Yongchun White Cake

Yongchun White Cake

　　As summer approaches, the sound of vendors selling white cakes (pictured above) can once again be heard on the streets of Yongchun.

　　Yongchun White Cake is a popular local treat for beating the heat, alongside other well-known snacks such as Yongchun Bangshe Turtle, Yongchun Tangerine Cake, and Yongchun Kumquat. The production of white cake is meticulous, requiring careful attention to every step—from ingredient selection to preparation—otherwise, the resulting cake may not achieve its signature pure white color and tender yet chewy texture.

　　Making white cake usually begins in the afternoon. First, high-quality late-season rice is selected, washed, soaked, and then ground into rice slurry. The ground slurry is placed in a cloth bag and hung in a high place to allow the rice water to drain out. Once most of the liquid has drained, the bag is placed on a flat surface and a moderately heavy, clean weight is applied to press out as much liquid as possible.

　　While the slurry is being pressed, preparations can be made for the other ingredients needed to make the white cake, such as the cake powder, bamboo trays, and dried straw that has been washed and sun-dried. The cake powder can be made from leftover white cakes from the previous year, but it must be pure white with no impurities.

　　Once all this is done, most of the water will have been pressed out of the slurry. The drained slurry should be soft and pliable, just right for kneading. The kneading process continues until the slurry becomes uniformly soft and smooth. This is the most crucial step in making white cake, as the tenderness and chewiness of the final product depend entirely on this stage.

　　After kneading, the slurry is pressed into a special cylindrical bamboo tube used for making white cakes. This tube has openings at both ends—one for extruding the slurry and the other for slicing it into thin pieces using fine thread or a small knife. The sliced slurry should be just a few millimeters thick. While one person slices the slurry, another person coats both sides of each slice with cake powder and arranges them tightly on a bamboo tray lined with a layer of dried straw, ensuring they are close together to maintain sufficient warmth for fermentation. Once the tray is full, another layer of straw is added on top to facilitate fermentation. At this point, the entire production process is complete.

　　Thanks to the high summer temperatures, which aid fermentation, the aroma of the white cakes—strong and wine-like—can usually be detected by midnight. By the next morning, the white cakes are ready to be collected. They can be eaten fresh by boiling them directly in water. If not consumed immediately, they should be dried or stored in the refrigerator to prevent over-fermentation and spoilage.

　　There is also a specific way to cook white cakes: soak them in cold water until fully saturated, then place them in boiling water and cover the pot. After a short while, when the cakes float to the surface, they are done. For a sweeter taste, add white sugar, or they can also be prepared as a savory dish using the same method. Cooked white cakes are translucent and shiny, with an exceptionally smooth and tender texture. (Text and photos by Shi Yousen and Yao Dechun)

　　Source: People's Government of Fujian Province