Prosperity Cakes (Fatt Gou)

Posted on 01. Jan, 2011 by grace in Fast Asian Recipe, Lunar New Year, Sweets

Prosperity Cakes (Fatt Gou)

By Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, A Tiger in the Kitchen

Over the last few days, I’ve had the good fortune of spending quality time in the kitchen with Auntie Hon Tim, the Colorado-based mother of my dear Auntie Donna in Singapore. Now, Auntie Hon Tim used to own and run a Chinese restaurant in Lakewood, Colo. — so she’s got some serious cooking chops. Besides teaching me the quickest way to skim fat off a pot of stew and how to rapidly chop carrots without slicing off my fingernails, Auntie Hon Tim has been showing me how to make some of her favorite lunar new year recipes.

On her must list every year is fatt gou, or prosperity cakes — cupcake-sized desserts that she makes to send friends wishes of riches and sweetness in the new year. Auntie Hon Tim’s cakes are super simple to make — they require just four ingredients (all-purpose flour, pancake mix, water and brown sugar) and the instructions basically involve stirring and steaming. What you’ll have to be careful about, it turns out, is how many you give. ”Don’t give five!” Auntie Hon Tim sternly warns in Cantonese. ”The word for “five,” sounds like “won’t” or “don’t,” implying that the recipient won’t prosper in the new year. Eight or “fatt,” which sounds like “prosperity,” is the luckiest number, of course. Nine or “gow,” a homonym for the word for “enough,” is great, too. And three, which sounds like the word for “business,” isn’t bad either. Like many other Chinese desserts, their sweetness is subtle and they’re not overwhelming or heavy.And, hey, if eating some may bring you a year of good fortune, what’s not to love about them, right?

Here’s to a happy and prosperous year !

Makes six cakes

1 cup water (room temperature)
1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want the cakes)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pancake mix

Decoration: 3 dried red dates, each sliced in half (optional)

Preparation:

Stir together brown sugar and water until sugar has dissolved. Then, gradually mix in flour and pancake mix until a batter forms.

Insert six paper cupcake liners into six stiff tin-foil cups that will hold their shape during steaming. Fill cupcake liners to the brim with batter. If using red dates, cut dates in half and soak them in hot water for a few minutes to soften before using. Then, dot the top of each cake with half a red date.

Steam for 30 to 45 minutes — the cakes are done when you stick a toothpick in and it comes out clean.

If not eating right away, keep them refrigerated and re-steam them for five minutes before serving.

Tags: Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

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13 Responses to “Prosperity Cakes (Fatt Gou)”

Agnes 24 January 2011 at 12:04 am #

This looks delicious!
I want to bake it, but I have a slight problem: I have the basic western kitchen, how do I steam them?

grace Reply:
January 24th, 2011 at 11:40 am
You could use a bamboo steamer like this one
http://www.amazon.com/Joyce-Chen-10-Inch-Bamboo-Steamer/dp/B0001VQIYU?&camp=212361&linkCode=wsw&tag=newasicui-20&creative=384609
Teri 27 January 2011 at 10:45 am #

Is the pancake mix that you use the “complete” mix or the one you add eggs/milk to?

grace Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
use the complete mix!
thuy 27 January 2011 at 4:16 pm #

Can I use a cupcake pan or does the mold/tin need to be taller? Thanks a bunch.
Arg jy 31 January 2011 at 11:33 am #

Hi. Lovely! Thanks for this recipe, but I don’t have pancake mix (I live in Switzerland and don’t believe in buying expensive imported mixes), can I sub with 3/4 flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, one egg, pinch of salt and 1/4 cup milk, you think?

grace Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 11:56 am
You can use a simple pancake recipe like this one
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Arg jy 31 January 2011 at 1:41 pm #

I’m sorry I don’t fully get it. Should I use this recipe instead of the above or combine both? If combine, how much of the mixed pancake recipe should I put in?

grace Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 2:18 pm
What I provided was just the pancake recipe that is needed as an ingredient in the recipe above. You only need one cup of it which is why ready made pancake mix is probably your best bet. If you can’t get the ready made, just use this recipe and save the rest for making pancakes the next morning.
Sheree Vincent 3 February 2011 at 1:14 am #

If I cant find red dates, what would a good substitute be?

grace Reply:
February 3rd, 2011 at 10:41 am
Hi Sheree, you can use dried figs or dried raisins which should work too.
Linda 20 September 2011 at 9:15 pm #

Did you meant using 1cup of wet pancake mix?