Food Folk Tales: The Osmanthus Cake

Author & Photographer: Isabella Sun

Ever since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by the diversity of intriguing dishes from all around the world. But how did these unique dishes come about? What mythical fables lurk behind the origin of these fascinating foods? Well, I did some research, and the myths behind these dishes might be more alluring than the dishes themselves!

Today, I will be exploring the curious folk tale behind the osmanthus cake. The osmanthus cake is a traditional Chinese pastry that is often enjoyed during the annual Moon Festival. Like many other traditional Chinese dishes, there is an interesting legend behind the origin of this beautiful cake.

The story begins with an esteemed Chinese scholar named Yang Shengan. One night, after he had fallen asleep in his study, Kuixing (the Daoist God of fate) descended upon his dream and asked Yang Shengan if he wished to obtain some osmanthus flowers from the Moon Palace.

Yang, knowing that the Moon Palace was the grand royal palace where all Chinese deities resided, did not want to miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and enthusiastically agreed to Kuixing’s request. Kuixing thus ordered the Dragon King of the Western Sea to give Yang Shengan a ride, and in the midst of a silent night, the formidable dragon carried the exuberant Yang up into the heavens.

At the palace, Yang became immediately mesmerized by the sight of an enormous osmanthus tree. He used all his might to climb up to the top and picked off a branch of the divine tree. Upon returning to his study, he decided to treasure the branch by planting it in his garden.

As time went on, the original branch grew into yet another grand osmanthus tree, and its heavenly aroma permeated Yang’s study. One day, a merchant named Liu Jixiang passed by the study and became instantly inspired by the sweet flower’s fragrance. Liu Jixiang was a cunning businessman and knew that if he were to use the osmanthus flowers as an ingredient in his products, the fragrance of the flowers would attract all those in its vicinity . He picked up some flowers that had fallen onto the ground, squeezed out the bittersweet nectar, and preserved them with sugar. Liu then combined the preserved flowers with rice flour, molded them into squares, and named his new recipe “the Osmanthus Cake,” presenting them on display in his tiny shop. 

As Liu predicted, once the locals smelled the delightful flower aroma, they rushed in to check out Liu’s new products. As more people spread the word about Liu’s irresistible cake, his business grew more popular, solidifying the osmanthus cake as a specialty dish ever since. 

This is certainly a fascinating and romantic story befitting of the gorgeous cake. To celebrate the Moon Festival, I actually made the cake myself; my family and I both loved it! The soft and crumbly cake falls apart immediately as you bite into it. The aroma of the osmanthus is accentuated by the slight sweetness of the syrup and slowly permeates your entire mouth as you continue to chew. The osmanthus cake is truly as delicious as it is beautiful. 

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Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:

• 80g rice flour

• 30g glutinous(sweet) rice flour 

• 20g sugar

• Around 60g water 

• dried osmanthus flower for decoration 

Filling:

• 10g sugar

• 3g dried osmanthus flower

Directions

1. Add the two types of flour and sugar into a bowl, mix together until evenly combined. 

2. Gradually pour in water while continuously mixing.

3. After the water is mixed in thoroughly, the flour mixture should be wet enough to stick together when you try to hold it, but still crumbly when you press on it. 

4. Add the mixture to a sieve and press on it with a spatula. Sifting the mixture ensures the final cake to come out soft and homogeneous in texture. 

5. Grease or place a sheet of parchment paper into the mold. Pour in half of the flour mixture. Gently even out the surface with a rubber spatula(don’t press too hard or else the cake texture will turn out too stiff).

6. Making the filling: combine osmanthus and sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. 

7. Spread the filling evenly on top of the flour mixture.

8. Add in the remaining flour and use the rubber spatula again to even out the surface.

   Small tip: cut the cake into pieces before steaming to ensure smooth ridges. The cake can become difficult to cut once it is steamed.

9. Place cake tin into a steamer and steam on medium heat for around 20 minutes. It should feel soft to the touch but still hold its shape when you remove it from the mold.

10. Sprinkle some osmanthus flowers on top and enjoy! This cake is frequently enjoyed with osmanthus syrup. If you can’t get a hold of the syrup, you can also make your own by combining osmanthus flower and honey in a pot and letting it simmer for 10 minutes.