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Shanzha gao (hawthorn fruit cake)
Tangy ruby slices of hawthorn purée set by the fruit's own pectin
When the hawthorn trees of Hebei and Shandong drop their red berries in late autumn, cooks across northern China, and especially in Beijing, boil them down into shanzha gao, a firm fruit cake cut into ruby slices. It is a winter sweet, eaten after rich meals because people say it helps digestion, and it sits beside candied hawthorn skewers at the New Year fairs. The texture is like a firm fruit jelly that cuts cleanly, and the flavour is bright and sour-sweet, like a cross between crab apple and cranberry. Serve thin slices with jasmine tea, or cubes on a fruit plate. It is naturally egg-free and needs no setting agent at all: hawthorn is so rich in pectin that the cooked purée sets firm as it cools. Chef's tip: the common mistake is stopping too soon, so keep stirring until a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a clear trail that does not close up.
- Total time
- 130 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb fresh hawthorn berriesor 200 g dried hawthorn slices, soaked 2 hours
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 9 oz granulated sugar
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Wash 1 ⅛ lb fresh hawthorn berries, pull off the stalks and the dried flower ends, then halve each berry and flick out the seeds with the tip of a knife.
Step 2: Put the berries and 1 ¾ cups water in a stainless steel or enamel pan, cover and simmer over a medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, until very soft and the skins have split.
18 minStep 3: Blend the berries with their cooking water until smooth, then press through a fine sieve to remove the skins.
Step 4: Return the purée to the pan with 9 oz granulated sugar and stir over a medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.
3 minStep 5: Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the base, for 20–25 minutes, until the purée turns deep ruby, thick and glossy, and a spoon drawn across the pan leaves a trail that stays open.
23 minStep 6: Pour into a 15 × 20 cm container lined with baking paper, smooth to about 2 cm thick and leave at room temperature for 1 hour, until set firm and cool.
60 minStep 7: Turn out and slice with a wet knife. Keeps 1 week, covered, in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 145 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shanzha gao (hawthorn fruit cake) take?
- About 130 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of granulated sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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