Spouse Cake (Lao Po Bing, 老婆饼)

A Spouse Cake, or lao po bing (lǎopó bìng in Mandarin or lou po beng—pronounced extra like “baeng“—in Cantonese – 老婆饼), is a Chinese language dessert with a flaky pastry crust and a candy wintry weather melon filling. 

This can be a Cantonese deal with, which can also be discovered as a shadow in their former selves in maximum Chinese language bakeries nowadays. Alternatively, this recipe recaptures what a spouse cake is in reality intended to style like. Consider us, they’re very a lot value making at house!

Reclaiming That Nostalgic Lao Po Bing Taste

My sister-in-law, Wai Chin, has fond reminiscences of consuming those in her youth, however couldn’t in finding ones in as of late’s bakeries that style like what she recalls. 

The ones of you who consider those treats from years in the past can have additionally spotted the new transformation of the normal spouse desserts in bakeries. 

They have got turn out to be greater and flatter—dessert-plate sized, and not more than ¼-inch thick, with a neon orange colour. The filling is incessantly so skinny that it’s now not tremendous noticeable, and there isn’t a lot taste or texture to it. 

In truth, after I first began seeing them, I didn’t even understand they had been lao po bing till I seemed on the little labels—they didn’t appear to be what I remembered from Chinatown’s previous days both!

Like many commercially made mooncakes, pineapple desserts, and different Chinese language cakes, we’re now not certain they’re even the use of wintry weather melon. (Lotus mooncakes are incessantly made with white bean quite than 100% lotus paste, whilst pineapple desserts are incessantly made—by the way—with wintry weather melon and pineapple flavoring.)

For the longest time, Wai has been at the hunt for that very best spouse cake. Like she mentioned within the video, she has invested such a lot cash purchasing and making an attempt method too many spouse desserts simplest to be disenchanted.

Not like her, I used to be too “glass part empty,” and didn’t agree with that I’d be capable to in finding that very best spouse cake once more, so I didn’t even trouble purchasing or making an attempt any. 

It was once time to take the issues into our personal kitchens.

My sister-in-law began on a adventure to increase a recipe that will have that nostalgic taste. When she would come to talk over with all over the summer time, we examined and subtle the recipe, and I’m satisfied to mention she succeeded.

Publishing this recipe as of late is a huge deal—a triumph!—and it’s one we’re very happy with. It was once a collaboration, however the credit score in reality is going to her—any other member of The Woks of Lifestyles circle of relatives. She did many of the heavy lifting! 

Traits of a Conventional Spouse Cake (Lao Po Bing)

A standard spouse cake is in regards to the measurement of vintage mooncake—about 3 to 3½ inches (8cm) in diameter, and ½-¾ inch (about 1cm) thick. The outer pastry is flaky and creamy white, with a pop of golden colour on most sensible from an egg yolk wash and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. 

The filling is mildly candy, with a refreshing and light-weight wintry weather melon and coconut taste. Most often, the filling comprises contemporary and candied wintry weather melon. Coconut and vanilla are supporting taste notes. 

The feel of the filling must be rather chewy, due to glutinous rice flour. That slight chewiness is a signature of a excellent spouse cake.

If there was once anything else I remembered about them after I first attempted one within the 80s (upon arriving in The united states—we didn’t have them in Shanghai), it was once that texture, which I completely liked. Because of this, spouse desserts are highest served at room temperature, because the filling gets too company if refrigerated or differently chilled.

Every other signature taste part is lard, which supplies those spouse desserts that conventional taste. We examined the recipe with lard, all butter, in addition to all coconut oil, and located that the lard is beautiful irreplaceable should you in reality need that previous Chinatown taste. We additionally attempted shortening, however didn’t love the flavour and usually don’t like the use of vegetable shortening in our baking, as it’s extremely processed.

That mentioned, I do know lots of you’re going to ask if you’ll exchange the lard with butter. You’ll, however simply know that the butter will make the dough slightly extra like a pie dough, as a substitute of tremendous flaky, which is extra feature of a Chinese language pastry.

This recipe in reality does hit the entire proper notes, and as soon as once more, we’re so, so proud of it. We are hoping you give it a try to really feel the similar nostalgic feeling we felt biting into those treats!

Let’s get to the recipe!

Spouse Cake Recipe Directions

1. Make the filling:

Prepare dinner the glutinous rice flour for 15-20 mins on low to medium warmth in a non-stick pan. Stir incessantly and alter the warmth degree as wanted so it doesn’t burn, till it turns a mild tan colour.

To coarsely puree the wintry weather melon, peel/minimize the rind off the wintry weather melon, and take away any seeds. Minimize into chunks and switch 250g (8.8 oz.) to a meals processor. Pulse a few instances till you get a rough puree. 

