Indonesian steamed cupcake - dairy free (aka Bolu Kukus)

Hi folks! can't you believe that it's August already? gosh time sure flies.. My little boy is turning 3 in few more days I just can't believe how fast he grows! way too fast and it feels that I'm aging fast too lol!

Anyway the other day I wanted to make something for the kids for their afternoon snacks and I wanted to make something light and sweet..so I thought of this steamed cake.

There is no dairy and oil/butter in this cake and that is gooood isn't it? less guilt eating it!

If you like to try making these steamed cakes/cupcakes, the original recipe I used is from here, J's kitchen blog but I made few amendments to it and here is my version:

200gr caster sugar
2 eggs
200gr standard flour
200ml any flavour soft drink, e.g Sprite
1tsp cake emulsifier 

1. Prepare steamer. Line bolu kukus moulds with parchment paper.
2. Beat egg, caster sugar and emulsifier until thick and pale.
3. Fold in 1/3 of the flour, then 1/2 of the sprite. Gently mix. Repeat with remaining flour and sprite, ending with flour. Mix thoroughly until batter is free from lumps.
4. Divide batter into 3 portion into small bowls and add flavourings and colours. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
5. Spoon batter into moulds. Fill each mold with batter until almost full. Alternate the color to your liking. Steam for 20 minutes on high heat.

The great thing about this steamed cake is that you can add whatever essence/flavouring and colour you want.

These are the flavours and colours I used in my steamed cake:Strawberry essence + one drop of red colour
Few drops of Pandan essence
1-2 tsp cocoa powder

Extra notes:
-You can omit emulsifier (not an easy ingredient to find here), you just need to beat the egg and sugar batter longer until it is very thick for about 10-15 min.
-You can also use standard muffin tin if you don't have bolu kukus moulds
-Here is more tips for making these yummy steam cakes from talented Gourmet baking.

Happy baking!
Elina