Introduction to Maple Jingzhuangyuan Cake
Maple Jingzhuangyuan Cake, also known as Maple Yuan Cake, is one of the Chinese traditional cakes and has the reputation of "not causing indigestion for the sick and not becoming bored by the healthy" and "loved by both the old and the young".
What are the features of Maple Jingzhuangyuan Cake?
The production process is delicate, with thin slices like lotus petals, and all three sides - front, back, and edge - are golden. The flavors include: egg yolk, salt and pepper, pine nuts, vanilla, rose, osmanthus, etc. There are two types of packaging - paper and box. Among them, the best-selling flavor is osmanthus Jingzhuangyuan Cake.
What is the history of Maple Jingzhuangyuan Cake?
In the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, there were already many shops and workshops in the town making Yuan Cake. Legend has it that in the 22nd year of the Qing Emperor Qianlong's reign (1757), a local man named Cai Yitai became the top scorer in the imperial examination, and the gentry and merchants renamed the Yuan Cake that Cai Yitai loved to eat as "Jingzhuangyuan Cake". Because "Cake" and "High" have similar pronunciations, the name not only celebrates Cai Yitai's success in becoming a top scorer, but also implies that the cake itself is the "top scorer" among cakes. In the 30th year of the Qing Emperor Xianfeng's reign (1860), a local man named Qi Xuezhuang opened the Qi Xingyuan Cake Shop, which specialized in making "Jingzhuangyuan Cake", and became famous throughout the country with its unique production process.
How is Maple Jingzhuangyuan Cake made?
Maple Jingzhuangyuan Cake is made from high-quality glutinous rice, which is first ground into powder in a stone mill, sifted to remove impurities, mixed with cotton sugar, and cut into slices with raw flour (120 slices are made with a 33cm-wide steaming tray, each slice reaching the edge and having a uniform bottom surface). After steaming and cutting, it is then roasted over charcoal fire and sprinkled with osmanthus before being packaged.
