Hong Kong style cupcakes 紙包蛋糕 (zhǐ bāo dàn gāo) or “tzee bao dan go” in Cantonese are sponge cakes baked in tulip-shaped paper liners. They first appeared in Hong Kong’s “冰室” (bīng shī) in the 1950’s. “冰室” (bīng shī) is a Cantonese diner that serves cold, non-alcoholic beverages and a variety of Chinese and Western snacks and meals. They were very popular at the time because they were much more affordable than western cafes.
These cupcakes were originally more chiffon-like with a strong butter aroma. But at the time, many Chinese people hadn't acquired a taste for butter. They replaced the butter with vegetable oil, then the Hong Kong style cupcakes 紙包蛋糕 soared in popularity! Not only were they cheaper but the texture was lighter which was appealing for local Hong Kong people. A deep fried dough stick (油條, yóu tíao) cost 5 cents and the Hong Kong style cupcake was 10 cents, just to give you some perspective.
You can find these cupcakes in pretty much any Chinese bakery around the world. It's still extremely popular for it's subtle sweetness and light as air texture. My mom always found pretty much all western sweets to be too sweet. Now that I’m getting pretty old, I’m the same way too! People are becoming more health conscious, trying to reduce their sugar intake so this cupcake fills the void!
These cupcakes are mildly sweet, airy, fluffy and has a strong aroma of fresh eggs. My recipe for this cupcake uses only 5 ingredients. The recipe doesn't use any baking powder, Cream of Tartar or any artificial flavours. My goal has always been to minimize the number of additives without sacrificing taste.
This is a super simple recipe for Hong Kong Style Cupcakes 紙包蛋糕 that everyone in your family will enjoy!
For more classic Hong Kong recipes, check out my HK Cafe section. Or for a Cantonese classic dessert, try my Fried Sugar Egg Puffs 炸莎翁.
Hong Kong Style Cupcakes 紙包蛋糕
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs
- 25 g Sugar
to be mixed with egg yolks - 40 g Sugar
to be mixed with egg whites - 30 g Vegetable oil
- 40 g Milk
- 70 g Cake flour
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350˚F or 180˚C
- Line baking pan with cupcake liners, preferably taller or fluted liners
- Separate egg yolk from egg whites and place in separate mixing bowls
- Put egg whites in the fridge until ready to use
- Whisk egg yolks, add sugar and whisk again
- Add oil, milk and cake flour. Whisk until blended and smooth. Set aside
- Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar in 3 parts until mixture is stiff
- Fold egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture until mixed. Do not over mix
- Fill cupcake liners to 90%
- Bake for 18 minutes. Use the toothpick test to check if it’s cooked through
- Remove from oven and lay them on their sides to prevent the top from sinking
These are so good, just like the Asian bakery ones! The first time I made these I used regular cupcake liners and they worked out fine, they were a little smaller so I ended up with a couple more. Then I found the cute tulip baking cups on Amazon!
Super easy recipe and flavour tastes exactly like you would get at the bakery! I also used a muffin tin and it worked fine. However, my oven needed more than 18 minutes . Will bake again!
Thank you for the wonderful feedback Olivia! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the cupcakes! Happy Cooking! 😀
Just like the ones in the go bakery but better! We made them in cupcake pan using cake liner, works great. Not as tall so had to eat 3 😀
Hi Rainie! Thank you for the compliment!
Yes, when they’re right out of the oven, it’s really hard to resist. Stopping at 3 is better than stopping at 6! I also love how the house smells after you’ve made these. 🤤
Oh my goodness, I haven't commented on any recipe until this one. I've never had a recipe work so well on the first try, and this one was so straight forward and easy. Approved across the board with grandparents and family members.
Tip: Try adding a splash of vanilla!
That's so good to hear Andrea! I try to add more details into my recipes so that everybody's first try can be a success. Thank you so much for the awesome feedback! I'm glad to hear everyone approved 😀
Will definitely try adding some vanilla to my next batch. Thanks for the tip! Happy Cooking!
Wonderful recipe! Easy, quick, with simple ingredients. Tastes just like the cakes in the bakeries. Thank you!
Hi Stephanie, Thank you for taking the time to comment and rate; I really appreciate it! I was quite surprised how simple they were to make when I first learned how to make them. When I was making this recipe, I think I made over 10 batches to find the best combination of ingredients. Happy cooking!
This is SO GOOD and surprisingly easy! I've never made an airy sponge like this so I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but it's just as fluffy as the ones from the store. Mine did end up sinking a bit on top, but I let it cool down in the oven for a few minutes instead of immediately placing them on their sides like in the directions. I'll have to try that next time.
Hi Heather! Thanks for trying my recipe! I'm so glad it turned out well for you. They're so light and airy that I can eat 3 or more in one sitting! Happy cooking!
I've baked these twice now and they came out great both times! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe! I ended up frosting them with a very light whipped cream frosting with a bit of fruit on top and my family loved them. I was wondering if you have ever tried to bake this recipe as a cake instead? Do you had any tips for if I were to try it? I'm guessing I'll have to double or even triple the recipe for a 8" cake. Thanks in advance!
Hi Ann, That's great you got such good results! They're so yummy! I've only made the cupcakes, but I think since it's so light, the top will very possibly sink since we didn't add any baking powder if you're making it in a cake pan. But an angel food cake pan (the one with the hole in the centre) may work. However, you'd have to hold it upside down or lay it on the side (and switch sides) to prevent it from sinking. You could also probably use a sheet pan to make a swiss roll-like cake. Unfortunately, I haven't made any of these so I couldn't give you any concrete instructions. If you do try, could you let me know how it turned out and how you did it? If I try before you, I'll let you know too! Happy cooking!
Do the eggs need to be at room temperature?
Hi Lily, every time I've made these, my eggs have always been fresh out of the fridge. However, I think technically, room temperature eggs may give the cupcakes a slightly smoother texture. I don't think it would be a huge difference though. Hope this helps! Happy cooking!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! This is, by far, one of the best and easiest HK cupcake recipes!
Hi JL, you're so welcome and thank you for trying it! I must have made it 20 times to make it as simple as possible! After the first 3 times, my friends and family already said it was good enough...but not for me. So, when you mention best and easiest, I swear, my eyes swelled up! LOL! Even though some of my recipes may seem long, it's usually already the simplified version but with no sacrifices made to taste or texture. Thank you for the 5 stars and the kind words! Happy cooking!
it was so yummy and fluffy! my family and i dont like things that are too sweet, and this was perfect!!! i used regular muffin liners instead of the tall ones & it made 12 servings. so good, thank you!
Hi Natalie, thanks for trying my recipe! This is one of my most favourite recipes because I was able to get the original texture and flavour with only a few ingredients! I once cut up the cupcakes, diced up some mangoes with freshly whipped cream and stuffed them into little jars and put them in the fridge to chill for a few hours. Everyone loved them! They were easy to eat and can be pre-made for parties. I just call them "deconstructed mango cake in a jar". Anything "deconstructed" makes things trendy!