I love the Taiwanese Old School (gochabi) Sponge cake, 台湾古早味蛋糕, especially the Taiwanese old fashion Cheesy Sponge Cake 台湾古早味芝士蛋糕 since I am not a huge fan of sweet cakes.
Ever since Johor Bahru started the frenzy craze for Taiwanese Old School Sponge Cake, or Ah Ma Ji Dan Gao, I have been buying these sponge cakes whenever I am in JB for short trips. The softness and airy textures of the sponge cakes are unforgettable and memorable. It brings back the good old memories of the old days. And you never get sick and tired of this cake.
Recently I have this craving for the super soft, moist and tall Taiwanese Old Fashion Cheesy Sponge Cake, so I decided to make one myself. For the sponge cake recipe, I decided to adapt/modified JeannieTay’s Recipe and make some changes to it. I also wanted to give a twist to the Cheesy Sponge Cake by making it into a Rainbow Sponge Cake (with 4 colors) and Triple layers of Cheese.
For the Sugar level, I used 40 grams in my cake, it turns out with very slight sweetness, leaning more towards salt-ish taste due to the cheeses. Below, I recommend 50 grams of sugar so that the Sponge Cake is slightly more sweet. I also reduce the oil intake slightly.
The baked Sponge cake was super soft, airy (you can see the holes on the cake), and moist. The parmesan cheese makes the top of the sponge cake a bit “crispy” while the rest of cake is soft and spongy, and the molten cheese adds another dimension to the cake texture. I share the sponge cake with a few friends, they love it. Even those who do not like cakes, professes that this cake taste very good!
If you want to do just a normal Taiwan-style Gochabi Cheesy Sponge Cake, just skip the step on the rainbow coloring. If you prefer just plain Sponge cake, you can skip the cheese as well. Plain-old vanilla-style Sponge Cake is equally delicious!
Try it! You will not regret it!
台湾古早味芝士蛋糕 Rainbow Sponge Cake with Triple Cheese Recipe (7″ Square Cake Tin)
Preparation Time: 30 mins. For 4 pax.
Recipe modified from JeannieTay’s Recipe.
Ingredients
40 grams Vegetable Oil (original recipe use 50 grams)
7 Small eggs (or 5 medium eggs)
70 grams Cake flour (sifted twice)
70 grams milk
50 grams castor sugar (original recipe use 80 grams)
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
(Optional) for Rainbow Colors (Please prepare this at the start before you start making the sponge cake):
1/4 tsp green tea powder + 1 tsp hot water
A few Blue pea flowers + 1 tsp hot water
One drop of strawberry flavor coloring
(Optional) Triple Cheese:
4 slices of Cheddar Cheese
A handful of shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese (for Topping)
Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 170 oC.
- Separate the egg yokes from the egg whites using 2 bowls.
- For the bowl with egg yokes, add in oil and milk, Use hand whisk to whisk until well combined
- Sift in the cake flour in 3 batches, using the spatula to fold in the flour to blend well with the egg yokes mixture.
- In the bowl containing egg whites, use egg beater to beat until white and foamy, then add in the Cream of Tartar. Continuing beating the egg whites, and add in the sugar in 3 batches. Beat the egg whites until firm peaks are form.
- Use spatula to take one scoop of egg white foams into egg yokes mixture and fold until well blended. Repeat scoop by scoop until all the egg white foams are well blended into the egg yokes mixture.
- To make the rainbow sponge cake, roughly divide the egg batter into 4 portions. Pour the first portion (with no coloring) into the base of the cake tin and spread evenly, then put in 4 slices of cheddar cheese on top of batter, spread evenly to cover whole cake tin. Next portion of the batter, mixed well with blue coloring (from blue pea flowers) and pour on top of the slice cheese. Take the 3rd portion of batter and mixed well with green tea powder, then pour on top of the blue coloring. Scatter the shredded mozzarella cheese evenly throughout the surface of the batter. The last portion of batter, mixed well with red coloring and pour on top of the mozzarella cheese. Top the surface with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Put a tray with hot water in the oven, with the cake tin in the water bath. Bake at 170 oC for 20 mins, then reduce the oven heat to 150 oC and bake for another 20 – 25 min.
- Once the cake is bake, take out from oven and drop from a height a few times. Then invert it to take out the cake and let it cool down on the wire rack.
This sponge cake is better eaten hot. But taste equally soft and delicious when cold.