Raisin Egg Cake {Chinese Bakery Cake}

Instructions

Make Homemade Cake Flour In Advance:

• Homemade cake flour is easy to make using organic unbleached all-purpose flour. Simply steam the all-purpose flour in a bamboo steamer double layered with organic cheesecloth. Wait for it to cool and dry, then roll it into powder again and store it in an airtight large glass jar. Read here for a detailed guided recipe.

• If you decide to use homemade cake flour, do it a couple of days in advance.
  

Make Mini Loaf Pan Liner:

• I use this mini loaf pan, which is 15 1/8 x 9 7/8 x 1 3/8 inch (38.5 x25 X3.5 cm) which has 8 cavities. This recipe is meant to make a full pan, 8 raisin egg cakes shaped in a mini loaf.
• Since I couldn't seem to find the mini loaf pan liner made of heavy-duty unbleached parchment paper. I decided to make my own. Starting from this 9x13 inches rectangle of heavy-duty unbleached parchment paper. The parchment usually has a more glossy side and a more matte side. Let the matte side face up, and use an edible pen to draw using a geometry set of rulers.
  
• Each of the parchment paper can make 4 mini loaf pan liners, thus you need two sheets to make 8 liners. Draw a 28 cm x 20 cm rectangle, noting the outside of the 28 x 20 cm rectangle will be trimmed. Mark a midpoint at 14 cm and 10 cm respectively and draw the cross line and make an "X" at the crossing. This is where you cut into 4 liners.
• Draw the 3 cm line from the top, bottom, left and right for each 14 cm x 10 cm rectangle. The center of each portion becomes an 8 cm x 4 cm rectangle.
  
• Use a scissor to trim the outside portions if

Prepare the Cake Batter:

• Measure out and gather ingredients. A kitchen scale is a very handy tool if you cook/bake a lot.
• Separate egg whites from egg yolks. Place the whites in the Stand Mixer bowl, along with 3 tsp white vinegar. Add the yolks to another large mixing bowl, along with avocado oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Add cane sugar, homemade cake flour, pumpkin seeds, and raisins in small bowls respectively.
  
• Use an electric handheld mixer or an egg whisk to whisk the egg yolks with the rest of the ingredients very well until fully blended.
  
• Turn the Stand Mixer to medium-high (e.g. 6 out of 10), and set a 5 minutes timer. Add sugar after 2 minutes along the whisking process. Carefully add the sugar slowly by sprinkling it into the Stand Mixer. Stop the mixer once the egg whites volume expands significantly and forms peaks and the peaks stay.
  
• Sift the flour/salt and add to the egg yolk mixture and fold into the mixture. Do not stir, but use a fold motion.
  
• If you see lumps of flour, use a large egg whisk to pound up and down and whisk to separate them until smooth.
  
• Add half of the whipped egg whites with sugar, called meringue, to the batter mixing bowl, using the fold motion. Remember not to stir, but only fold the meringue into the batter. A silicone spatula is a handy tool that does scraping. scooping and folding motion all in one.
  
• Pour the cake batter back into the Stand Mixer, and then pour the cake batter back into the large mixer. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the bottom of the Stand mixer and add everything to the large mixing bowl. Continue to use this fold motion until the meringue is fully blended with the cake batter.
  

Bake the Raisin Egg Cupcake:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F (~177 C).
• Line the mini loaf pan with the liner we made, and use a large long relatively shallow spoon to scoop the batter and fill each opening halfway. Sprinkle generously with raisins.
  
• Carefully fill the mini loaf pan all the way to the top with the rest of the batter. It may appear to be overflowing, but it is OK and expected. The batter is so light, it will deflate slightly after the cake cools down.
  
• Sprinkle generously the raw pumpkin seeds on the top.
  
• Add the cupcake pan to the oven, middle rack, and bake for 25 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and cool it on a wired rack.
  
• As soon as the pan is not hot to touch, remove the raisin cakes from the loaf pan and continue to cool on the wired rack. Otherwise, the condensation may build up in the bottom of the mini loaf pan bottom.
• Enjoy a nutritiously yummy Chinese Bakery Style Raisin Egg Cake! Store the rest in an airtight container. They are good at room temperature for about one week.