Preserved Plum Cakes

Preserved Plum Cakes

　　Introduction to Preserved Plum Cakes:

　　Ingredient formula (for 100 kg of product): 100–120 kg of plum base, 52–51 kg of white sugar, 200 g of saccharin, 200–300 g of five-spice powder, 3 kg of licorice. There are two methods for processing the plum base (dried plums): one involves cutting the plums in half using a disc cutter, mixing 100 kg of plums with 5 kg of salt (powdered) in a mixer for 5 minutes to allow mutual friction and penetration, then adding another 5 kg of salt and pickling for about a month; the other method involves first blending grass ash with the plums in a mixer for 5 minutes, washing them thoroughly with water, and then pickling them with salt for a month.

　　Production Process: Fruit selection (sorted by size, with those over 20 mm in diameter considered large and others small) → Pickling (100 kg of plums are salted twice with 5 kg each time, pickled for a month) → Rinsing (for 16 hours, water changed 1–2 times until salt content is 6–8%) → Drying the base (to 7–8% dryness) → First sugar soaking (using 28–30° Brix sugar powder, then dried again) → Flattening (remove crushed or defective pieces after flattening) → Second sugar soaking (cook licorice powder into licorice water, mix with the soaked sugar solution to adjust to 10° Brix, then soak the plum base for 2–3 days) → Third sugar soaking (concentrate the second sugar solution to 15–20°, soak for 4–5 days) → Fourth sugar soaking (adjust the third sugar solution to 26–28°, soak for 4–5 days) → Fifth sugar soaking (add saccharin to adjust to 30°, soak for 4–5 days) → Drying the base (dry for 2–3 days, stack for 1–2 days, dry until fully dry, then add five-spice powder) → Finished product → Warehousing.

　　Sensory Indicators: Color: Brownish or dark brown, glossy. Shape: Flat round, with pit, not broken. The pit is not obviously exposed, the exterior has wrinkles, semi-moist, diameter over 20 mm. Texture: Sugar permeates through the core, full-bodied, moist, slightly soft, no gritty sensation when eaten. Flavor: Salty, sour, sweet and palatable, with lingering sweetness, and flavors of traditional Chinese herbs and the plum variety. Physicochemical Indicators: Total sugar 51–61%, total acid 0.7–1.2%, salt 3.5–5.5%, moisture 21–29%.

　　Microbiological Indicators: No pathogenic bacteria or microbiologically induced fermentation, souring, mold, etc. Shelf life: 6 months. Within 6 months, no return of sugar crystals, fermentation, souring, mold, insect infestation, or spoilage is allowed.