Make bakery-style Wife Cakes (老婆饼) at home with this easy, traditional recipe. A crispy, flaky crust made with lard and a soft red bean filling—simple ingredients, authentic Chinese pastry results.
In China, Wife Cakes are incredibly easy to find at bakeries and supermarkets.
But every time I read the ingredient list on store-bought ones, I get a little shocked. That’s one of the biggest reasons I prefer making them at home — when you make them yourself, you know exactly what goes in, and you have full control over the ingredients and sweetness.
What Is a Wife Cake? (For Those New to It)
A Wife Cake (老婆饼) is a traditional Chinese pastry known for its flaky, crumbly crust and sweet filling.
Despite the name, it doesn’t actually contain any dairy or “wife” — the name comes from an old folk story. Today, Wife Cakes are commonly enjoyed as an everyday pastry, a tea-time snack, or a festive treat, especially around holidays.
About Lard
In Chinese cooking, lard isn’t only used for stir-frying. It’s also a very common ingredient in Chinese pastries and dough-based recipes, where it plays a crucial role in creating aroma, flakiness, and structure.
You’ll often find lard used in recipes like:
In this Wife Cake recipe, lard is what gives the pastry its signature crispy, flaky texture.
If possible, I highly recommend making your own. Homemade lard is clean, fragrant, and easy to prepare.
You can follow my step-by-step guide here: How to Make Lard.
About the Filling
You might notice that many online recipes use candied winter melon as the filling.
However, if you look at bakeries in China today, candied winter melon is actually not used very often anymore.
For this recipe, I’m using the more classic and widely loved red bean paste filling. It’s smooth, fragrant, gently sweet.
How to Make Wife Cakes (老婆饼)
Make the Water-Oil Dough
In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour and sugar. Add the lard and water, then knead by hand until a smooth, non-sticky dough forms. The dough should reach the “three clean” stage — clean bowl, clean hands, and smooth dough.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. This resting step allows the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to roll later.
Make the Shortening Dough
In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour and lard. Use your hands to rub and knead until the mixture forms a smooth, fine dough with no dry flour remaining.
Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest together with the water-oil dough for 20 minutes.
Divide and Shape the Dough
Lightly press the rested water-oil dough to release air, roll it into a log, and divide it evenly into 10 portions. Roll each portion into a smooth ball and keep covered with plastic wrap.
Repeat the same process with the shortening dough, dividing it into 10 equal portions and rolling them into balls.
Take one portion of water-oil dough and flatten it slightly. Place one portion of shortening dough in the center.
Gather the edges of the water-oil dough toward the middle and pinch tightly to seal.
Roll gently into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and keep covered.
Laminate the Dough
Take one wrapped dough ball and roll it into a long, tongue-shaped oval, about 15 cm in length, with even thickness.
Starting from one end, roll it up tightly into a cylinder.
Place it seam-side down, cover, and repeat with the remaining dough. Let all the rolled dough rest for 10 minutes.
After resting, take one cylinder and roll it out again into a tongue shape.
Roll it up tightly once more from one end. This second roll is essential for creating flaky layers.
Press gently in the center with your finger, bring both ends toward the middle, then roll it out into a round wrapper about 8 cm in diameter. Keep the center slightly thicker and the edges thinner to prevent the filling from leaking.
Fill and Shape
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) with top and bottom heat for 10 minutes.
Place about 40 g of red bean paste in the center of each wrapper.
Gather the edges toward the center, pinch tightly to seal, and gently roll into an oval Wife Cake shape.
Arrange all the shaped cakes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Brush the tops lightly with egg yolk wash, score three diagonal slashes on each with a small knife, and sprinkle with white sesame seeds.
Bake
Place the tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Watch closely as they bake — once the tops turn golden and the edges slightly lift, they’re ready. If they brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil during the last 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. The crust becomes even crispier as it cools.
Tips & Tricks
- Keep Doughs Covered: Both the water dough and shortening dough dry out quickly. Always keep unused portions covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap.
