How to Make Delicious, Fluffy Milk Cake Simply, Without an Oven

How to make Milk Banh Bo

• 1

  Activate the yeast

  Add about 30ml of warm water to a bowl, then add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves, then add 1 teaspoon of dry yeast, and stir vigorously until the yeast granules are no longer visible.

  Then cover the bowl with a pot lid or towel and let it sit for 5 minutes before checking. If bubbles appear on the surface, it means the yeast is active.

  Note: The best temperature for activating yeast in warm water is around 37 – 43 degrees Celsius. Yeast will not be activated if placed in cold water, or conversely, if the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast.

  

  
• 2

  Mix the dough

  Sift 170g of rice flour into a bowl, then add the activated yeast and 160ml of unsweetened fresh milk, and mix well. Use a spatula to stir from bottom to top until the mixture is smooth and cohesive.

  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for 1 hour at room temperature.

  Tip: If the weather is cold, you can activate the dough by preheating the oven to 80 – 90 degrees Celsius, let it heat for about 5 minutes, then turn off the oven and place the bowl of dough inside to rise better.

  

  

  
• 3

  Boil the coconut milk mixture

  Place a pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 50ml of coconut milk to the pot, then add 70 – 90g of sugar (you can adjust the sweetness to your liking). Stir well until the sugar dissolves.

  Note: Do not bring the mixture to a boil, just heat the coconut milk until it’s warm enough to dissolve the sugar, then turn off the heat.

  

  
• 4

  Mix the flour with the coconut milk

  The flour after resting will puff up and become quite airy, use a flat whisk to gently mix the flour from the outside in, no need to mix thoroughly.

  Add the cooked coconut milk to mix the mixture until the batter is light and smooth. Then cover the batter again and let it rest for another 30 minutes. When the batter has puffed up, mix it well once more.

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Mixing the cake powder color

  Scoop about 45ml of the cake powder into a small bowl. Sift about 15gr of bamboo charcoal powder into the bowl, and stir well to dissolve the bamboo charcoal.

  

  
• 6

  Pouring the mold and steaming the cake

  Pour the bamboo charcoal mixture into a small container to shape it.

  Place the mold into the steamer. Cover for about 2 minutes to allow the mold and steamer to heat evenly. Once the mold is hot, pour in the white batter, then add the bamboo mixture on top to create spots like those on the milk cake.

  After completing the shaping, cover it with a cloth before covering the pot and steaming on high heat for 10 – 15 minutes.

  
• 7

  Final product

  Visually appealing on the outside, the cake is soft, fluffy, and not dry on the inside. A bite will reveal the light creamy flavor of coconut and a subtle milky aroma.

  Tips for successful execution:

  • Mix the flour according to the specified ratio, do not arbitrarily add or reduce the flour.
  • The cake mold must be heated before adding the batter.