What steamed sponge cake is made with white sugar?

What steamed sponge cake is made with white sugar? White sugar sponge cake is a steamed Chinese pastry made with white sugar.

The cake is typically prepared from rice flour, white sugar, water, and a leavening agent. Fermentation can give the batter a mild sour note, while steaming creates its characteristic moist, airy texture. It is usually sold as a small square or triangle rather than as a round layer cake.

The name can cause confusion because “white sugar” describes the sweetener and the pale color, not wheat flour. The pastry is also known as white sugar cake or white sugar pastry, and it is associated with Foshan in Guangdong, China. It is often served warm because refrigeration or exposure to air makes it firmer and less springy.

A related Vietnamese cake, bánh bò, may look similar but commonly includes coconut milk and has a different flavor profile. A version made with brown rice flour and brown sugar is called brown sugar sponge cake, so it should not be treated as the same canonical answer.