Sweetheart cake

A sweetheart cake, also known as a wife cake or marriage pie, is a beloved Cantonese pastry distinguished by its flaky crust and delightful filling composed of winter melon, almond paste, sesame, and five-spice powder. In Cantonese, it is called "lou po beng" which literally translates to "old lady cake." This treat is a favorite in Hong Kong and Mainland China, and modern versions are crafted by both home bakers and professional chefs.

The traditional recipe from the Guangdong-Hong Kong region features candied winter melon, white sesame seeds, glutinous rice flour, coconut, almond paste, and occasionally a hint of vanilla. The pastry achieves its signature flaky texture through the use of pork lard shortening and an egg wash glaze. In Western countries, butter is sometimes substituted for lard, though this alters the flavor slightly. Compared to Western pastries, sweetheart cakes are only mildly sweet.

In Southeast Asia, you might find variations that include spices such as Chinese five-spice, although this isn't part of the traditional recipe. There is also a "husband cake" variation that incorporates star anise into the filling.

The origins of the sweetheart cake are steeped in legends rich with themes of love, sacrifice, and reunion. One tale recounts a couple in imperial China, where the husband makes and sells the cakes to earn enough money to buy back his wife, who had sold herself into slavery. Another story involves a dim sum chef's wife who creates a pastry so delicious that it surpasses traditional dim sums, thus leading to its name "Wife Cake." Yet another version describes a man making a pastry with a hole in the middle for his sedentary wife, who tragically dies from hunger as she only eats the front half of the cake.