Zebra Pattern Vintage Cake (9-inch Square Mold)

Put the all-purpose flour into a bowl and loosen it with chopsticks. Cover the flour with a plate (or a piece of cloth) to prevent water vapor from dripping onto the flour. Cover with a pot lid, steam for 15 minutes after the water boils, then let it cool and sift it.

Separate the egg whites and yolks. Heat the corn oil over low heat to 70-80 degrees Celsius (small bubbles at the bottom, slightly simmering at the edges, be careful not to boil), sift in the flour and corn starch, and mix evenly. At this point, the batter will be relatively dry, which is fine; after adding the milk and egg yolks and mixing them in, it will become smooth.

Add the milk and egg yolks, and mix evenly to form a smooth egg yolk paste. Set aside.

Add salt and vinegar to the egg whites, then add sugar in three batches, whipping until soft peaks turning slightly stiff (if the egg whites are whipped too softly, the finished product is prone to collapse).

Take 1/3 of the egg white mixture and add it to the egg yolk mixture, fold with a rubber spatula until well combined, then pour the egg yolk mixture into the remaining egg white mixture and mix using a folding and cutting method until the egg white mixture and egg yolk mixture are completely integrated.

Take half of the batter and put it into the black sesame paste, then mix evenly.

Line the cake mold with parchment paper. Take two spoons of the same size, one for the plain egg yolk batter and one for the black sesame egg yolk batter. Scoop a spoon of plain egg yolk batter into the mold, then scoop a spoon of black sesame egg yolk batter into the center of the plain batter. Each scoop of batter should be placed in the center of the previous one. Continue to layer the batters into the mold until all the batter is used. Work quickly to prevent deflation.

In order not to affect the texture of the two-colored egg batter, I didn’t tap the mold. I used a thin chopstick to randomly draw patterns I liked on the surface, which can also help eliminate large bubbles.

Preheat the oven, pour about 2cm of hot water into a large baking pan, and place the cake mold directly in the pan before putting it in the oven (if using a cake mold with a removable bottom, wrap the bottom with aluminum foil to prevent water leakage). Place it on the lowest rack with both top and bottom heat on. Set the oven temperature to 100°C (the actual baking temperature inside this oven is 150°C) and bake for 80 minutes (cover with a sheet of aluminum foil after 60 minutes). Then increase to 110°C and bake for 10 more minutes. Bake slowly at low temperature, adjusting the time and temperature according to your own oven.

Gently tap the mold after baking to prevent shrinkage, do not invert it, and demold promptly to prevent the cake from being steamed and generating moisture inside the mold.

Place it on a drying rack, and while it is still hot, tear off the parchment paper around it and let it cool. The surface is smooth, not sunken at the bottom, with no waist indentation or collapse. When pressed lightly with the palm, it bounces back like a sponge.

Cut into pieces.

The texture is clear and beautiful, and the structure is fluffy and delicate.