Nansha Cake

Nansha Cake

　　Nansha Cake has been a traditional delicacy in Chengde for over a century. It can be made with a variety of fillings that are sweet but not greasy, and have a soft, fluffy texture. For example, the Red Bean Paste filling is made by boiling red adzuki beans until soft and mushy, then straining to remove skins and residue, leaving behind smooth bean paste. In a wok, 200 grams of white lard are heated, and a mixture of 500 grams of bean paste and 500 grams of sugar is cooked over low heat until dry. When the mixture no longer sticks, osmanthus flowers and an appropriate amount of candied fruits are added. The Crystal Filling is made by cubing and blanching pork back fat in boiling water, then drying it. A mixture of 500 grams of fat and 750 grams of sugar forms the filling, which is suitable for consumption in winter.

　　Ingredients: 1 kg flour, 250 g lard, 500 g white buckwheat flour, 1 kg sugar, 200 g sesame oil, and appropriate amounts of almonds, walnuts, candied fruits, osmanthus, and essence

　　Method:

　　1. Mix 500 g of flour with 250 g of cooled, refined lard to make an oily dough. Separately, mix another 500 g of flour with 300 ml of water to make a water dough. Wrap the oily dough with the water dough and roll it out into a pastry sheet.

　　2. Steam the white buckwheat flour until cooked. Mix it with 1 kg of sugar and 200 g of sesame oil per 500 g of dry flour. Add an appropriate amount of walnuts, almonds, candied fruits, osmanthus, and a little essence to form the filling.

　　3. Divide the dough into portions to make about 40 cakes per kilogram of flour. Roll out the pastry, wrap the filling, and flatten into 3 mm thick Nansha Cake discs. Place them on a pan and bake over low heat for about 7 minutes until done.