Xu xê cake, also known as husband and wife cake – this is one of the essential cakes for wedding ceremonies. The method of making this cake may seem difficult but is actually extremely simple, so let’s get cooking with TasteVN right away!
1. Traditional Xu xê Cake
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Preparation
15 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Traditional Xu xê Cake Serves 4
Tapioca flour 350 gr Mung beans 150 gr Grated coconut 60 gr Shredded coconut 50 gr Coconut oil 35 ml Malt 60 gr Pandan leaf extract 450 ml Sugar 145 gr Salt 1.5 teaspoons Roasted sesame a little
How to make traditional Xu Xe cake
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Making the mung bean filling for Xu Xe cake
First, wash 150g of mung beans and soak them for 2 – 3 hours.
Next, put the mung beans in a pot with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 350ml of water, and cook over medium heat for 20 – 25 minutes until the beans are soft.
Tip: It is advisable to stir the beans regularly to prevent them from burning on the bottom of the pot.Heat a non-stick pan, add the cooked mung beans, 45g of sugar, 60g of grated coconut, 35ml of coconut oil, and 60g of malt syrup.
Sauté the filling over low to medium heat until it becomes sticky, dry, and does not stick to the pan.
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Making the Xu Xe cake skin
Put 350g of tapioca flour, 450ml of pandan leaf extract, and 500ml of water into a pot and stir well until the flour dissolves.
Then, place the pot on the stove, add 100g of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 50g of shredded coconut. Stir well over low heat until the mixture thickens and becomes sticky.
Tip: It is recommended to stir the flour continuously and steadily to avoid burning the bottom.
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Wrap the Xu Xe Cake
Divide the mung beans into 8 equal parts and roll them into balls.
Spread a layer of cooking oil in the cake mold, then add a little dough, and place the mung bean filling on top.Next, take a bit more dough to cover the top to complete.
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Steam the Xu Xe Cake
Place the cake in a steamer, then place the steamer over a pot of boiling water, cover tightly, and steam for 20 minutes until the dough is translucent, and the filling inside is clearly visible and cooked.
Finally, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on the plastic wrap, then take the cake out and wrap it into a square shape.
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Finished Product
The completed xu xe cake has a fragrant smell of pandan leaves, a crunchy texture of coconut, and the rich taste of mung beans. Xu xe cakes are often found at weddings and are a specialty of the Vietnamese people. Try making xu xe cake right away, no need to go out to buy it anymore.
2. Traditional Hue xu xe
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Preparation
30 minutes
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Cooking
45 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Traditional Hue xu xe For 4 people
Tapioca flour 100 gr Coconut milk 20 ml Mung beans 50 gr (peeled) Sugar 105 gr Cooking oil 25 ml Lotus seeds a little (cooked) Coconut leaves a little
Implementation tools
How to choose good lotus seeds
- Should choose mature lotus seeds, round shape, off-white or deep yellow color. Mature lotus seeds when cooked will be more fragrant than young lotus seeds.
- Avoid choosing lotus seeds that are bruised, with wrinkled green skin on the outside. Additionally, do not choose lotus seeds that are wet as they are prone to bruising and wilting quickly.
How to make traditional Hue xu xê cake
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Make the cake mold
Wash the coconut leaves and soak them in diluted saltwater for about 10 – 15 minutes.
Tip: Soaking the coconut leaves in saltwater will help clean the leaves and the cake wrapping will last longer.For each cake mold, you will follow the steps below in order:
First, strip the rib of the mature leaf, then cut it into 2 pieces, one piece 4cm and one piece 4.2cm.
Next, use scissors to cut one pointed end of the coconut leaf, then use the 4cm piece of wood to press against the leaf and measure to create 5 equal segments.
After forming 5 equal segments, use scissors to cut off the excess leaf.
Then, use your hands to strip away a small part of the leaf on one side of the leaf groove. After that, use your hands to fold the leaf straight corresponding to the points created earlier.
Next, use scissors to cut right at the folded part of the leaf, noting that the cut should only touch the rib of the leaf.
Alternately fold the edges of the leaf together to make a square fold, and by doing this, you will get a square-shaped box. Then, use a toothpick to secure the cake mold and you have completed the base of the cake.
Tip: The coconut leaf used for the cake mold should not be too young or too old. The leaf must be in a sufficiently firm and flexible state so that it does not tear when wrapped.To make the box lid, you will also perform similarly as above but with the 4.2cm piece of wood. After creating the horizontal folds, you continue to fold the edges of the leaf diagonally at a 45-degree angle.
Next, bend the leaf sequentially along the previously created diagonal folds to form a square box lid.
Finally, use a pin to secure the joint and you are done.
Tip: You can also stick a heart shape on the box lid for additional decoration.
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Make mung bean filling
Wash the mung beans and soak them in warm water for 4 – 5 hours until soft.
Place a pot on the stove, add the soaked mung beans and just enough water to cover the beans. Cook the beans over medium heat until they are soft.
Transfer the mung beans to a bowl, then add 25g of sugar and use a hand blender to blend until smooth.
Heat a pan on the stove, add the blended mung beans, 25ml of cooking oil, and 20ml of coconut milk. Stir the filling over low heat until it becomes sticky, soft, dry, and no longer sticks to the pan.