- Resting is Crucial: Don’t skip the resting times after each roll. This allows the gluten to relax, preventing the dough from shrinking back and ensuring easy rolling without tearing.
- Seal Tightly: When wrapping the shortening dough and later the filling, ensure the seal is completely tight. Any opening can cause the layers to separate or the filling to leak during baking.
- Lard for Authenticity: While substitutions work, lard truly creates the flakiest, most flavorful, and authentic texture. If you can find it, it’s worth using.
- Don’t Overfill: Use the recommended amount of filling. Overfilling makes the cakes difficult to seal and more likely to burst open in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my Wife Cakes not flaky?
The most common reason is that the two doughs were not properly layered or the rolling technique was off. Ensure you complete both rolling steps, roll the ovals thinly enough, and roll them up tightly each time. Also, using a substitute for lard can reduce flakiness.
My dough is tearing when I roll it. What did I do wrong?
The dough is likely too dry or hasn’t rested enough. Ensure you measured the water correctly. If the dough feels dry when first mixing, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. Always let the dough rest for the full time to relax the gluten.
Can I use store-bought puff pastry instead?
While store-bought puff pastry will create a flaky crust, the texture and flavor will be completely different from authentic Wife Cakes. The water-shortening dough method creates a distinct, more tender, and crumbly flakiness unique to Chinese pastries.
Bakery-Style Wife Cakes (老婆饼) at Home
Ingredients
For the Water Dough
- 115 g all-purpose flour
- 15 g granulated sugar
- 35 g lard softened
- 40 g water
For the Shortening Dough
- 75 g cake flour
- 35 g lard softened
For the Filling & Topping
- 200 g red bean paste
- 1 egg yolk beaten (for egg wash, optional)
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
Instructions
Make the Water-Oil Dough
- In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour and sugar. Add the lard and water, then knead by hand until a smooth, non-sticky dough forms. The dough should reach the “three clean” stage — clean bowl, clean hands, and smooth dough.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. This resting step allows the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to roll later.
Make the Shortening Dough
- In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour and lard. Use your hands to rub and knead until the mixture forms a smooth, fine dough with no dry flour remaining.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest together with the water-oil dough for 20 minutes.
Divide and Shape the Dough
- Lightly press the rested water-oil dough to release air, roll it into a log, and divide it evenly into 10 portions. Roll each portion into a smooth ball and keep covered with plastic wrap.
- Repeat the same process with the shortening dough, dividing it into 10 equal portions and rolling them into balls.
- Take one portion of water-oil dough and flatten it slightly. Place one portion of shortening dough in the center. Gather the edges of the water-oil dough toward the middle and pinch tightly to seal. Roll gently into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and keep covered.
Laminate the Dough
- Take one wrapped dough ball and roll it into a long, tongue-shaped oval, about 15 cm in length, with even thickness.
- Starting from one end, roll it up tightly into a cylinder.
- Place it seam-side down, cover, and repeat with the remaining dough. Let all the rolled dough rest for 10 minutes.
- After resting, take one cylinder and roll it out again into a tongue shape.
- Roll it up tightly once more from one end. This second roll is essential for creating flaky layers.
- Press gently in the center with your finger, bring both ends toward the middle, then roll it out into a round wrapper about 8 cm in diameter. Keep the center slightly thicker and the edges thinner to prevent the filling from leaking.
Fill and Shape
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) with top and bottom heat for 10 minutes.
- Place about 40 g of red bean paste in the center of each wrapper.
- Gather the edges toward the center, pinch tightly to seal, and gently roll into an oval Wife Cake shape.
- Arrange all the shaped cakes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Brush the tops lightly with egg yolk wash, score three diagonal slashes on each with a small knife, and sprinkle with white sesame seeds.
Bake
- Place the tray on the middle rack of the oven and bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Watch closely as they bake — once the tops turn golden and the edges slightly lift, they're ready. If they brown too quickly, loosely cover with foil during the last 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving. The crust becomes even crispier as it cools.
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