Steamed cake

We have tried the first one. In the first time, it did not rise when we did not add baking powder. In the second time, it tasted a little bit bitter with some strange chemical taste because we accidentally bought and used baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) instead of baking powder. We are thinking if we should go to buy baking powder to try it again or try to add yoghurt to neutralize the base taste by baking soda. There is also receipt which does not require baking powder, but it will need to use about 4 eggs instead of 1 egg to make a cake.

Successful one (ps. we used chopsticks to do all beating and mixing in the beginning, we bought a mixer later.):

1 egg, beat well
-> + 2 TBSP sugar, mix well
-> + 160 mL milk (or milk+water) + 1.5-2 TBSP yogurt, mix well
-> + 220 mL plain flour (i.e. 11 TBSP), keep mixing while adding
-> + 0.25 tsp baking soda , try to spray evenly, keep mixing
-> + 10-15 mL vegetable oil, mix well and pour into pyrex container
-> microwave 7 min 55 sec (ps. This depends on the power of microwave)

(note) We don't need to coat the surface of pyrex with oil or butter because it won't stick on it. Yeah!
(note) Adding yogurt in can make baking soda reacts better and remove the bitter and chemical taste. It means that we can use "baking soda + yogurt" to replace baking powder.
(note) Vegetable oil is not necessary.
(note) Simple way: Mix everything except baking soda first by mixer, then add baking soda in to mix again before microwave.

--- References --------
Substituting in recipes
Baking powder is generally just baking soda mixed with an acid, and a number of kitchen acids may be mixed with baking soda to simulate commercial blends of baking powder. The most common suggestion is to use two parts cream of tartar with one part baking soda. Vinegar (dilute ethanoic acid), especially white vinegar, is also a common acidifier in baking; for example, many heirloom chocolate cake recipes call for a tablespoon or two of vinegar. Where a recipe already uses buttermilk or yoghurt, baking soda can be used without cream of tartar (or with less). Alternatively, lemon juice can be substituted for some of the liquid in the recipe, to provide the required acidity to activate the baking soda.

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Difference between baking powder and baking soda

Baking Soda

Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate. When baking soda is combined with moisture and an acidic ingredient (e.g., yogurt, chocolate, buttermilk, honey), the resulting chemical reaction produces bubbles of carbon dioxide that expand under oven temperatures, causing baked goods to rise. The reaction begins immediately upon mixing the ingredients, so you need to bake recipes which call for baking soda immediately, or else they will fall flat!

Baking Powder

Baking powder contains sodium bicarbonate, but it includes the acidifying agent already (cream of tartar), and also a drying agent (usually starch). Baking powder is available as single-acting baking powder and as double-acting baking powder. Single-acting powders are activated by moisture, so you must bake recipes which include this product immediately after mixing. Double-acting powders react in two phases and can stand for a while before baking. With double-acting powder, some gas is released at room temperature when the powder is added to dough, but the majority of the gas is released after the temperature of the dough increases in the oven.

How Are Recipes Determined?

Some recipes call for baking soda, while others call for baking powder. Which ingredient is used depends on the other ingredients in the recipe. The ultimate goal is to produce a tasty product with a pleasing texture. Baking soda is basic and will yield a bitter taste unless countered by the acidity of another ingredient, such as buttermilk. You'll find baking soda in cookie recipes. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and has an overall neutral effect in terms of taste. Recipes that call for baking powder often call for other neutral-tasting ingredients, such as milk. Baking powder is a common ingredient in cakes and biscuits.

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肉桂葡萄乾蛋糕–5分鐘蒸蛋糕

材料

1.蛋一個
2.麵粉一杯
3.牛奶150~200ml(水也可以)
4.Baking Powder(泡打粉)2小匙
5.奶油or植物奶油or任何植物油10~15ml
6.糖1~2大匙
7.鹽半小匙
8.葡萄乾1/4~1/2杯
9.任何酒10~20ml
10.有機肉桂葉精油2~3滴(肉桂皮或肉桂枝精油建議從2滴開始放)

作法 :

1.葡萄乾先跟酒、1滴肉桂精油充分攪拌，放一旁待用(沒有酒亦可)
2.耐熱容器內先塗薄薄一層油，放一旁待用
3.把蛋打在另一大碗中
4.加糖1~2大匙及鹽半小匙，攪拌均勻
5.加一杯麵粉、2小匙泡打粉，攪拌均勻
6.加牛奶或水，攪拌均勻
7.加入塗剩的奶油或植物油及1~2滴肉桂精油，攪拌均勻
8.最後加入葡萄乾稍微混合後，把麵糊倒入耐熱容器
9.蓋上蓋子或用盤子，進微波爐or電鍋or炒菜鍋(隔水)or烤箱(隔水)蒸熟即可

HerbMama 小小P.S:

(1)泡打粉可以加到3小匙(1大匙)，發得越高越有形，但是加越多鹼味會越重，依個人口味斟酌
(2)糖可以加更多，依個人口味斟酌
(3)牛奶或水大約加到到美乃滋狀/手工皂trace濃度，加越多蛋糕約鬆軟，但是如果用微波爐做水份加太多比較不易成型
(4)除了紹興酒這樣氣味濃厚的酒不適合，很多酒都可以替代
(5)微波爐作法是微波3分鐘，倒扣出來到盤裡，頂端還有不熟的流動麵糊的話，再連盤微波個1~2分鐘就可以了。
(6)如果第一次做精油料理，可以從2滴精油開始；而若是妳蒸了3滴肉桂葉精油覺得還想再濃，先問問吃過的人再決定要不要再加，最多可以到4滴，先提醒你，3滴跟4滴間的肉桂香濃度大幅增加，很濃!