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Boil the coconut
Use a knife to cut or shred the coconut meat into small strands.
Boil a pot of water, then add the coconut meat and stir for about 5 – 10 minutes to release all the coconut oil.
Tip: Boiling the coconut beforehand will help reduce the coconut oil smell when steaming the cake. Additionally, this will also help the cake preserve longer.
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Mix the flour
Add 80g of sugar and 60ml of water into a pot and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Then, gradually add 100g of tapioca flour and stir until it is dissolved.
Tip:
- Do not add too much flour all at once as it will cause the flour to clump.
- The flour mixture is ready when it is slightly runny and not thick.
Place the pot of flour on the stove, stirring continuously on low heat until the mixture thickens but still has some liquidity.
Turn off the heat, add the boiled coconut, and continue to stir until well combined.
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Wrap and steam the cake
Place the mung bean filling between two sheets of parchment paper, then roll it out thinly, and use a knife to cut it into small square pieces.
Put a 10cm piece of pandan leaf at the bottom of the box, then add a little cake flour into the mold and spread it evenly.
Next, place a piece of mung bean in the center and 4 lotus seeds at the corners. Finally, cover with a layer of cake flour over the filling to finish.
Tip: When placing the final layer of flour on top, try to take the flour with plenty of coconut strands. When steamed, the visible coconut strands will make the cake look better.Arrange the cakes in a steamer, place the steamer over a pot of boiling water, cover with a cloth, close the lid tightly, and steam the cakes for 10 – 15 minutes.
Let the cakes cool completely before covering with the lid. Covering the cakes while they are still hot can easily lead to fermentation and spoilage.
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Finished product
Traditional xu xe cakes, although they have a quite intricate wrapping method, are extremely beautiful. The small, lovely cakes are chewy, crispy, and blend perfectly with the sweet, rich mung bean and lotus seed filling, making them incredibly delicious.
3. Xu xe cake with sweet potato filling
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Processing
20 minutes
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Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Stuffed Banh Xu Xe Serves 4
Dried coconut 1 fruit Taro 100 grams Purple sweet potato 50 grams Coconut milk 50 ml Tapioca flour 150 grams Granulated sugar 70 grams Cooking oil 2 tablespoons
Tools Needed
How to Choose Taro and Purple Sweet Potato Ingredients
For Taro
- You should choose taro that has a round shape, like a chicken egg, and is of moderate size, not too big or too small.
- When holding taro, the ones that feel light in weight, with a rough outer skin, are usually less watery, have a higher starch content, and are not fibrous.
- You should also prioritize choosing taro that has many indentations; those with fewer indentations and smooth skin are likely not delicious.
For Purple Sweet Potato
- You should choose purple sweet potatoes that are intact, not cracked or damaged.
- Delicious purple sweet potatoes usually have a round or elongated shape; when squeezed gently, they should not feel too hard and should feel heavy in your hand.
Image of Ingredients
How to Make Sweet Potato Stuffed Banh Xu Xe
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Grate the Coconut
After purchasing the dried coconut, cut it in half, then use a grater to shred the coconut meat.
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Steamed Potatoes
Taro and purple sweet potatoes should be washed thoroughly with water several times after purchasing. Then, cut off both ends and slice into small pieces.
Next, place the taro and purple sweet potatoes into a steamer to steam. Steam for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
After that, put 100 grams of steamed taro and 50 grams of steamed purple sweet potato into a sieve, and use a spoon to mash them finely.
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Making the Filling
Place a pan on the stove, and add the mashed potatoes. Next, gradually add 20 grams of granulated sugar and 50 ml of coconut milk to the pan. Turn on low heat and stir for about 45 minutes.
Then, add 50 grams of shredded coconut into the mixture.
Finally, turn off the heat and stir well.
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Make the outer shell
You prepare a clean bowl, add 150 grams of tapioca flour, 50 grams of sugar, and 270 ml of water, then stir well.
Next, bring the mixture to a pan on low heat, then add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil and stir evenly.
When the dough sticks together as illustrated, you turn off the heat.
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Steam the cake
You take a thin piece of dough to wrap the sweet potato filling. Next, you place it in a mold and then steam for 10 minutes.
After steaming, wait for the cake to cool, then wrap it with plastic wrap.
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Product
The xu xe cake with sweet potato filling has a beautiful purple color, sprinkled with a bit of sesame on top. Besides its attractive shape, the cake also has a fragrant coconut and sweet potato aroma.
The filling has the rich taste of sweet potato combined with the sweetness of coconut, while the outside has a soft and chewy texture. All of these create a distinctive and mouth-watering flavor.
Tips for successful execution
- Only steam the cake over low heat to prevent the filling from overflowing.
- Storage method: the cake can be kept at room temperature for 2 – 3 days. However, you can store it in the fridge refrigerator, for 4 – 5 days, and re-steam it before eating.
With 3 ways to make bánh xu xê delicious and easy to make, TasteVN hopes you can try it at home and succeed. Enjoy your meal!
*Refer to the recipes and images from the YouTube channel Cooky TV, Nhung Cooking, Bếp chay XANH.
