Peach Slice Cake

Peach Slice Cake

　　Peach Slice Cake originated in the Tang Dynasty, when making glutinous rice cakes was a popular custom among the people. During the An Lushan Rebellion, the Poet Sage Du Fu took refuge in Yunyang and spoke highly of the glutinous rice cake, even composing poems in its praise. As a result, Peach Slice Cake became widely known. By the mid-Ming Dynasty, its production techniques were further refined, enabling the creation of the “Jade Belt Cake,” which was as white as jade. In the early Qing Dynasty, the production of Peach Slice Cake reached its peak, with four major workshops—Song, Zuo, Wei, and Peng—being the most prominent.

　　Ingredients: 1 kg Chaozhou powder, 1.2 kg sugar sand (also called crushed sugar), 500 g walnut kernels, 50 g rose candy.

　　1. Make sugar sand: Dissolve white sugar in water, then boil into syrup until it reaches 122°C. Remove from heat and stir into sugar sand.

　　2. Wash the walnut kernels with boiling water, then mix in rose candy.

　　3. Mix the sugar sand and Chaozhou powder, sift, and divide into four portions. Place one portion in the bottom of a rectangular mold and press firmly. Place two wooden boards on either side of the mold, then add one portion of the walnut cake mixture, press flat, remove the boards, and add the remaining two portions of cake mixture. Press firmly, then cover with white paper.

　　4. Steam at 80°C for 15 minutes. After demolding, let the cake rest in cooked flour for about 1 hour, then cut into thin slices. Quality standard – Shape: Rectangular slices with intact edges.