Taigu Cake (a specialty of Taigu, Shanxi)

Introduction to Taigu Cake

Taigu Cake has a long history of production and was already sold in Beijing, Tianjin, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Baotou, Zhangjiakou and other places during the late Qing Dynasty. The earliest shop in Taigu City to produce and sell Taigu cakes was "Wenchengtang" on Nanjie, and later "Yiyuansheng" on Dongguan and "Tongyiheng" on Nanjie also produced and sold them. These shops are all produced in the backyard and sold in the front store. The equipment is rudimentary, the factory buildings are narrow, and the output is very low. At that time, Taigu cakes were expensive and only wealthy merchants could enjoy them. Since the 1990s, small workshops for Taigu cakes have spread throughout urban and rural areas, but mainly in the form of workshops. In recent years, in order to further enhance the quality awareness of Taigu cake production enterprises and help them overcome the dilemma of low-end development in small workshops, the quality supervision departments at the levels of Jinzhong City and Dagu County have determined a work strategy to assist enterprises in expanding and strengthening. They opened up green channels, improved the production standards of Taigu cakes, increased inspection efforts, dispatched personnel to supervise the entire process of production enterprises, and helped the enterprises establish the Taigu Cake Industry Association. As a result, some small workshops with an annual production capacity of around 10 tons have achieved an annual production capacity of over 100 tons, and the output has increased from 8000 tons before 2006 to 100000 tons in 2008.

Production method

Raw materials

Main material: 500g white flour.

Method

1. Put white flour, white sugar, cooking oil, alkali flour, and malt sugar together in a bowl, mix well, stir with water (warm water is used all year round), knead well and smooth, then roll into long strips on a table, pull into a paste, and then knead and stick sesame seeds to form a cake shape.

2. Put the made cake into the hanging furnace, heat the front first, hold the skin in place, then turn it back, and fasten the lid (do not cover it completely, let some air pass through). Pay attention to the heat, mainly use the power of the upper heat to bake, and the base heat should not be too high. Ignite for about ten minutes with a fan of wind.

Processing technology requirements.

1. Flour mixing: Mix 50kg wheat flour, 12kg to 16kg sugar syrup, 12kg to 15kg vegetable oil, 16kg to 20kg white sugar, 8kg to 10kg water, etc., stir for 10 to 15 minutes until the color of the dough inside and outside is uniform.

2. Molding: According to the specifications of the finished product, knead a certain amount of dough after mixing, dip the middle part in sesame seeds, and roll it out until the sesame seeds evenly cover the entire surface of the cake.

3. Baking: Baking temperature is 215 degrees Celsius, and baking time is 9 to 10 minutes. 4. Cooling: After baking, the product is naturally cooled to a temperature of 36 ℃ with a moisture content of less than 15.2%. What are the product features of Taigu Cake?

Taigu Cake is a solid cake baked in a flour oven, commonly known locally as "dry cake" and "Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle)". The cake is circular in shape, with a diameter of 11.65 centimeters and a thickness of about six tenths. The thickness of the edges and heart is evenly distributed, and the skin is tea yellow with peeled sesame kernels. Cold eating this cake is crispy but not hard, soft but not peeled, and has a long storage time. The taste remains unchanged after long-term storage. It can be used as a tea snack or for travel. Therefore, Taigu cake is still a great gift that people give to each other.

How did the history of Taigu Cake come about?

? The emergence and popularity of Taigu cakes are directly related to the development of commercial economy in Taigu during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is said that in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, there was a wealthy lady in Gouzi Village, southeast of Taigu County who often wanted to eat cakes at night. She either finds the various pastries bought by the servants from the city greasy and unappetizing, or finds them hard and chewy. This is really frustrating for her servants. The news spread to a Shaobing (Baked cake in griddle) shop in the county. The shopkeeper specially asked the old master in the shop to design a kind of sweet cake in order to make the business. This type of sweet cake is a solid baked cake made from white flour, white sugar, sesame oil, and egg white. It has a diameter of about 12 centimeters and a thickness of about 3 centimeters in the middle. Its skin color is tea yellow, and it is also covered with peeled white sesame seeds. Taigu cake has the characteristics of being crispy but not hard, soft but not smooth, sweet but not greasy, and even after being stored for a month, its color, aroma, and taste will not change. The main ingredients are refined white flour, white sugar, sesame oil, and egg white. The production method is to mix 60% high-quality white sugar and 40% high-quality white flour with egg white into a paste, and use a spoon to place it in the oven. The paste will naturally melt into a circular shape. After maturity, sprinkle sesame seeds on top, apply sesame oil on the bottom, and then grill over low heat until cooked. After being delivered to Mrs. Kuo's house, it was highly favored and gave birth to the renowned Taigu Cake. Later, Taigu Cake was discovered by Empress Dowager Cixi, who resided deeply in the palace, and was designated as a tribute to the court, which further increased the value of Taigu Cake. Another theory is that during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, there was a man surnamed Zhang who made a living by opening pastry shops in Gouzi Village, southeast of Taigu City. He saw the gathering of merchants and prosperous economy in Taigu County, and the desire of wealthy families for enjoyment. He pondered and experimented repeatedly, and made a "sweet cake" that was popular among the wealthy. This kind of "sweet cake" is made with exquisite ingredients and special baking techniques. It tastes crispy, sweet and soft, and quickly became famous far and wide.

Awards and honors of Taigu Cake

In 2006, the "Traditional Making Techniques of Taigu Cake" applied by Taigu County, Shanxi Province was approved and included in the first batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage list in Shanxi Province.

. Heritage Number: VIII-2 Heritage Category: Traditional Handicrafts. In 2007, Taigu cake was included in the National Geographical Indication Product Protection Catalogue of China.