Fu'an Crispy Cake

Fu'an Crispy Cake

　　Fu'an Crispy Cake is a specialty of Fu'an Town, Dongtai City, Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. The Fu'an Crispy Cake from Dongtai boasts a texture that is flaky, crisp, and delicious upon the first bite, becoming even more flavorful the more you chew. In the words of the locals, it’s “so good you won’t want to spit out even the bits that hit your lips.”

　　Fu'an Crispy Cake is renowned across the country. Legend has it that after Emperor Qianlong tasted it during his southern tour, he was full of praise, and the cake quickly gained widespread fame. It even became a source of pride for the people of Fu'an. This crispy cake is primarily made from flour. After kneading the dough, red bean paste is wrapped inside, and then it is pan-fried. Because the cake is layered and flaky from the inside out, it is also called “thousand-layer crisp.” In addition to sweet fillings made from red bean paste, osmanthus, and cane sugar, there are also savory fillings made from fresh meat, chopped scallions, salt, and monosodium glutamate. It features a flaky, crisp texture that becomes more delicious the more you chew.

　　How to make Fu'an Crispy Cake: Use one jin (500g) of standard flour and add 5g of dry yeast. First dissolve the yeast in 30°C water to form a paste, then mix it into the flour. Knead the dough with 30°C water and let it rest to rise. While the dough is resting, prepare the oil dough. Mix 50g of oil with 80g of flour. Gradually pour the 80g of flour into the oil, add an appropriate amount of salt, and stir until evenly mixed. The consistency should be similar to sesame paste or powdered tea. By this time, the main dough should have finished resting and risen. Transfer the dough to a work surface and roll it out into a rectangle. Spread the oil dough onto the flattened dough, then sprinkle some dry flour on top. Roll the dough from one side to the other to form a log, then divide it into several sections. Cut each section horizontally. Place the cut pieces with the cut side facing up, and roll each piece from one end to the other like a scroll. The crispy cake dough is now formed. Let it rest for another 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat the oven, then place the dough pieces in the middle rack of the oven. Bake at 220°C for 15 minutes with both upper and lower heat, then move them to the top rack and bake for another 10 minutes. And it’s done！