Switch the wintry weather melon to a non-stick pan over medium warmth. Upload the sugar, water, and coconut oil, and prepare dinner for 10 mins.

The combination must be effervescent, thickening rather, however nonetheless beautiful watery.

Now scale back the warmth to low, and upload the finely chopped wintry weather melon sweet, ginger powder, salt, lemon zest, vanilla, toasted sesame seeds, and coconut flakes.

Combine smartly. Prepare dinner for any other 10 mins, till there’s no visual liquid, and switch off the warmth. 

Stir within the toasted glutinous rice flour in a couple of batches and press the whole lot in combination the use of a rubber spatula, till the flour is absolutely jumbled in and you’ve got a thick translucent paste. Cool. 

After cooling, weigh the filling, and divide it frivolously into 10 equivalent parts. Roll the parts between your hands into balls. 

2. Make the water and oil doughs & mix them:

To make the water dough, upload the flour to a blending bowl, and use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to chop the lard into the flour.

Combine within the water to shape a dough. Roll right into a ball, quilt (or wrap in plastic), and let it relaxation for quarter-hour.

To make the oil dough, upload the flour to a blending bowl, and minimize within the lard with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. Combine together with your palms right into a dough, and roll it right into a ball. Quilt, and let it relaxation for quarter-hour.

Subsequent, mix the 2 doughs. After each have rested for quarter-hour, roll out the water dough ball right into a spherical disc big enough to frivolously wrap across the oil dough ball. Position the oil dough ball within the center, and convey the water dough up round it, sealing all seams tightly closed.

Position the ball of 2 doughs seam-side down for your paintings floor.

Flatten the ball. Use a calmly floured rolling pin to roll it out into an 8×12 inch (20x30cm) oblong sheet.

Roll up the brief finish of the sheet tightly right into a roll. Quilt and refrigerate for 30-60 mins to cool. (You’ll sit back for much less time in chillier climate. In case your kitchen could be very heat, sit back for the total 1 hour.)

Subsequent, roll out the refrigerated dough roll into a ten×14 inch (25x35cm) oblong sheet. Then roll up the fast finish once more right into a 10-inch (25cm) lengthy roll. Make certain this can be a rather even thickness all over. Use a ruler to chop this roll into 10 kind of equivalent items. 

3. Compile & Bake:

Take one dough phase, and stand it upright in order that the swirls are dealing with up. Use your palm to press it flat.

With a rolling pin, roll the dough right into a 4-inch disc that’s rather thinner across the outer edges and thicker within the center.

Upload a ball of wintry weather melon filling to the middle, then shut the dough round it. Seal it tight with out air wallet or visual filling.

Position it seam aspect down, gently knocking down the ball right into a spherical disc that’s ½-inch (1.25cm) thick.

Position seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat till you’ve made the entire spouse desserts, hanging them at the baking sheet about 1 inch aside. 

Place a rack in the midst of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C on a convection environment/in a fan-assisted oven. Or if the use of a traditional oven with a common bake environment, preheat to 425°F/220°C.

Use a pointy knife to chop 2 to a few slashes into the highest of every spouse cake. This may occasionally assist them liberate steam all the way through baking.

Combine the egg yolk with the water, and brush the tops of the spouse desserts with egg wash. Sprinkle the tops calmly with sesame seeds.

Bake the spouse desserts for 20-22 mins with convection/fan or 25-Half-hour at a typical bake environment till calmly golden brown on most sensible. Going a pair mins over is ok—simply remember to bake till the tops are calmly golden brown.

Cool utterly on a cooling rack prior to serving.

Revel in!

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Spouse Cake (Lao Po Bing, 老婆饼)

This recipe recaptures the nostalgic taste of Spouse Desserts (lou po beng in Cantonese), a Chinese language flaky pastry with candy wintry weather melon filling. 

by way of: Judy

Path:Dessert and Candy Stuff

Delicacies:Chinese language

serves: 10

Prep: 2 hours hours 45 mins mins

Prepare dinner: 1 hour hour 15 mins mins

Overall: 4 hours hours

Directions

Make the filling:

• Prepare dinner the glutinous rice flour for 15-20 mins on low to medium warmth in a non-stick pan, till it turns a mild tan colour, stirring incessantly and adjusting the warmth degree as wanted so it doesn’t burn.

• To coarsely puree the wintry weather melon, peel/minimize the rind off the wintry weather melon, and take away any seeds. Minimize into chunks and switch 250g (8.8 oz.) to a meals processor. Pulse a few instances till you get a rough puree.

• Switch the wintry weather melon to a non-stick pan over medium warmth. Upload the sugar, water, and coconut oil, and prepare dinner for 10 mins. The combination must be effervescent, thickening rather, however nonetheless beautiful watery.

