Easy Lemon Steamed Cake
This post may contain affiliate links.Meet my Lemon Steamed Cake—a light, refreshing dessert that’s perfect for any time of day! Bursting with bright citrus flavor and super moist, this little cake will capture your heart (and taste buds). It’s so simple that it’ll become your go-to for a quick yet satisfying treat. Use adorable molds to make them even more impressive!
Lemon Steamed Cake is a cloud-soft, sweet treat that’s very easy to make. No fancy techniques needed, perfect for beginners! Using steaming method, this cake is wonderfully moist with a bright, zesty lemon flavor.
Make it even more impressive by using little molds – flowers, stars, or even tiny bundts. These petite cakes will surely be your family’s favorite.
If you love steamed cakes like this, you will also love Steamed Apem Cake, Bugis Mandi, or Kuih Kosui, both enjoyed with grated coconut. Steaming method makes these desserts feel light.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Flour – All purpose flour or plain flour is fine to use in this recipe.
Lemon paste – If you can find a good brand of lemon paste, you can use it. If you can’t, you can always use fresh lemon. Squeeze half of a lemon for this recipe.
Coconut oil – You can use any vegetable oil as long as it is odorless and colorless.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
How to Make Mini Lemon Steamed Cake
STEP 1. Preheat the steamer. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and salt (Image 1). Beat at high speed for 10 minutes until the batter turns pale and white (Images 2, 3). The batter is ready when it leaves a trailing ribbon when lifted (Image 4).
STEP 2. Sift the flour, cornstarch, milk powder, and baking powder into the batter (Images 5, 6). Gently fold with a spatula until fully incorporated (Image 7). Then, pour in the condensed milk (Image 8).
STEP 3. Add the coconut oil, evaporated milk, lemon paste, lemon juice, and yellow food coloring (Images 9, 10). Mix well until the batter is smooth and uniform (Images 11, 12).
STEP 4. Immediately pour the batter into greased cake molds (Image 13). Place the molds on a tray for easy transfer to the steamer (Image 14). Steam over high heat for 15–20 minutes (Images 15, 16).
STEP 5. Carefully remove the cakes from the steamer (Image 17). Let them cool slightly—they’ll release easily from the molds (Images 18, 19). Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely (Image 20). Serve with tea and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Grease the cake molds with oil to help the cakes release easily after steaming.
- For quicker mixing, combine all liquid ingredients in one bowl. Use the tempering method: Take one scoop of the egg mixture and gently mix it into the liquid ingredients until well combined. Pour this mixture back into the larger batch. Fold everything together until fully incorporated.k to the bigger batch, and fold them until incorporated.
How To Serve
These adorable Lemon Steamed Cakes serve as a light, refreshing finish to any meal—especially after richer dishes like Japanese Karaage, or spicy Chicken Curry or Chicken Rendang. Their bright citrus flavor cleanses the palate beautifully, leaving you refreshed rather than stuffed.
Pair them with other delicate treats like Mango Sago Dessert, Corn Pudding, or a scoop of Mango Ice Cream.
Serve alongside an iced Blue Latte, Lemongrass Pandan Tea, or an Rose Milk Tea.
FAQs about Lemon Steamed Cake
Sure! If you decide to use fresh lemon juice, just use half lemon. Lemon paste is just for convenience.
Yes, just store them in an airtight container. Later you can steam it before consuming.
Yes. You can use a bigger mold that can fit in your steamer.
You can experiment with limes for a more tart flavor, oranges for a sweeter profile, or grapefruits for a unique twist. Adjust the sweetener based on the citrus fruit’s natural sweetness.
Storage
To keep your cakes fresh and fluffy, let them cool completely before storing. Place them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, freeze the cakes (unfrosted) in a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 1 month—just thaw at room temperature or gently re-steam for a few minutes to revive their soft texture.
More Steamed Desserts
Mini Lemon Steamed Cake
Equipment
- 17 cake molds
Ingredients
- 4 whole eggs
- 120 gr sugar
- 1 gr salt
- 140 gr all purpose flour
- 20 gr cornstarch
- 50 gr milk powder
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 75 ml evaporated milk
- 60 ml coconut oil
- 50 ml condensed milk
- 1 tsp lemon paste ½ lemon juice
- 1 tsp yellow coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the steamer. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, sugar, and salt. Beat at high speed for 10 minutes until the batter turns pale and white. The batter is ready when it leaves a trailing ribbon when lifted.
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, milk powder, and baking powder into the batter. Gently fold with a spatula until fully incorporated. Then, pour in the condensed milk.
- Add the coconut oil, evaporated milk, lemon paste, lemon juice, and yellow food coloring. Mix well until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Immediately pour the batter into greased cake molds. Place the molds on a tray for easy transfer to the steamer. Steam over high heat for 15–20 minutes.
- Carefully remove the cakes from the steamer. Let them cool slightly—they’ll release easily from the molds. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Serve with tea and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Grease the cake molds with oil to help the cakes release easily after steaming.
- For quicker mixing, combine all liquid ingredients in one bowl. Use the tempering method: Take one scoop of the egg mixture and gently mix it into the liquid ingredients until well combined. Pour this mixture back into the larger batch. Fold everything together until fully incorporated.k to the bigger batch, and fold them until incorporated.
I love the soft, fluffy texture of these steamed cakes. And it is so easy to make, in fact this is the first cake I made when I started my baking journey!