Resembling both sponge cake and twins, a beloved afternoon tea treat for longtime residents of Kaohsiung

Text & photo / Provided by Kaohsiung City - Bureau of Cultural Affairs

Upon closer inspection, curious customers often ask, “Isn’t this sponge cake?” The egg crisp, a Taiwanese-style dessert available only in Kaohsiung, has been around for over 60 years but still raises questions time and again.

At first glance, it bears some resemblance to twin donuts and is often mistaken as a cousin of sponge cake. Though the egg crisp may seem simple—with just eggs, flour, and sugar as its basic ingredients, occasionally flavored with various fillings—every step of the process is done by hand. Fried until golden and crispy in oil, its crust offers a flaky texture while the inside remains soft and fluffy like cake. As a proudly local Taiwanese afternoon tea snack, it’s no wonder every shop boasts decades-long reputations as time-honored establishments.

A harborfront snack with 50 years of history
Established in 1963, Su A-ma’s Egg Crisp is located right across from the Gushan Ferry Terminal and is now managed by the second generation, Su Chun-yi. The owner revealed that the original recipe was learned by a sailor from a Japanese baker and was later passed on to his grandmother by chance.

The dough made from eggs and flour is left to ferment and rest before being shaped by the owner into rounds resembling mooncakes. The method may not look complicated, but there’s an unspeakable secret to its deliciousness—the small action of attaching the crispy layer ensures a crunchy outside and a chewy inside. Fried yet not greasy, each bite bursts with the aroma of egg. The owner insists on keeping the secret recipe of the crispy layer, truly making sure you can taste it but never quite guess how it’s made.

From the original, red bean, and curry flavors from Su A-ma’s era to the currently offered ten varieties—peanut, taro, chocolate, tuna corn, milk crumb, cheese, hot dog, and more—there are both sweet and savory options. The signature original flavor wins purely on the aroma of egg and the texture of the crust. The owner especially recommends the peanut flavor, where every step from roasting to grinding the peanuts is done by hand, resulting in a rich nutty aroma that bursts like molten lava in your mouth, driving peanut lovers wild.