Chinese White Cakey Biscuit , Guang Su Pin or Kong Soh Peng （光酥饼，大福饼， 西樵大饼）

INTRODUCTION

This is an old school of Chinese style biscuit and those who have tasted it will always said that it brought them fond memories. It is a whitish, round, cakey type of biscuit. It is sweet, soft, powdery and with some milky aroma..I tried to describe the biscuits to my friends and they gave me the Cantonese name “Kong Soh Peng” or using Hanyupinyin “Guang Su Pin”.. (光酥饼）

However, I can’t find a good English name to it.. Some called it White Sugar Cake which shocked me as the it sounds like the Pak Tong Ko or a type of Chinese steamed cake that are full of honeycomb structure. Some translated it as Chinese shortbread but I am unwilling to use this translation as the ingredients, texture, outlook and flavour are materially different from English shortbread biscuits. Hmmm, possibly the preparation step and some slight resemblances that required quick and light handling.

Since white is the main characteristic, for the sake of a simple English naming, in this post, I will name it as Chinese White Biscuits..In fact, colloquially, it was called a “white biscuit” because after eating the biscuit, your lips and mouth will have white flour that comes with the biscuit..

The biscuit is supposed to be round with a smooth surface. However, I have tried 2 attempts but it cracked (please refer to the end of the post for the 3rd attempt). The cracks will become smaller when it is cooled…Commercially those that were sold were rather smooth but a Google in the internet will display quite a number of shops selling these biscuits with cracked surface…

I have decided to issue this recipe despite of the fact that t I can’t obtain the optimum outlook of a smooth, flawless surface. This is because the taste of the biscuit is good. Kids were fighting for them for its milky, soft and sweet cakey type of biscuits..In addition, members of Facebook Groups are asking for the recipe.

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WHAT IS REQUIRED

Servings: Prepare 6 medium size Guang Soh Peng

• 100 grams of self raising flour
• 50 grams of castor sugar
• 50 grams of milk powder
• 45 grams of fresh milk
• 10 grams of condensed milk
• 20 grams of cooking oil

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 STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Pre-heat the oven to 160 degree Celsius

• Sift all the flours (milk powder and self raising flour) in a mixing bowl, add sugar, stir until well mixed and make a well. Add in all the wet ingredients (milk and cooking oil). Use a spoon to stir until it is well combined. With some flour in your hand, lightly “knead” the dough until it form a pliable dough. (All handlings should be light to avoid formation of gluten like the handling of Western short crust pastry)

• Divide the dough into 6. Shape like a ball, press and shape it like a disc. If it is too sticky, flour your hand before shaping. Bake in the pre-heated oven of 160 degree for 12-15 minutes. Place the baking tray in the lowest rack to avoid over browning.

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CONCLUSION

I am still unsure of the reason why it cracked as my first attempt (required the use of both baking soda and baking powder) have followed the original recipe strictly. For my second attempt, I have shelved the use of baking soda and eggs but it still cracks.. 

Rest be assured that I will have my third attempt soon and in the next attempt, I will use plain flour and readjust the timing and temperature of baking. Don’t worry about the cracks, it still taste delicious..

Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

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UPDATE PRIOR TO THE ISSUANCE OF THE REPORT

Since this is a quick preparation, just before I issued this report, I have decided to make my third batch using plain flour. The size of the biscuits and the crack have reduced tremendously. It is still soft and chewy but not as fluffy. Therefore, I personally still prefer the recipe with self raising flour . Though it cracks, the texture is less dense. Therefore, It would up to readers to decide which recipe to choose – using self raising flour or using plain flour.

 

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