Xinhua Cupcake

The Xinhua Cupcake from Loudi is shaped like a Yuanbao (ingot), about the size of a baby's fist, with a sweet taste and translucent appearance, available in yellow and white varieties. The yellow type gets its color from brown sugar and malt sugar and is called Gold Yuanbao; the white type is mixed with white sugar or saccharin and is called Silver Yuanbao. The shapes come in two forms: convex and concave. The concave type is called Navel Cake, with a dense and tender texture that chews like stewed tendon. The convex type is called cupcake, which reveals a honeycomb-like pattern of air pockets inside, making it both chewy and refreshing. The most delightful moment is when they are freshly steamed—fragrant, plump, trembling, sticky, and sweetly delicious. It would be a real pity for visitors to Xinhua not to try a few of these.

The best Xinhua Cupcakes are said to be those made beneath the South Gate Tower of Chengguan Town in the county. The Cupcake, together with the Dinghui Cakes from Bijia Alley and the noodles from Xiansheng Alley in Chengguan Town, is known as the "Three Unique Delicacies of Xinhua." The Cupcake was originally used as an offering to worship ghosts and deities. According to legend, in the fifth year of the Xining era under Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, when a general from Tanzhou led a campaign through Meishan, conquered the barbarian king, and established Xinhua County, a grand celestial ritual was set up to release the souls of the war dead, and cupcakes had already appeared on the offering tables. Their emergence on the snack carts of street vendors, however, is a phenomenon of the last two hundred years.

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn