Lily gave me two to try on Edda's birthday and I guess I'm too "thiam jiak" and two was not enough and thus I decided to look into Florence's recipe (she included step-by-step pictures), which was the recipe Lily used. I realized I actually have all the necessary ingredients and thus my hands started to itch again, or my mouth being "thiam jiak". LOL! So, I made it!!
I did some modification because I don't use shortening in my household. I used spreadable butter in the water dough and filling and I used 45g canola oil in the oil dough. This recipe yields 12 small wife cakes.
A closer view. This pastry is supposed to be soft and flaky but I like it crispy and flaky like on the day it was baked. Look at all the crumbs when I cut it open in half, so crispy and flaky! This pastry turns soft the next day so if you like it crispy, finish it on the day it is baked. But, if you like the original soft pastry just keep it til the next day. However, if you like me who couldn't finish all in a day, you get to enjoy both texture. *wink*
Verdict:
I love it! Even though this is the first time I tasted this kind of filling. I think in Malaysia we made the filling differently and also called it a wife cake. Click here to view. Hey, next time I can sprinkle some black and white sesame seeds on top eh. Will certainly make this again. Florence, thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe so that those of us who live overseas will get to make and enjoy this Chinese pastry too! :)
Modified to add recipe, my version (08/09/2009):
Water Dough:
100g cake flour
25g icing sugar
25g butter (cubed)
40g water
Oil Dough:
100g cake flour
45g canola oil/ vegetable oil
Filling:
50g candied winter melon, chopped to bite size
55g castor sugar
70g cooked glutinous rice flour (Koh Fun)
18g butter
15g roasted white sesame seeds
12g dessicated coconut
120g boiled drinking water (at room temp.)
Egg wash
1 yolk + 1 tsp. water + pinch of salt
Method:
1. Put all Filling ingredients into a big bowl, mix until combined. Divide into 12 equal portions.
2. Water Dough: Rub butter into sieved flour and icing sugar till bread crumb state. Add in the water till a pliable dough is formed. Cling wrap dough and rest for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 12 equal portions.
3. Oil Dough: Pour oil into flour and rub into an oily dough. Cling wrap and leave aside to rest for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 12 equal portions.
4. To Assemble: Flatten a piece of water dough and wrap in the oil dough. Press and roll out dough into a longish flar piece with a rolling pin. Roll it up Swiss roll-style. Turn the dough 90 degrees and then roll it into a longish flat piece. Roll it up Swiss roll-style again. Pinch the 2 side edges and shape it into a flat circular shape. Put a piece of filling in the center of the dough and wrapped it. Flatten it and make 2 snips into the dough using a pair of scissors. Apply egg wash.
5. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in preheated oven at 400'F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
35 comments:
looks so wonderful, looks so crispy indeed!
wow.. these looks good. i wish have the talent and time to made it. I bought 1 to try on my last chicago trip and yes they does taste different in malaysia. i think i like the malaysian version but forgot what they used for the filling.
wah congrats. I doubt I can do that. I think easier to buy it. haha. but you bo pian.
Just curious, how does the husband cake look like? ;)
looking good! love the flaky texture. this is on my to-do list too... i'll make it... erm... next mth! *embarassed*... now exams period leh. poor DS is having the 1st exams in his life.
Looks crispy. I think familiar with this cake probably with different name and filling.
Thanks BBoven!
Thanks cocoa. It's really good too but a bit tedious to make. Even my hubby loved it!
Yeah lor singairishgirl. Me bo pian, if I can buy, I would buy it already!
V, don't know leh. Similar to wife cake but different filling? You got me, really no clue. Sorry!
Hi Baking Fiend,
Oh yeah, I heard about exams in S'pore, the mommy usually is the one who stressed out. Nothing to embarass about, just make it whenever you are free.
Hi Retno,
Yeah, in S.E.Asia, we do have a lot of similar Chinese pastry. Now, I really miss the tau sar piah....another tedious Chinese pastry but yummy to eat.
looks like the wife cake i used to buy from my nearby cakeshop, specially the filling, a lot of 'dong kua tang' very tasty hor.
Wah! You even made this! Wah!
Back in S'pore, I think it's more of the Malaysian version too. I like Beh Teh Sau the best, of all similar cakes. :)
Ching, your wife biscuits look yummy. Your pastry is very flaky and it looks as good as those we can get from the shops in Singapore.
belacan
your 'lo poh peng" look like the one sell in shop,especially puffy pastry.I try mine pastry skin yesterday but tak jadi:(.Thank for sharing :)
Ching,
Nice and yummy!
Glad that you liked them.
