the cakes should have come out with one side raised higher than the other, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but because I did such a thorough job of oiling the tartlet pans, mine rose into domes for the most part. But be warned! Tin tartlet pans are a pain in the neck to wash. Silicone would have given a cleaner release.