Baked Wheat Cakes

Baked Wheat Cakes

　　Sand Cakes and Baked Wheat Cakes, also known as Stone Cakes or Pebble Cakes. They are made using gooseberriesized pebbles placed in a cast-iron pan and roasted over high heat. Once the bottom of the pan turns red hot and the stones begin to smoke, some of the stones are removed. A rolled-out dough pancake is then placed flat on the remaining hot stones in the pan and covered again with the removed hot stones. After about four to five minutes, the golden, savory Sand Cake is ready.

　　Sand Cakes and Baked Wheat Cakes have a strong rustic charm and echo the ancient cooking method known as "stone roasting" ("石燔"). This traditional technique involves baking grains on heated stones. The Sand Cake is made by wrapping fermented dough around pork fat and seasoned fillings, then baking them with scalding hot pebbles. Its preparation method is directly descended from the ancient "stone roasting." Local snacks best reflect the essence of ethnic and folk culture. According to the Tang Dynasty book "Zi Xiai Lu" (资暇录) by Li Kuangyi, there are records of stone-grilled pancakes. People from Tongzhou were known for being quarrelsome ("好相彦")—often preparing for lawsuits by stocking up on baked flatbreads. These were cooked on hot stones and called "Yan Cakes" (彦饼), later also referred to as "Stone Griddle Cakes" (石鏊饼) because they were baked on stones instead of a griddle. During the Tang Dynasty, Stone Griddle Cakes were even offered as tribute to the imperial court. They share similarities with the "Natural Cakes" described by Yuan Mei in his Qing Dynasty book "Suiyuan Shidan" ("随园食单"): “Use premium refined flour mixed with sugar and lard to make a dough. Shape it freely into pancakes about the size of a bowl, not restricted to any specific shape, roughly two fen thick. Place them on clean small pebbles to bake, letting them form their own natural indentations. Remove them when they turn half yellow—crisp, fragrant, and uniquely delicious. Salt can also be used.” The name Baked Wheat Cake originates from the phrase “fragrant baked good” (“香饽饽”), emphasizing its crisp and delicious taste.

　　When it comes to Sand Cakes and Baked Wheat Cakes, people in Tongguan especially love those made by the Guo family. Their secret techniques produce cakes with the best color, aroma, taste, and shape, and they also have a longer shelf life. Every day, they rinse the pebbles in clean water before baking, ensuring that the resulting cakes have no burnt black spots. The Guo family’s Stone Cakes from Tongguan have a history of over twenty years. As a traditional delicacy, they have undergone a long process of evolution, much like the rich accumulation of Chinese culinary culture. The Sand Cake has a unique shape—it can be round or square—and features patterns resembling the flipped skin of a pomegranate, offering a natural, artistic beauty. Its flavor is also distinctive: made with high-quality wheat flour, fennel, pepper, sesame oil, salt, and pork fat, it is crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, rich but not greasy, and full of scallion aroma. The Guo family’s Baked Wheat Cakes, made with added eggs and cooking oil, are especially favored by new mothers and elders in the area during their recovery periods.