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Wife cake
Winter melon flaky pastry
老婆餅 · flaky Cantonese pastry with winter melon filling
Wife cakes (lou po beng) are one of the gifts people carry home from Yuen Long in Hong Kong's New Territories, and every Cantonese bakery from Guangzhou to London's Chinatown sells them by the box. The thin, shattering pastry hides a soft, chewy filling of candied winter melon set with glutinous rice flour, with toasted sesame and ground almonds for a nutty sweetness. Serve them with a pot of oolong or pu'er. Traditionally the pastry is made with lard; this version uses vegetable shortening, which flakes just as well, so the cakes are vegetarian and dairy free. Rolling too hard is the mistake that ruins them: the layers tear and the pastry bakes up dense. Chef's tip: cook the filling until it pulls away from the pan in a single mass and chill it, because a soft, wet filling bursts through the thin pastry in the oven.
- Total time
- 107 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the filling
- 5 ½ oz candied winter melonfinely chopped
- ½ cup water
- 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar
- 2 oz glutinous rice flour
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 oz ground almonds
- 2 tbsp white sesame seedstoasted
For the water dough
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 ¾ oz vegetable shortening
- ¼ cup water
For the oil dough
- 3 ⅞ oz plain flour
- 2 oz vegetable shortening
To finish
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tsp water; or brush with a little soy milk for an egg-free glaze
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds (optional)
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: For the filling, stir 5 ½ oz candied winter melon, ½ cup water and 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar in a non-stick pan over a medium heat until the sugar melts. Sprinkle in 2 oz glutinous rice flour and keep stirring.
3 minStep 2: Add 1 tbsp neutral oil and stir for 4–5 minutes, until it turns into a thick, sticky mass that leaves the pan clean. Off the heat, mix in 1 oz ground almonds and 2 tbsp white sesame seeds. Cool, then chill for 30 minutes.
35 minStep 3: Rub 1 ¾ oz vegetable shortening into 5 ½ oz plain flour and ½ oz caster sugar, add ¼ cup water and knead for 5 minutes to a soft, smooth, elastic dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 4: Rub 2 oz vegetable shortening into 3 ⅞ oz plain flour until it forms a soft, pliable paste. Divide each dough into 10 pieces and shape into balls; keep them covered.
Step 5: Flatten a water-dough ball, wrap it around an oil-dough ball and pinch shut. Roll it gently into a long tongue, roll it up from the short end, turn it 90 degrees, roll out again and roll up again. Repeat with the rest and rest them for 10 minutes.
15 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) and line a tray. Divide the filling into 10 balls.
Step 7: Flatten each pastry coil into a 9 cm round with your palm and a light rolling pin. Wrap it around a ball of filling, pinch the seam closed and turn seam side down. Gently press into a 7–8 cm disc, 1.5 cm thick.
10 minStep 8: Brush the tops with 1 egg yolk, scatter with 1 tsp white sesame seeds if you like, and cut two short slits in each with a sharp knife so steam can escape.
Step 9: Bake for 20–22 minutes, until the tops are deep golden and the sides flaky and pale gold.
21 minStep 10: Cool on a rack. Wife cakes keep for 4 days in an airtight box; warm them for 5 minutes at 325°F (275°F fan) to crisp the pastry again.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 37 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wife cake take?
- About 107 minutes in total: 85 minutes to prepare and 22 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 vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
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