Lao Po Bing 老婆饼 (Wife Cake)

 

Speaking of wife cakes or sweetheart cakes, I am sure everyone has curiosity in their mind. Even if you have not eaten them, you must have heard of them. In fact, wife cakes are a Chinese delicacy that has a sweet winter melon centre and a flaky pastry crust. It’s also name as Lao Po Bing (老婆饼).

The ingredients of wife cakes are simple, but the taste is not simple. It has rich fillings and flaky pastry crust, moist and soft fillings. The taste is sweet but not greasy. The filling is made of candied winter melon, coconut flakes or desiccated coconut and white sesame seeds to make glutinous rice filling. 

The secret of having a flaky pastry crust is the method of hand-kneading for the water-oil skin. After learning this method, you can also use this method for making other pastry desserts like Seremban Shao Bao, thousand layers mooncake, or even the spiral curry puff.

 

INGREDIENTS

Water Dough （8 pcs）

100g All-purpose flour

20g Sugar

¼ tsp Salt

30g soften butter

50g Water

Oil Dough (8pcs)

70g All Purpose Flour

43g Soften Butter

Filling (8 pcs)

65g Candied Winter Melon (cut into small pcs)

10g desiccated Coconut

20g White Sesame Seed

100g Water

20g Sugar

¼ tsp Salt

25g Butter

45g Glutinous Rice Flour

 

METHOD (The filling)

1. Finely chopped the candied winter melon.

2.In a nonstick skillet, cook the white sesame over low to medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, or until it turns a light tan color. Immediately remove from heat and let it cool completely.

3. With the same skillet at medium heat, add in the water, sugar, salt, and butter. Cook until sugar and butter completely dissolve. Once the water is boiling, turn to LOW heat, add in the glutinous rice flour.  Keep stirring to prevent lumps until it forms a dough (prevent over stir fried the dough).

4. Add in the chopped candied winter melon, desiccated coconut, and toasted sesame. Stir until all well combined and form a soft glutinous dough. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge.

METHOD (Water dough)

Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and soften butter in a mixing bowl. Mix it well until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.  Add in water in few additions. Slowly knead it with your hand until you have a smooth dough. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.

METHOD (Oil dough)

Combine the flour and soften butter in a mixing bowl. Mix it to form a soft dough, no kneading for this step.

 

ASSEMBLE OF THE WIFE CAKES

1. Divide the water dough and oil dough into 8 portions respectively, roll into a ball shape. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent dryness.

2. Take a piece of water dough ball with seam side up, flatten and roll out. Wrap in a portion of the oil dough, fold up and pinch it tightly. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the dough from turning dry. Repeat until the rest is completed.

3. Take the first wrapped dough with seam side up.  Flatten the wrapped dough slightly, roll from middle out, roll it into an oval-shaped sheet about 5” long. Roll it up from the short side. With the seam side up, flatten and roll it into an oval-shaped sheet again, about 8" long. Repeat the same for the second wrapped dough until the rest is completed. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Always shape the dough chronologically, to allow the dough to rest.

4. Divide the filling into 8 pieces evenly and roll into ball.

5. Take the first dough chronologically, seam side up, pinch middle with index finger, left right fold to center and round the shape. (dust slightly with flour to prevent skin from breaking). Roll from middle out, roll into thick middle, thin edge disc.

6. Put in the filling, seal the edges together with your thumb and index finger. Gently flatten the dough into a large disc.

7. Beat one egg yolk, lightly apply egg yolk wash to the tops. When the first egg wash dry, brush another layer of egg wash then sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Use a knife to draw two strokes through in the middle, let air out to prevent cracking.

8. Bake in a preheated oven at 190° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.