Fried Oil Cake

Fried Oil Cake

　　Fried Oil Cake

　　Fried oil cake is an everyday food commonly found across China, with little variation between regions. But making one that is crisp, sweet, delicious in color, thin-skinned, rich in flavor, and remains soft even when kept for a long time is no easy task. The long-renowned Zhenyuan Sweet Fried Oil Cake pays great attention to various steps in its preparation, including dough fermentation, ingredient mixing, frying, and coloring. First, the dough must be fermented to just the right firmness, and the kneading process requires skillful handling until it is uniformly smooth, with no dry bits or air bubbles remaining. Next, a certain amount of lard, egg white, and honey must be mixed into the dough—otherwise, the cake will lack both sweetness and crispness. Finally comes the frying: once the dough is placed in the oil, the heat must be carefully controlled. Too high, and the cake may burn to a dark red; too low, and it won’t cook through properly. Therefore, the flame intensity and oil temperature must be just right to achieve a perfectly golden crust. Be sure to flip the cake to get a yellowish hue with a slight red tint, giving it a bright and clear color. Once the dough is cooked, remove it from the pan. The sweet fried oil cake has become a highly famous local specialty in Zhenyuan, and has been named one of “Gansu’s Famous Snacks.”