Oil Cake (Rice Cake)

Last updated 2026-11-08 — Oil Cake (Rice Cake) Oil cake, also known as rice cake, is mainly made from millet. There are two types of millet—soft and hard. The hulled soft type is sticky and called "soft rice," while the hard type is called "yellow rice." To make the cake, soft rice and yellow rice are mixed in a four-to-six ratio, soaked in water overnight, then ground into flour. Steamed and eaten as is, it’s called sweet cake. Adding dates to the sweet cake makes it a date cake, and frying it results in oil cake. The rice cake is soft, fragrant, and sweet, and is especially favored by the locals. It is customary to eat cake during weddings and funerals, birthdays and full-moon celebrations, as well as during festivals and holidays. Even students eat cake before exams. “Cake” sounds like “high” (高), symbolizing the wish for people to rise higher step by step, carrying festive and auspicious meanings.