Osmanthus Cake

Osmanthus Cake (Simplified/Traditional Chinese: 桂花糕; Pinyin: Guìhuā gāo) is a Chinese sweet snack cake flavored with dried or sugared sweet osmanthus blossoms (桂花). Soft steamed, baked, or molded versions appear across Jiangnan and southern China as tea snacks and festival sweets. It is a dessert cake, not a savory rice cake such as Nian Gao or a filled pastry like Wife Cake.

Characteristics

Color is pale yellow to amber with visible osmanthus flecks; aroma is floral-honeyed. Texture ranges from soft steamed sponge to denser sticky-rice styles depending on region. Sweetness is mild to medium.

Ingredients (overview)

Glutinous or regular rice flour (or wheat flour in some bakery versions), sugar, water or oil, dried sweet osmanthus, optional honey or osmanthus syrup. Some molded cakes use mung-bean or other pastes.

History and culture

Osmanthus is a classic Jiangnan autumn fragrance; cakes and sweets scented with the blossom are traditional tea accompaniments in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and related foodways on Shanghai Food and Zhejiang Food. Commercial packaged guihua gao is widely sold as a souvenir snack.

Serving and variations

Tea snack, gift box sweet, or dessert plate. See Shanghai Food, Qingtuan, and Wife Cake.

See also

• Shanghai Food
• Zhejiang Food
• Qingtuan
• Wife Cake
• Pineapple Cake
• List of dishes (A-Z)