Fa Gao: the impressive, delicious Chinese Prosperity Cake

Chinese Fa Gao is also known as prosperity cake or fortune cake. It’s a popular Chinese dessert typically enjoyed during the Lunar Year, holidays, ceremonial events, and weddings and is said to bring luck and money.

The story goes that the bigger the cakes bloom, the more prosperous you’ll be! Okay, that definitely got our attention. But whether you find luck or not, you’ll will enjoy these cakes. These steamed cakes are lightly sweetened, chewy, and have a beautiful cracked flower design.

The recipe is traditionally made with yeast, but these days, you can also get the same effect with baking powder. We used baking powder in this recipe, it’s quicker and easier to make. Serve fa gao warm and let's cross fingers!

Tips

Be creative and add a few drops of your favorite food coloring to the batter before adding it to the mold.

If you want to make flavored Fa Gao, feel free to add vanilla essence or caramel essence. Make coffee-flavored Fa Gao by adding 1-2 tsp of instant coffee to the batter.

How To Store Fa Gao

Store any leftover cakes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They will become dry if stored for too long).

Can You Freeze Fa Gao?

They can also be frozen and reheated on low in the microwave. To freeze, make sure they’re wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, then place them in a Ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

More Recipes You’ll Like

• Chinese egg cake
• Fried ice cream
• Chinese New Year Cake

Instructions

Pour the water over the sugar in a small bowl, and stir to dissolve the sugar.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder.

Slowly add the sugar water and stir to combine.

Continue to stir the mixture for about 3 minutes.

Fill a large skillet with water and fit it with a metal or bamboo steamer.

Coat ten fluted egg tart molds with cooking spray to prevent the cake from sticking. Pour the batter into molds. Don’t fill the molds more than 70% full, the cakes need space to rise.

Bring the water in the skillet to a rolling boiling water over high heat. Set half the molds in the steamer basket.

Steam until the cakes rise and the tops crack (to resemble a flower).

Transfer the molds to a cooling rack. Add more water to the skillet if needed, and continue to steam the remaining batter.

Notes

If you don’t have fluted egg tart molds, you can also use small tea cups, tart tins, ramekins lined with paper liners, or muffin tins. Individual silicone molds will work well!