• Now scale back the warmth to low, and upload the finely chopped wintry weather melon sweet, ginger powder, salt, lemon zest, vanilla, toasted sesame seeds, and coconut flakes. Combine smartly. Prepare dinner for any other 10 mins, till there’s no visual liquid, and switch off the warmth.

• Stir within the toasted glutinous rice flour in a couple of batches and press the whole lot in combination the use of a rubber spatula, till the flour is absolutely jumbled in and you’ve got a thick translucent paste. Cool.

• After cooling, weigh the filling, and divide it frivolously into 10 equivalent parts. Roll the parts between your hands into balls.

Make the water and oil doughs & mix them:

• To make the water dough, upload the flour to a blending bowl, and use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to chop the lard into the flour. Combine within the water to shape a dough. Roll right into a ball, quilt (we simply quilt the bowl with an overturned plate), and let it relaxation for quarter-hour.

• To make the oil dough, upload the flour to a blending bowl, and minimize within the lard with a pastry cutter or two butter knives. Combine together with your palms right into a dough, and roll it right into a ball. Quilt, and let it relaxation for quarter-hour.

• Subsequent, mix the 2 doughs. After each have rested for quarter-hour, roll out the water dough ball right into a spherical disc big enough to frivolously wrap across the oil dough ball. Position the oil dough ball within the center, and convey the water dough up round it, sealing all seams tightly closed.

• Position the ball of 2 doughs seam-side down for your paintings floor. Flatten the ball, and use a calmly floured rolling pin to roll it out into an 8×12 inch (20x30cm) oblong sheet. Roll up the brief finish of the sheet tightly right into a roll. Quilt and refrigerate for 30-60 mins to cool. (You’ll sit back for much less time in chillier climate, or in case your kitchen could be very heat, sit back for the total 1 hour.)

• Subsequent, roll out the refrigerated dough roll into a ten×14 inch (25x35cm) oblong sheet. Then roll up the fast finish once more right into a 10-inch (25cm) lengthy roll, ensuring this can be a rather even thickness all over. Use a ruler to chop this roll into 10 kind of equivalent items.

Compile & Bake:

• Take one dough phase, and stand it upright in order that the swirls are dealing with up. Use your palm to press it flat. With a rolling pin, roll the dough right into a 4-inch disc this is rather thinner across the outer edges, and thicker within the center.

• Upload a ball of wintry weather melon filling to the middle, then shut the dough round it till it’s sealed tight with out air wallet or visual filling. Position it seam aspect down, gently knocking down the ball right into a spherical disc that’s ½-inch (1.25cm) thick.

• Position seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat till you’ve made the entire spouse desserts, hanging them at the baking sheet about 1 inch aside.

• With a rack situated in the midst of the oven, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C on a convection environment/in a fan-assisted oven, or to 425°F/220°C in a traditional oven with a common bake environment.

• Use a pointy knife to chop 2 to a few slashes into the highest of every spouse cake to liberate steam all the way through baking. Combine the egg yolk with the water, and brush the tops of the spouse desserts with egg wash.

• Bake the spouse desserts for 20-22 mins with convection/fan or 25-Half-hour at a typical bake environment till calmly golden brown on most sensible. Baking them a few mins over is ok—simply remember to bake till the tops are calmly golden brown.

• Cool utterly on a cooling rack prior to serving. Spouse desserts style the most productive at room temperature. You’ll refrigerate any leftovers which are greater than 3 days previous, however allow them to come again as much as room temperature prior to serving. Revel in!

Pointers & Notes:

We desire the use of metric measurements for this recipe to get probably the most correct effects. Alternatively, if you wish to have US normal (cup/spoon) measurements, simply click on at the “US Commonplace” button under the record of elements above.
Tip: to shorten the prep time for this recipe, divide and overcome! We’ve discovered you’ll minimize prep time in part if in case you have anyone making the filling and anyone getting ready the dough on the similar time. Then, should you break up the meeting, you’ll every make 5 spouse desserts and get them into the oven sooner!
The spouse desserts can also be frozen for as much as 3 months at highest high quality in an hermetic container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature prior to playing!

diet details

Energy: 327kcal (16%) Carbohydrates: 39g (13%) Protein: 4g (8%) Fats: 17g (26%) Saturated Fats: 8g (40%) Polyunsaturated Fats: 2g Monounsaturated Fats: 6g Ldl cholesterol: 30mg (10%) Sodium: 127mg (5%) Potassium: 52mg (1%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 12g (13%) Diet A: 26IU (1%) Diet C: 1mg (1%) Calcium: 44mg (4%) Iron: 2mg (11%)