Wife Cake - Lao Po Bing - Butter Joy Kitchen

Several wife cakes on a black stone plate with one sliced.

5 from 1 vote

Wife Cake - Lao Po Bing

A popular Chinese pastry with a thin, flaky crust and a sweet, chewy winter melon filling. Lightly sweetened, delicately crisp, and perfect with tea, this traditional treat is perfect for festive occasions.

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Snack, Traditional Snack

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: pcs

Calories: 152kcal

Author: Claudia

Equipment

1 Rolling Pin

Ingredients

Water Dough

100 gr cake flour
15 gr butter
20 gr sugar
40 ml water

Oil Dough

60 gr cake flour
38 gr butter melted

Filling

60 gr glutinous rice flour
15 gr sesame seeds roasted
100 gr water
50 gr sugar
20 gr butter
10 gr desiccated coconut

Instructions

Water dough: In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, butter, and water until combined, then knead until smooth and elastic. Cover with cling wrap and rest 20 minutes.
Oil dough: In a separate bowl, mix flour with melted butter until it forms a soft paste. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
In a non-stick pan, combine water, sugar, and butter; heat until the butter melts. Stir in glutinous rice flour, then add roasted sesame seeds and desiccated coconut. Cook, stirring, until cohesive and slightly sticky, once it turns chewy and pulls from the pan, remove from heat. Cool, then divide into 10 equal portions.
Divide both the water dough and oil dough into 10 equal pieces; keep covered to prevent drying. Rest 10 minutes. Flatten one water-dough piece, place one oil-dough piece in the center, wrap, and pinch to seal. Repeat with the rest and rest again 10 minutes.
Working one piece at a time, roll into an oval. Roll up from the short end to form a log, rotate 90°, roll out again, and roll up once more. Repeat with all pieces.
Take one log and press both ends toward the center with your thumbs. Roll into a round. Flip, add one portion of filling to the center, and seal tightly.
Lightly flatten each piece to a palm-size disc. Place on a lined baking tray. Mix egg yolk with condensed milk, strain for smoothness, and brush a thin coat on top; let it set slightly, then brush a second thin coat.
Score the tops lightly, sprinkle with white sesame seeds, and bake in a preheated oven at 374°F (190°C) for 15–20 minutes, until golden. Cool completely on a rack, wrap individually, and enjoy!

Notes

Scale it out: Weigh everything, doughs and filling, so all 10 cakes bake evenly and brown at the same time.
Rest = flakes: Don’t skip the 20-minute rests. They relax gluten so the pastry rolls thin without springing back (hello, flaky layers).
Dust some flour: Keep your pin lightly floured so layers don’t tear.
Gentle hands: When flattening the final disc, press lightly, so the filling stays centered and the layers don’t smear.
Thumb press trick: After standing the log upright (Step 5), pressing both ends toward the center helps create an even, round wrapper with a thicker rim for sealing.
Strain egg wash for smooth coat: Strain the egg yolk + condensed milk and brush two light coats.
Make-ahead win: Filling can be made a day ahead; chilled portions are easier to wrap and shape.
Storage smarts: Once cool, wrap individually. Room temp 1–2 days in an airtight container; for longer, refrigerate and re-crisp briefly in a 300°F (150°C) oven.

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