Xiangxiang Baked Cake

Xiangxiang Baked Cake

　　Xiangxiang Baked Cake has remained popular for over 200 years since it was first developed in 1723 (the first year of the Yongzheng reign in the Qing Dynasty) by Tianyuanzhai, a local confectionery shop in the county seat. During the Xianfeng era, when Zeng Guofan led the Xiang Army to suppress the Taiping Rebellion, he used the baked cake as rations for soldiers. After the war, it was presented to the emperor and high-ranking officials, who praised it highly and designated it as an imperial tribute. In 1932, it was sent to the Chicago World's Fair for exhibition. In 1937, people from all walks of life in Hunan brought the baked cake to Shanghai to boost the morale of the soldiers of the 19th Army, which greatly encouraged the anti-Japanese troops.

　　The baked cake is made from premium white rice and white sugar through a series of processes including soaking the rice, grinding the grains into powder, sifting the powder, mixing in sugar, placing the mixture in molds, slicing, and baking. It has an ivory color, melts in the mouth, carries a roasted aroma, and boasts a refreshing and rich flavor. Since it contains no oil or salt and is directly baked over fire, it is hygienic, sterile, and easy to preserve. It can be used as travel food or baby formula substitute, making it especially suitable for household use or as a gift for relatives and friends. In 1980, traditional techniques were revived and packaging improved, earning it a provincial certificate for quality products.

　　Rice has been a staple food in China for hundreds of years. People across the regions have used their creative ingenuity to make uniquely flavored pastries with it — this is a story about time. In the hometown, this simple dessert made with rice and white sugar is called baked cake, a childhood memory for countless adults in Xiangxiang.

　　In 1723, Tianyuanzhai in the county seat of Xiangxiang developed the baked cake. In an era when rice was extremely precious, the baked cake was undoubtedly a luxury. White rice and sugar — just these two simple ingredients — are what’s needed to make the baked cake. What seems like a plain food undergoes a series of processes: soaking the rice, grinding the grains, sifting the powder, mixing in sugar, placing in molds, slicing, and baking. The natural white color of the rice turns slightly yellow after baking, but modern machine production using electric heating instead of fire has made it difficult to achieve that natural yellow hue. When a piece of baked cake melts in your mouth, the seemingly solid square instantly dissolves into sweet powder, bringing back childhood memories along with the taste. In the past, the baked cake was considered one of the best snacks. The saying “Fatten the little ones with a basket of baked cakes” proves that it was a food suitable for all ages, offering both nutrition and great taste. By the 1980s and 1990s, the baked cake was still considered something of value, often given as a gift among relatives and friends.

　　During the Taiping Rebellion in the Xianfeng era, Zeng Guofan led thousands of Xiang Army soldiers across various regions, and supplying them with rations became a major challenge. Remembering the portable and preservable baked cake from his hometown, he decided to use it as military provisions. At that time, dozens of confectionery shops in Xiangxiang worked day and night to produce baked cakes for the front lines. Using baked cakes as rations was much more costly than using rice, but they were supplied steadily to the Xiang Army, making an indelible contribution to quelling the rebellion. After the rebellion was suppressed, Zeng Guofan presented the baked cake to the royal family and ministers, who spoke highly of it. Since then, Xiangxiang Baked Cake was designated as an imperial tribute. In 1932, the baked cake was sent to the Chicago World's Fair for exhibition. “In 1937, people from all walks of life in Hunan took baked cakes to Shanghai to encourage the soldiers of the 19th Army, which greatly lifted their morale” — *Jingu Xiangxiang* (Past and Present Xiangxiang).

　　During the summer vacation, I had tea with the general manager of a food processing plant in a teahouse. He was a man in his fifties and also from my hometown. When we talked about Xiangxiang’s baked cake, he became quite emotional. In the 1980s and 1990s, because the baked cake was still considered a top-quality household food, it had good market demand and became a flagship product for food companies. However, those who could make it using traditional craftsmanship were gradually aging, and young people were unwilling to carry on the skill in their rural hometowns. It seemed the baked cake would soon no longer be produced. That’s when they began to recruit young people around 20 years old for training — in more modern terms, it was “order-based” training. For an outsider to become basically familiar with the craft of making baked cake, it would take at least three months. This was a test for the learners. “Back then, we paid them sixty yuan a month — sixty yuan, which was a lot at that time!” the manager said. But within just a few years, those young people, who had been the food company’s greatest hope, chose to head south or north for better opportunities. “The elders who made baked cakes using traditional skills have passed away one after another in recent years, and no one is making it the old way anymore,” he said.

　　Nowadays, the baked cakes we see on the market are all made with improved techniques. In just a few more years, no one may know how the Xiangxiang Baked Cake invented hundreds of years ago was originally made by our ancestors. When traditional craftsmanship faces industrial machinery, it becomes so powerless and gradually fades away. That’s when I realized — what I’m eating isn’t just baked cake, but a sense of nostalgia.