Sweetheart Cake(老婆餅)

Sweetheart cake (lao po bing; 老婆餅, "Wife Cake") is a traditional Chinese pastry made with wintermelon. It is very popular in Hong Kong. According to wikipedia, there are many legends that attempt to explain the origins of the Sweetheart cake. One tells the tale of a couple that lived in a small village. Suddenly, a mysterious disease spread. The husband's father became very ill. The couple spent all of their money in order to treat the man's father, but he was still sick. The wife sold herself as a slave in exchange for money to buy medicine for her father-in-law. Once the husband learned about what his wife did, he made a cake filled with sweetened wintermelon and almond. He dedicated this pastry to his wife, and sold it in the street. His cake became so popular that he was able to earn enough money to buy his wife back. Another story tells of a Dim-sum chef's wife creating a pastry with wintermelon paste influenced by a recipe from her mother's family. The new pastry was so popular in tea houses and the chef proudly told everyone it was made by his wife, hence it was named "Wife Cake".

This is a modified recipe from Eupho Cafe using glutinous rice flour instead of wintermelon. It is much less sweet than wintermelon ones.  Since I do not have lard on hand, I adjusted it to use butter and oil instead.

Ingredients: 

To make 20 pasties
【Skin A】:
-  All purpose flour - 300g
-  Butter - 100g
- Powdered sugar - 55g
- Water - 150g
【Skin B】:
- Cake flour - 150 g
- Corn oil - 60 g
【Filling】:
- Sugar 140 g
- Cooked glutinous rice flour - 140 g
- Water - 230 g
- Butter - 150 g
Coating】:
- Egg yolk - 1 egg yolk

Steps

1. If you have not done so, make sure to roast glutinous rice flour in a fry pan until it is cooked.
2. In a sauce pan, add all ingredients for Filling section, until well mixed at low heat.

 3. Put the filling in a ziploc bag and store in freezer for 30 minutes+. Then take out and knead it in the bag until the dough is smooth. Divide the filling to 20 balls, store in refrigerator until ready to use.

4. Add all ingredients for Skin A to warm butter. Knead to smooth dough, and let it sit for 20 minutes.
5. Knead ingrdients for skin B into a dough, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
6. Portion the dough A and dough B each into 20 small balls. Wrap each dough B into dough A, and round it to a ball. Use a rolling pin and roll the dough into oval shape, then roll into a bundle. Repeat in the other direction.

7. Then use the rolling pin to roll each dough into a round skin, wrap in the filling (about 30g each). Use palm to press the pastry in shape and use fork to pork some small holes. Finally brush on a layer of egg yolk.

8. Bake in oven at 400°F for 15 minutes.