The lost imperial dessert “Purple Jade White Snow Cake”! The little sweet treat beloved by Empress Dowager Cixi

Reported by Hua Shaofu / Taipei

Many have heard of the “Manhan Banquet,” but few know what kind of desserts the imperial nobility enjoyed after meals. Auntie Zhuzhu, who specializes in “imperial desserts,” is a descendant of the royal family (Emperor Taizong of Tang). As a child, she lived in the old courtyard mansion of “Luzhou Licuo,” where she learned to make the “Purple Jade White Snow Cake”—Empress Dowager Cixi’s secret health-preserving dessert—with her grandmother. Later in life, unable to resist her gluttonous daughter’s pleas, she began piecing together her memories and started selling this closely guarded “imperial dessert.”

▲ The “Purple Jade White Snow Cake” is a blend of black rice, purple rice, sugar, and coconut. (Photo / Reporter Xu Wenbin)

As soon as you step into Auntie Zhuzhu’s home and office in Neihu, you can feel the warmth and strong bonds within this small space. As a descendant of royalty, she grew up well-fed and well-housed in Luzhou Licuo—so why would she want to make this all-handmade, labor-intensive imperial dessert? It turns out that although she had no worries about food or clothing as a child, it wasn’t until she married into her husband’s family that she began learning household chores. She once saw her grandmother, who wore three-inch lotus shoes, bustling around the kitchen, instructing servants on the finer details of various desserts. Later in life, when she told her daughter about those stories, her daughter begged her relentlessly, prompting her to decide to recreate the recipe and pass down this sweet treat.

▲ The making process of the “Purple Jade White Snow Cake” is extremely intricate. (Photo / Reporter Xu Wenbin)

The making of this dessert may sound simple—it’s just a blend of black rice, purple rice, sugar, and coconut—but the process is quite complex. Auntie Zhuzhu revealed: “We use the whole grains of rice to make it. Normally, desserts with this kind of texture are made with flour, which ends up tasting like glue. But we do it the traditional way, which not only prevents it from collapsing but also preserves the authentic taste of the rice. The texture is rich and satisfying, making people want to take another bite right after the first.”

▲ Auntie Zhuzhu’s “Purple Jade White Snow Cake” lets you taste the food’s natural flavors. (Photo / Reporter Xu Wenbin)

When asked about the secret recipe of this cake, Auntie Zhuzhu laughed and said: “People in the past liked things very sweet, but I think people nowadays don’t want something that sweet. So we use cane sugar instead of white sugar—it’s less damp and healthier to eat.” The preparation for this dessert alone takes half a day, including soaking the rice for six hours and grinding it for 30 minutes. The process in between is full of nuance. “The ratios depend on the weather. In summer, we use more black rice because purple rice contains glutinous rice components, which help the cake hold its shape better and prevent it from collapsing.”

▲ The imperial dessert “Purple Jade White Snow Cake” makes a comeback. (Photo / Reporter Xu Wenbin)

Because of the phrase “the ratios depend on the weather,” the current method of making this dessert is known only to Auntie Zhuzhu, who has failed at it hundreds of times—a culmination of experience and wisdom. She laughed and said: “Even my daughter doesn’t know how!” Since there is no physical store, orders are only accepted online. Future shipments will be refined, with only two orders per month, ensuring customers get the perfect ratio.

A lost imperial dessert. Purple Jade White Snow Cake. The refined afternoon tea treat for noblewomen
Phone: 0935 253 158
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