Palm-Sugar Honeycomb Cake
Bánh bò thốt nốt
An Giang's amber steamed cake — rice flour and Khmer palm sugar risen with yeast into a bouncy, honeycombed crumb, sliced thin and eaten by hand.
By Vietnamese Cookbook Kitchen · May 30, 2026
The Mekong DeltaThe Lê Dynasty era, 1428–1789
Chè- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Advanced
Bánh bò thốt nốt carries its origin in its own name. Thốt nốt is the sugar palm that grows across An Giang province, near the Cambodian border, and the Khmer communities who have farmed and tapped that palm for generations turn its sap into the deep amber sugar this cake is built on — a Khmer product at the center of a dish that has become one of the delta's most recognizable sweets. Bánh bò itself, a family of steamed, yeast-risen rice cakes, appears in variations across Vietnam, but the An Giang version distinguishes itself by insisting on this specific sugar, sourced from this specific place, made by the people who have always made it.
The cake's whole appeal sits in its crumb: a light, bouncy sponge shot through with small, even air pockets, the "bò" in its name possibly a nod to that honeycombed, cow's-stomach-like texture. The holes are a report card on the ferment, proof that the batter's yeast had the time it needed and that the steam hit hard and steady from the first minute. Sliced thin and drizzled with warm coconut cream, it eats like something between a sponge cake and a chewy jelly — sweet with a caramel backbone that plain sugar could never quite fake, and worth the wait the fermentation demands.
The holes are not decoration — they're the proof the batter fermented and steamed correctly. A dense, holeless bánh bò isn't a different style, it's a batter that either didn't rise long enough or steamed too hot, too fast.
Lời đầu bếp · A word from the kitchen
Ingredientsnguyên liệu
Serves 8
Batter
- 250 grice flour — scant 2 cups — a fine-milled Vietnamese or Thai rice flour, not glutinous rice flour
- 60 gtapioca starch — 6 tbsp, for the cake's characteristic chewy bounce
- 200 gpalm sugar (đường thốt nốt) — grated or chopped fine; An Giang's Khmer communities, particularly around Tịnh Biên and Tri Tôn, produce the sugar this cake is named for — look for it block-formed or already granulated at a Vietnamese grocery, see the FAQ on sourcing
- 500 mlcoconut water — not coconut milk — the thin, clear liquid, warmed to lukewarm
- 7 ginstant yeast — 1 packet
- 15 gsugar — 1 tbsp, to feed the yeast
- 0.5 tspfine salt
To serve
- 200 mlcoconut cream — warmed, for drizzling
- 1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds — optional
- 15 gfresh shredded coconut — optional
Methodcách làm
Step 1: Bloom the yeast
Stir the yeast and the tablespoon of sugar into the warm coconut water and let it sit 10 minutes until foamy on top. If it doesn't foam, the yeast is dead or the liquid was too hot — start again rather than pressing on with flat batter.
Step 2: Dissolve the palm sugar
Warm the palm sugar with a splash of water in a small pot over low heat until fully melted and smooth, then let it cool to room temperature. It should pour like syrup, not sit in gritty clumps.
Step 3: Mix and ferment the batter
Whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, and salt together, then whisk in the bloomed yeast liquid and the cooled palm sugar syrup until smooth and lump-free. Cover and let it ferment at room temperature 2 to 3 hours, until visibly bubbly and roughly doubled — this fermentation is what builds the holes, and rushing it is the single most common way to ruin the cake.
Step 4: Set up the steamer
Bring water to a rolling boil in a steamer. Oil small ramekins, heatproof bowls, or a cake pan well, since this batter is loose and sticks readily. Have your steaming vessel and a tight lid ready before you pour, because the batter needs to hit the heat while it's still actively bubbling.
Step 5: Steam in stages
Stir the batter gently once — do not deflate it aggressively — and pour into the prepared vessels about two-thirds full. Steam over high, rolling heat, covered tightly, for 15 to 20 minutes for small ramekins or closer to 25 for a single larger cake, without lifting the lid for the first 12 minutes. Opening the steamer too early lets in cool air and collapses the rise before it sets.
Step 6: Cool, unmold, and serve
Let the cakes cool 10 minutes before unmolding — they firm up considerably as they cool and are fragile hot. Slice into wedges or strips, drizzle with warm coconut cream, and scatter sesame seeds or fresh coconut over the top.
Đồ nghề · The tools
Equipment
Bamboo steamer
Xửng hấpFor bánh bao, xôi, and fish steamed whole — bamboo breathes, so nothing drips condensation back onto your work. Line it with a cabbage leaf, not parchment, and steal the leaf after.
Shop on Amazon →Ramekins
Khuôn bánh flanFor bánh flan — the French crème caramel Vietnam adopted, darkened the caramel on, and never gave back. Small metal moulds chill faster; ceramic unmoulds prettier.
Shop on Amazon →
Equipment links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no cost to you. Disclosure.
Questions from the kitchen
What is thốt nốt, and why does it matter here?
Thốt nốt is the sugar palm, a tree that thrives across An Giang province near the Cambodian border, where it has been tapped and processed into sugar by the region's Khmer communities for generations — the same palm, and largely the same technique, behind Cambodia's own palm sugar. The name of this cake credits that sugar directly, and its deep caramel sweetness and faint smokiness are what set this bánh bò apart from versions made with plain white or brown sugar. Buy it specifically labeled đường thốt nốt where you can; the cake is milder and less distinctive without it.
Why didn't my cake get the honeycomb holes?
Almost always underfermentation or a steamer that wasn't fully hot when the batter went in. The yeast needs its full 2 to 3 hours to produce the gas bubbles that become the holes, and a blast of high, steady steam heat right from the start sets those bubbles in place before they can escape. A lukewarm steamer lets the bubbles rise and pop before the batter firms up.
Can I use brown sugar instead of palm sugar?
You'll get a cake, but not this cake — dark brown sugar gets you partway to the color and molasses-adjacent sweetness, but misses palm sugar's particular caramel depth. If đường thốt nốt truly isn't available, a mix of dark brown sugar and a spoonful of maple syrup is the closer approximation than brown sugar alone.
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