Suncake

A suncake is a round shaped Taiwanese dessert pastry with a crunchy exterior that wraps a soft, sweet filling of condensed malt sugar inside. It originated in the city of Taichung in Taiwan, and is a specialty of this place, often sold in attractive gift boxes as a souvenir for people visiting the place. Popular bakery shops in the region are often spotted with queues of people waiting to purchase this famous Taiwanese dish.

 

History of Sun Cake

The origin of this cake recipe can be credited to the Lin family living in the She-ko region of Taichung County, which is now a part of the Taichung city. The Lin family used malt sugar in condensed form as a filling for the pastry. The dish was later modified to its present form by Chef Wei Qing-hai. It was not called 'suncake' since the time of its origin, but the term was picked up after a popular Taiwanese bakery called 'Sunbooth' sold it by this name. Some people attribute the name to the sun like shape and appearance of the pastry.

 

Ingredients Used and Suncake Recipe Overview

The sun cake is made of an outer pastry dough which is called a water-oil dough and is made of flour, butter, sugar and water, as well as an inner pastry dough or oil dough prepared from flour and butter. The filling is prepared with sugar, maltose, butter, salt, flour and milk. This is wrapped into the pastry, which is then pressed with the hand to make pie like shapes, which are baked in a non-stick baking trays.

 

Serving and Eating Suncakes

Most people eat sun cakes as a snack with Chinese tea, and some people dissolve them in hot water to make a porridge-like dessert. They are often packed in well decorated boxes and offered as gifts to friends and family.

 

Health and Nutrition Facts of Suncakes

A single serving of about 100g of the pastry contains approximately 450 calories, 32% fat, 38% saturated fat, 21% carbohydrate and 11% protein. The exact calorie count may differ according to the size of the suncake.