How to make soft and delicious Hong Kong wife’s cake at home

How to Make Bánh bà xã

• 1

  Cooking the Winter Melon Filling

  First, put 120g of winter melon jam into a blender and blend until fine, not too smooth. Peel, wash, and chop 100g of fresh winter melon into small pieces.

  Place a pan on the stove, add the chopped fresh winter melon along with 40g of sugar. Cook the winter melon and sugar over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until it becomes translucent, then add a little salt.

  Next, add the 120g of blended winter melon jam, mix well, then add 30g of shredded coconut along with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil.

  Stir all the ingredients again, then add 70g of glutinous rice flour and continue stirring until the filling is sticky and cohesive, then add 25g of toasted white sesame seeds, and cook for another 2 minutes before turning off the heat.

  Let the winter melon filling cool, then divide it into 8 equal portions, then roll each portion into a ball, place it in a bowl, and cover tightly to prevent the filling from drying out.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Making the water dough

  Use 120g of all-purpose flour, sift through sieve to make the flour very fine into a large bowl. Prepare 60ml of clean water in a cup, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, stir well until the sugar dissolves, and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil.

  Pour the mixture of water and oil into the bowl of flour. Mix well until the dough sticks together, then knead with your hands until the dough is very smooth, cover the dough tightly, and let it rest for 30 minutes to rise.

  

  

  

  
• 3

  Making the oil dough

  Sift 70g of all-purpose flour into a bowl, then add 35ml of cooking oil and mix until the flour forms a dough. Knead very well to make the dough smooth and elastic, then cover tightly and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to rise.

  

  

  

  
• 4

  Roll the dough wrapper

  After 30 minutes of resting the dough, place the water dough on the table, sprinkle a layer of flour on the table surface to prevent sticking. Use your hands to flatten the dough and then place the oil dough in the center.

  Wrap the water dough tightly around the oil dough, then roll out the entire mass of dough to about 1cm thick. Roll the dough into a long cylinder shape and cut it into 8 equal parts.

  Tip: If the dough is oily due to very hot weather, you can place the dough ball in the refrigerator to cool the dough and reduce the oiliness!

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Shaping the cake

  Roll out each piece of dough thinly and place a pumpkin filling ball in the center, wrap the filling tightly and roll the cake ball into a round shape. Continue to gently flatten the cake ball until each cake is about 1 – 1.5cm thick, being careful not to let the filling spill out!

  Place the cakes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Separate the yolk from 1 egg, beat the yolk with 1 tablespoon of water, then brush a thin layer onto the surface of each cake.

  Use a knife to cut 2 parallel lines about 1.5cm apart in the middle of each cake. Sprinkle a little roasted black sesame on top of the cakes for decoration.

  

  

  

  
• 6

  Baking the cake

  Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Once the oven is preheated, place the cakes in to bake for the first time at 170 degrees for 14 minutes.

  Then adjust to the upper heat and bake the cakes for another 3 minutes until the tops are golden brown to complete.

  

  
• 7

  Final Product

  The finished Hong Kong wife cake has a light fragrance, a beautiful golden surface, and when you bite into it, the crust is multi-layered, soft and smooth, with just the right sweetness in the filling, chewy and delicious. This will definitely be a cake that your whole family will love! Let’s get into the kitchen and showcase your skills today!