Jujube Paste Cake
A sweet pastry from the Manchu-Han Imperial Banquet, made by boiling small red dates, removing their pits, stir-frying the date flesh with sugar, then pressing the mixture into molds and allowing it to set and dry.
Ingredients
small dates (washed)
750 g
white sugar
175 g
rose jam (dissolved in 100 g warm water)
100 g
agar (dissolved before use)
10 g
Instructions
1
Cook Dates into Paste
Wash the small dates with water and place them in a copper pot. Add water, bring to a boil, and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the dates, discard the pits, and pass through a fine sieve. Return the date puree to the copper pot, add the white sugar, the dissolved agar water, and the rose jam that has been dissolved in 100 g of warm water. Stir-fry over heat for about 20 minutes.
2
Mold and Set
Pour the cooked date paste into a shallow tin mold measuring approximately 37 cm long, 17 cm wide, and 2.5 cm tall. Cover the surface with a smooth sheet of thin paper and place in a well-ventilated spot for 3 to 4 hours to set. Once the cake is thoroughly set, the jujube paste cake is ready. Store in the refrigerator until needed.
