YummY Vietnam

If having to choose a delicious cake from the South of Vietnam to introduce to your friend, Vietnamese Durian Cake (Banh Pia/ Pia Cake) is probably the first one to mention. Originating from Soc Trang province, now, Pia cake is present in all provinces of Vietnam and become a favorite dish of Vietnamese people.

Pia cake is a specialty of Soc Trang province, loved by the Southern people. In the past, Pia cakes appear on many important occasions, such as weddings, wedding parties, even mid-autumn festival, Pia cake was considered “moon cake” of Vietnamese Westerners.

Durian moon cake is very popular and loved by many people. However, besides durian filling, Pia cake also has salted egg, mung beans, fruits filling such as passion fruit, mango, aloe vera, … Depending on your taste, you can choose the flavor you love

A delicious Pia cake is evaluated according to the following criteria: The crust must be thin, durable. The surface of the cake is smooth, and when it is pressed, you feel it lightly concave and soft . When eating the cake, you will enjoy the delicious taste of mung bean or fruit in the cake. You can buy Pia cake in many places across Vietnam or you can make them with a simple recipe right below!

Ingredients for making Pia Cakes

• 2 chicken eggs

Ingredients for making cake dough

• 300 gr Wheat flour
• 40 gr White sugar
• 50 gr cooking oil
• 50 gr melted lard
• 80 ml water
• 2 gr baking powder

Ingredients for making oiled flour

• 100gr Wheat flour
• 100 gr tapioca starch
• 40 gr White sugar
• 35 gr Cooking oil
• 35 gr melted lard
• 60 ml water

Ingredients for making cake filling

• 150 gr peeled mung beans
• 220 gr white sugar:
• 60 ml cooking oil
• 15 gr glutinous flour
• 100 gr durian flesh
• 100 grams of lard
• 10 Salted duck eggs

Tools for making durian moon cake:

• Oven, Grill Tray, Stencils, Blender, Film wrap

Steps to make Pia cake

Step 1:

Wash salted egg yolk through water and soak into white wine for 15 minutes. Then place in a baking tray and grease a layer of cooking oil on top, bake for about 10 minutes.

Step 2:

Slice 100gr of pork-fat into small cubes and put them in a pot of boiled water then take them out to a cup.

Add 30gr of sugar and mix well to spread them out to a flat surface and bring them to the sun for about 30 minutes to get them translucent.

Step 3:

Get rid of durian seeds to take the flesh. Grind the durian by blender then take it out to a different disk

Step 4:

Make wet dough:

Mix 300gr of flour and 2gr of baking powder into a small pot. Then gather all the flour together to make a small mountain, create a hole in the middle of the mountain of powder and give 40gr of sugar, 80ml of water, 50gr of cooking oil, 50gr of melted fat.

It is possible to replace melted lard with vegetable oil to make Pia cake, but if using the ratio of melted lard: vegetable oil is 1: 1, Pia cake will be more fragrant and spongy.

Step 5:

Use a whisk to mix the mixture well until it sticks together. Then use your hands to knead until it is pappy and blended. Leave the powder for about 30 minutes. Then weigh and divide the dough into 10 equal parts.

Step 6:

Making oily dough for Pia cake:

Add 100gr of flour, 100gr of tapioca starch to a pot and mix them evenly. Continue to give 40gr white sugar, 35gr melted lard and 35gr vegetable oil to the flour

 

Step 7:

Add 60ml of water to the combination above and mix well for about 5 minutes until the mixture is blended and smooth.

Leave the powder for 30 minutes. Then weigh and divide the dough into 10 parts.

Step 8:

Making the filling:

Soak peeled mung beans in hot water to quickly soften them for about 15 minutes then rinse with water and put in a pot.

Add about 600ml of water to cook them softer until all the water vaporize. Then put in a blender to puree them smoothly.

Step 9:

Add mung bean paste with 190gr white sugar into a pan then stir well

Step 10:

When you see boiling mung beans continue to add 30ml of cooking oil, continue until it is slightly sticky, then add the remaining 30ml of cooking oil and cup the sticky powdered water into the same.

Step 11:

Next is to put mixture of sugar pork-fat, grinded durian into the pan of mung beans. Using a whisk to mix the ingredients together.

When the mixture are dry enough to shape by hands, turn off the stove. Divide into 10 equal parts and then round them up o make 10 small balls.

Step 12:

How to make durian moon cake:

Put 1 ball of wet dough on a clean flat surface and then flatten it.

Put 1 ball of oily dough in the middle and cover it and curl it around to make a bigger dough ball.

Roll the dough into a long lozenge, about 0.3 cm thick and then roll it vertically. After that use rolling pin make the dough into a thin circle.

Step 13:

Place the durian pellet and salted egg in the middle of the batter and then warp it to cover all over the filling it. Put the kneaded cakes on the baking tray with lined non-stick stencils.

Using your hand to press the Pia cake slightly flattened to make the cake surface is a little flat.

Step 14:

Bake the cakes for 5 to 7 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius until the cakes crust are slightly opaque and begins to foam.

Take the cake out of the oven and poke a few holes by toothpick to release air.

After that, beat 2 egg yolks with a little water and use a paint-brush to evenly brush on the cake. Put the cake tray in the oven again and bake for more 15 minutes until the cake turn delicious gold.

Step 15:

So, Pia cake has been completed. You can buy stamps to print on the face of the Pia cakes to make them more beautiful, which is similar to the one in store.