Pictorial: Winter Melon Cakes (Wife Cakes)

[sheetz]

This is an adaptation of a recipe by cookbook author Amy Beh.

Ingredients

Filling:

165g candied winter melon, chopped

20g toasted sesame seeds

20g toasted coconut flakes

60g cooked glutinous rice flour (koh fun)

80g water

4 tsp oil

Outer dough:

150g Gold Medal Harvest King flour (or 50/50 blend of bread and all purpose flours)

1 Tbl sugar (castor/superfine preferable)

1 1/2 tsp golden syrup

50g lard, melted

1/8 tsp vanilla

75g water

Inner Dough:

80g all purpose flour

65g lard (solid)

Glaze:

1 egg yolk mixed with a pinch of salt

Combine filling ingredients.

Cover, and chill.

For outer dough, mix flour and sugar in a bowl, then stir in the rest of the ingredients until a soft dough is formed.

Wrap with plastic and set aside.

For inner dough, blend flour and lard

Wrap with plastic and chill for 30 min.

Divide the two doughs into eight equal portions and form each portion into a ball.

Shape one of the outer dough pieces into a cup and place a ball of inner dough inside.

Bring the outer dough edges up around the ball and pinch to close.

Repeat for the rest of the dough. Cover the dough balls with plastic and refrigerate for at least 15 min.

Roll one of the dough balls between the palms of your hands to form a cylinder.

Roll it out to a oblong and roll it up jellyroll fashion.

Repeat for the rest of the balls.

Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the last step for each of the balls, beginning with the ones you worked with first.

Cover the dough pieces and refrigerate for 30 min.

Divide the filling into eight equal portions. Place a dough portion on its edge and flatten with a rolling pin, making the edges slightly thinner than the middle. Place a portion of filling in the center and bring the edges up to cover. Pinch to close.

Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.

Wrap one of the filled pastries in plastic and press into a 3 inch mold. Here I'm using a plastic storage container but you can use anything like a cup or mug.

Place pastries on a baking sheet and brush with glaze. Using a sharp knife cut two slits into each pastry.

Bake in a 350F (180C) oven for 25 minutes.

Edited January 23, 2007 by sheetz (log)

[Tepee]

Alright! Well done, sheetz! Post a cross-section shot too, please.

[sheetz]

It didn't occur to me to take a cross section this time because I did one already in the other thread. I'll just repost that one here.

[Dejah]

Please keep my order of Salt and pepper Catfish and wife cakes in separate bags!

Skip the tartar sauce. Give me an extra wife cake instead - for my Mom, of course.

[hzrt8w]

That's a WOW... Sheetz! How do you spell BEAUTIFUL?

[SuzySushi]

Oh, yum!!!!

Since I can buy these pretty easily here, I'll skip all the work. . . but any time you want to send some over, let me know and I'll PM my address!

[aznsailorboi]

OMG, that looks soooooo gooood, even the color is soo perfect, Thank god they dont make computer monitors in HI DEFINITON...i might try biting onto the screen!

They look just like the ones in the old fashion asian bakeries, but Sheetz yours would be sooo much better since you are "honest" in the amount of candied wintermelon you put in the filling!

hmm I don't bake as much as i used to but i think i will try making this in the near future...i will try next week while im on vacation!

[Dejah]

Just to clarify, sheetz, the candied wintermelon are the ones sold for CNY, correct? They are about 5 cms x 1 cm?

[sheetz]

Just to clarify, sheetz, the candied wintermelon are the ones sold for CNY, correct? They are about 5 cms x 1 cm?

←

Yeah, here's a pic of the ones I used.

Edited January 24, 2007 by sheetz (log)

[Dejah]

I wonder if I'd dare attempt these...my mom would be thrilled...

I'd have to take the monitor into the kitchen with me!

[sheetz]

They're really not that hard to make. The only "tricks" to know are:

1. Keep the dough adequately chilled or else the inner dough might leak out when you roll them.

2. Make sure to give the dough enough resting time. Well rested dough rolls like clay, whereas unrested dough rolls like rubber bands.

Edited January 24, 2007 by sheetz (log)