Cixi orange red cake: soft glutinous sweet "bridal candy"

Sweet and delicious orange cake. (Photo by Chen Zhangsheng)

Reporter Chen Zhangsheng

Correspondent Cen is the only one who is shen fang

Moist as jade, soft and sticky in the mouth, with a faint scent of kumquat... As the Spring Festival approaches, the orange red cakes sold by the Aeon Jai Cake Shop in Cixi Minghe Ancient Town have become "popular commodities". In order to make the tourists feast, the owner Liu Chongming began to prepare raw materials early every morning.

Liu Chongming is the inheritor of Cixi Aeon Jai's handmade pastry making skills, and has been dealing with orange red cake for nearly 30 years. "Orange red cake is not big, and it has a long history of making." He told reporters that in ancient times, orange red cake was a necessary "bridal candy" for many Cixi people when they got married. "On the day the newlyweds become relatives, the orange red cake will be packed in the 'nine-grid cage' (harmonic sound) as a high-end refreshment for guests to taste. Because of their auspicious meaning and delicious throat, their popularity has always been very strong. ”

Orange red cake seems inconspicuous, and it is not easy to make it well. "And the water added to the glutinous rice flour in front of you must be boiled, and the kneading force of the dough and the control of dry humidity should be extra careful." During the interview, Liu Chongming showed reporters the production process of orange red cake. I saw him pour the cooked glutinous rice flour on the board, nest it into a "straw" shape, then add the kumquat cake, white sugar, vegetable oil, pour hot water and mix well, knead into a smooth dough. After several kneading, he cut the dough into slender strips, then cut it into a mixture, sprinkled with cooked dry powder, etc., the whole process takes more than half an hour.

To make authentic orange cakes, it is the key to choosing the raw materials and controlling the time and temperature. "We will give priority to the high-quality white sugar produced in liangguang area, the kumquat cake pickled by Chef Beilun Chaiqiao, and the high-quality Ningbo glutinous rice grinding and stir-frying to cook glutinous rice flour." Liu Chongming said that the pastry chef controls the dry humidity of orange red cake by sprinkling flour and adding water, "people have always had to stand without distraction, and if a detail is not paid attention to, it will affect its taste."

At Aeon Jai Cake Shop, visitors can not only taste authentic Ning-style pastries, but also feel the craftsmanship spirit of non-hereditary heirs. "The orange red cake made by Master Liu is fragrant and sweet, and has an 'old taste'." Mr. Shen, the owner of Guanhaiwei Town, said that this year, more than 20 foreign employees of the company stayed in Cixi for the New Year. Before the Spring Festival, he is ready to buy some traditional pastries such as orange red cake and peach crisp as a New Year gift, so that they can feel the sweetness and warmth of the "second hometown".