Steamed Red Beet Sponge Cake
Looking for a new cake recipe to try? Then look no further. This steamed, soft, moist cake, coloured with beet juice is just what you want. You can change the flavour depending on the carbonated beverage you use. If you use a diet beverage you even cut the sugar. We use the Cuisipro baking sling to steam this cake to perfection in a pressure cooker.
Ingredients
2 Large eggs, at room temperature
¾ Cup caster sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on the surface of the cake when finished
¼ Cup vegetable oil
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp red beet juice
½ Cup coconut soda or other carbonated beverage
2 Cup cake flour
2 Tsp baking powder
Method
- Line the bottom of the 6 x 3” round cake pan with parchment paper.
- Add eggs into a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat the eggs at low speed for 30 seconds. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high speed.
- Gradually add sugar, 1 tbsp at a time every 20 seconds, while beating the eggs on medium-high speed. The mixture should begin to thicken and turn pale yellow. After all the sugar has been added, beat on high speed for 1 minute.
- Add vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and red beet juice. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds or until ingredients are combined.
- Add coconut soda to the batter and mix.
- Sift in 1/3 of the cake flour and baking powder at a time, mixing on low speed or until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and fold in any remaining dry ingredients by hand.
- Pour the batter into the round baking pan prepared earlier. Tap the pan against the counter a few times to pop any bubbles in your mixture.
- Sprinkle sugar on the surface of the cake, making an X.
- Transfer the cake pan onto the Cuisipro Cooking and Baking Sling.
- Add 5 cups of hot water into the inner pot of a 6 quart pressure cooker. Transfer the Cuisipro Cooking and Baking Sling with the cake pan into the inner pot. Cover the inner pot completely with a kitchen towel. Cover with a glass lid.
- Set your pressure cooker to SAUTÉ and select cooking temperature to NORMAL. In a few seconds, pressure cooker will begin to cook and the display should show ON. After 10 minutes, the water inside should be boiling, and you should see steam being released.
- After 30 minutes, the SAUTÉ program completes and switches to standby mode. Activate the SAUTÉ function again and continue steaming the cake for a total steam time of 45-50 minutes.
- Test if the cake is done by inserting a skewer into the center of the cake. The skewer should be dry with no batter sticking to it.
- Press the CANCEL button to stop the SAUTÉ Cover the inner pot with the towel and lid again and let the cake rest for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cake pan from the pressure cooker using the handles on the Cuisipro Cooking and Baking Sling and let cake rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan. Gently roll the cake pan on its side along the counter, loosening the cake further.
- Remove the cake from the pan and place on a cooling rack to allow the cake to cool completely.
- To serve, cut the Steamed Cake into thick slices. Enjoy the fragrant and fluffy cake with fresh fruit, whipped cream, or your favorite frosting.
NOTES, TIPS & TRICKS
- Beating the eggs and gradually adding sugar turns them into a thick and pale-yellow mixture. When the beaters are lifted, the mixture streams down in a ribbon which slowly dissolves on the batter surface.
- If you do not have cake flour you can make it. Make your cake flour for this recipe as follows: Sift together 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour + 1/4 cup corn starch. Keep in mind this isn’t cake flour but a simple method to lighten the all-purpose flour without impacting the flour quality.
- You can substitute the coconut soda with another carbonated beverage such as a lemon/lime soda or use club soda. Coconut soda has sugar, if you are using a sugar-free soda, adjust accordingly.
Tools
Cuisipro Cooking and Baking Sling