Recipe: How to make Chinese snowflake cake

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What is Chinese snowflake cake?

A map of China highlighting the Jiangnan region.

Chinese snowflake cake (xuě huā gāo) is named because of its appearance – it’s white (bái sè de) and fluffy like snow (xuě).

It is a traditional dessert (tián diǎn) from the Jiangnan (Jiāng Nán) region of China.

Nán means south, and Jiāng is the Mandarin word for the Yangtze River.

A map of China highlighting the Jiangnan region.
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You will need:

Milk, sugar, double cream, cornflour, desiccated coconut, baking tray, greaseproof paper.

  • 450ml milk (nǎi)

  • 60g sugar (táng)

  • 100ml double cream

  • 60g cornflour

  • 3 tbsp desiccated coconut (yē zi)

Milk, sugar, double cream, cornflour, desiccated coconut, baking tray, greaseproof paper.
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Method

  1. Mix (bàn) the milk, sugar, double cream and cornflour in a bowl (wǎn).

  2. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and get an adult to bring the mixture to the boil (zhǔ), stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

  3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and add the mixture.

  4. Leave it in the fridge to set.

  5. Cut (qiē) the snowflake cake into small pieces.

  6. Cover with desiccated coconut and serve.

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  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.

    Step 1

    Mix (拌 bàn) the milk, sugar, double cream and cornflour in a bowl (碗 wǎn).

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Download the instructions

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Key Mandarin words

MandarinPinyinEnglish
bànmix
qiēcut
nǎimilk
tángsugar
tián diǎndessert
xuě huā gāosnowflake cake
yē zicoconut
zhǔboil
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