Blackcurrant: 50 grams
Cake flour: 110 grams
2. Sift together 2 tablespoons of low-gluten flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.
3. Crack eggs into a small bowl, add sugar, and beat until fluffy. 4. Add one tablespoon of corn oil and one tablespoon of condensed milk, then mix well. 5. Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture and stir until combined. 6. Add blackcurrants and mix evenly. 7. Transfer the batter into small bowls that have been pre-greased with oil, and garnish the surface with more blackcurrants. 8. Place the small bowls into a steamer and steam over high heat for fifteen minutes.Why this cake is steamed
Steam never gets hotter than 100°C (212°F), which is far gentler than any home oven. For a small, egg-rich batter in little bowls, that low and steady heat means a soft, moist crumb with no dried edges or dark crust — and no oven required at all. It is the same reason steamed puddings stay spoon-tender while their baked cousins firm up.
Tips for a light, open crumb
- Give the eggs and sugar a proper long beating. There is no meringue in this batter, so those thick pale ribbons plus the half teaspoon of baking powder are doing all the lifting.
- Pat the blackcurrants thoroughly dry before chopping. Wet berries bleed into the batter and leave gray-purple streaks instead of clean freckles.
- Fold the flour in just until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing develops the gluten and the cakes steam up dense and gluey.
- Fill the bowls no more than three-quarters full, so there is room for the tops to dome.
Common steaming problems
- Sunken centers usually mean the lid came off, or the steamer was bumped, partway through. Keep the lid closed for the full fifteen minutes.
- A rubbery bite means the batter sat around after mixing. Once the baking powder is wet the clock is running, so have the water already at a boil when you fill the bowls.
- Soggy, pocked tops come from condensation dripping back down. If your steamer lid is flat, wrap it in a clean cloth to catch the drops.
- An uneven rise points to water that was not at a full rolling boil before the bowls went in.
How to store and reheat
These are at their best warm, on the day they are made. Leftovers keep a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge. A quick re-steam of three to five minutes, or about twenty seconds in the microwave beside a cup of water, restores the soft texture nicely.
Serving suggestions
Serve them warm with a spoonful of thick yogurt or barely sweetened cream, a few extra blackcurrants alongside, and a light dusting of sugar. They pair well with black tea, whose slight bitterness balances the sharp edge of the berries.
