Rose-flavored Cake

(Meigui Bing)

This sweet tasting, flaky round pastry was a favorite treat of the Qing Dynasty emperors during their stays at the summer residences, that were often surrounded by rose gardens.

Ingredients For filling:

Rose syrup, baking flour, granulated sugar, toasted sesames and pine nuts

The outer dough: 500g low-protein flour, 50g butter and 250g water

The inner dough: 500g low-protein flour, and 250g butter

Method:

1. The filling: combine the rose syrup, baking flour, granulated sugar, toasted sesames and pine nuts together in a bowl. Stir the ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

2. The outer layer: Mix the low-protein flour, butter and water. Knead the dough for a few minutes until it becomes soft and smooth.

3. The inner layer: Mix the low-protein flour and butter till the dough is at a good consistency.

4. Pull off lumps of the outer and inner dough batter and roll them into equal sized balls. Press inside each outer dough ball an inner dough ball, and pinch to close. Flatten balls with your rolling pin into oblong shapes. Then fold them in thirds, flatten again with the rolling pin, and finish by using your palms to roll them into cylinders. Divide each cylinder into ping-pong ball-sized sections.

5. Roll these out into circular shapes broad enough to place rose filling in the center, then pinch to close. Flatten slightly into cookie shapes. Bake for 10 minutes. Set out to cool, then serve.