Yexie Soft Cake

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The three treasures of Punan Dim Sum are Tinglin Steamed Buns, Zhangze Dumplings, and Yexie Soft Cake.

Yexie Soft Cake is known for five distinct characteristics: it is fluffy, soft, sweet, fragrant, and rich.

The varieties of soft cake include sandwich cake, vegetarian cake, and lard and bean paste cake.

Yexie Soft Cake dates back to the first year of the Ming Dynasty's Wanli reign (1573). Over 400 years later, its unique production process and delightful taste continue to win the favor of the people. It has become a popular gift for hospitality and a special offering to friends and relatives, particularly in the Songjiang, Jinshan, and Qingpu districts. A local saying goes, "The three treasures of Punan Dim Sum are Tinglin steamed buns, Zhangze dumplings, and Yexie soft cake", highlighting the cultural significance of Yexie soft cake as a VIP gift at the first Songjiang Cultural and Tourism Festival.

During the Three Kingdoms period, agricultural production was well-developed, with rice being the main crop. After the Tang Dynasty, Songjiang became known for its "thin rice", a type of rice that was considered a tribute to the imperial court. Yexie Soft Cake, with its high quality and delicious taste, was founded in the first year of the Ming Wanli era by Shi Maolong. According to the *Zhangze Xiaozhi*, Yexie Soft Cake and Zhangze Dumplings were renowned, and their reputation has persisted for over 430 years. During the Qing Dynasty, in the Xianfeng period, a man named Shi Renhe improved the soft cake by adding new seasonings and modifying the production process, further enhancing its popularity. By the late Qing Dynasty, Fei Xiaosheng opened the Feicheng Soft Cake Shop, followed by other notable figures such as Shen Jisheng, Yang Deming, Ma, and Fan. In the early 1980s, Zeng Yumei, a descendant of Zeng Yunfu, began teaching her apprentice Gu Huonan, who continues the business to this day.

Yexie Soft Cake is known for its light, soft, sweet, fragrant, and rich texture. It is soft and sweet without being greasy, and when paired with mint, it becomes a perfect summer treat. It is widely loved in the Songjiang, Jinshan, and Qingpu districts. As the saying goes: "The three treasures of Punan Dim Sum are Tinglin steamed buns, Zhangze dumplings, and Yexie soft cake."

The ingredients used for Yexie Soft Cake are carefully selected, using high-quality round-grained rice and glutinous rice sourced locally. These grains are soaked in cold water for over 7 days, with the water changed daily, to allow the rice to ferment. After drying, the rice is pounded in a stone mortar and sifted three times. The sifted rice is then placed into the steaming compartment, where it is supplemented with fine sugar and various colored fillings. The mixture is wrapped in lotus leaves and steamed, resulting in a fragrant, cool taste.

The varieties of soft cake include sandwich cake, vegetarian cake, and lard and bean paste cake. The sandwich cake is filled with lard, bean paste, jujube nuts, red and green melon silk, and white sugar, and is square-shaped with bright colors. It is known for being light, soft, fragrant, and sweet. The vegetarian cake, made with the finest sugar, has a large rectangular shape and a delicate, snow-white appearance. It is characterized by its softness, sweetness, coolness, and sticky-free texture. Remarkably, it can stay fresh without rancidity for up to a week during the summer. The strip-shaped vegetarian soft cake is marked with feather-like knife cuts, making it easy to separate. It has a moderate sweetness, a fragrant taste, and is sold by the pound. When combined with mint, it becomes a popular summer treat.

Original Chinese text source:
https://www.ichshanghai.cn/