I think using lard will give the pastry texture closer to the real thing from YL but for health reasons it is better to stick to healthier choice.
wah..that looks so good! I have saved the recipe and waiting to "collect" ingredients to make some! So craving for some now!
Yes culinary. Tasty with bits of 'domg kua tang' and dessicated coconut.
Hehe...yup tigerfish, want to eat, what to do! Unlike you can just buy it at the bakery shop.
Thank you LeeLee! Coming from you, I take it with a blush.
Sorry to hear that beachlover, how come tak jadi leh?
Hi Florence,
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Yes, I do like it, even my hubby who doesn't normally eat what I baked had 4 of this. I do like the healthier alternative. :)
Thanks daphne! Yeah do try it, I think I'm going to make some soon too, tham jiak mah.
ching
guessed to beat me to posting this. although i am not so lucky like you to taste some commercial ones, i could not compare. i really liked this filling and when a friend complained that the filling was not right, i was abit dejected.
i will make this recipe again. thanks again to Florence
Looks so good!! Must add to my to try list! :P
Lily,
I think different countries or different parts of M'sia made their filling differently. Even though I have tasted the commercial one, but I totally forgotten how it tasted like already! The commercial filling looks worst in my opinion. Don't be dejected, make again, this wife cake is good.
BlurMommy,
Yes! Yes! Try it! Since this recipe only yield a dozen wife cakes, not too time consuming.
Hi,
I love Lo po peng, especially that from Hongkong. Thanks for sharing the recipe at Florence's blog.
I have never thought of making this.. Will try one of these days.
yum.. i love this!
Hi JY,
Yes, do try it! :)
Hi mycookinghut,
Me too!
Oooh, these look lovely! Definitely going to go and have a look at that recipe now ^___^
hi, the pictures really made me hungry. i tried going to your friend's florence' site.... but i couldn't locate the page. if you still have the recipe of the lao por bing, can you please email me at alexandergoco@yahoo.com
thanks!
-Alex
Hi Alex,
I didn't know she took out the recipe, thanks for letting me know. I posted the recipe here so that others can have a chance to try this wife cake. Have fun! :)
Hi,
Just wondering if I use spreadable margarine/butter, do I have to melt it into liquid form before mixing it into the water dough and filling or do I just use it as is and rub it into the flour till it form crumbs and rub it into the filling mixture too? Thank you.
Hi Mandy, you use it as it is and rub it into the water dough and filling.
Hi Ching,
I made two attempts at this recipe. In the first one, I used lard in both the water and oil dough, and found the doughs easier to manage with very little cracks when I rolled them out flat.
In my second attempt, I used cold block butter in the water dough and canola oil in the oil dough (added more than 45g because it was still so dry and crumbly), and the combined dough was cracking/peeling all over the place when I got to the bit of flattening them down to wrap the filling in, so bits of the filling were exposed before even baking them. I also found it hard to seal, because no matter how much I tried to stretch and pinch the edges together, they just shrank back and refused to stick/hold. The end result wasn't bad though, 'cos there were visible flaky layers inside each pastry and I loved the taste of the filling, just that the presentation was bad with the bits of filling visible from outside.
I prefer the taste of the second batch (using butter)as I find the smell of lard unpleasant. Just wondering if you had the same problem with the dough cracking etc when using butter?
I'm a novice in baking, so I've probably done something wrong.
I rested my water dough at room temperature and oil dough in the fridge, and they were covered in clingwrap.
I'll appreciate any tips, comments etc, because anything is helpful, thanks! :)
- Jen
Hi Jenny,
It has been three years since I made this and I forgot. But I won't rest the oil dough in the fridge because cold will slow down the resting process. Can you roll the dough wider so that when it shrink, it still a good size? I don't think my butter dough crack though.
XDXD , I can't make it(Through I followed ur steps)...
Sorry to hear that Rex.
I love wife cakes (I fell in love with them under the name wintermelon cake in San Francisco). I'm vegetarian, and thrilled to find this recipe for them that does not rely on lard!
You are welcome mark. Please enjoy it as it's delicious! :)
Hi LCM,
Thanks for this great recipe. I find the candied wintermelon they have in the store are a bit too sweet so i made my own. i was suppose to wait 4-5 days but didn't have the patience to wait so i just reduced more than half of the water and used my sweeten wintermelon. it was yummy :) Will try the indonesia cantik manis kuih next. do i have to get the green bean/mung bean starch from a korean market??? don't have one near me.
thanks again for sharing all the cool recipes... :)
felicia
Hi I have something I'm not too sure with .. If I would like to make the fillings into a more 'jelly' like consistency , is that possible ? What do you suggest I add ???
Sorry Alicia, I have no clue.
I think there's too much water in your filling. My first attempt using 120g made it too watery. I used about 60-70g in my second attempt
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