Brown sugar cake


Brown sugar cake is a traditional Taiwanese steamed sponge cake made primarily from brown sugar, water, low-gluten flour, and tapioca starch. It originates from Penghu, Taiwan, and is recognised as one of the nation's signature desserts and souvenir treats.

Overview

Soft, moist, and subtly sweet, Brown sugar cake is typically made using a mixture of brown sugar, flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, and white sesame seeds. It has a rich, caramel-like aroma and a Q texture due to the steaming process and the use of tapioca starch. Originally circular in shape, the modern iteration is usually square or rectangular and sold in neatly cut pieces, particularly for convenience in packaging and transport as a souvenir.
The cake was traditionally prepared during festive occasions, temple festivals, or for ancestral offerings. Over time, especially since the rise of domestic tourism in Taiwan, its popularity spread, and it is now commonly sold in bakeries and specialty stores across Taiwan.

Historical Origins

Brown Sugar Cake traces its origins to the Japanese colonial period. The dish is believed to have been developed from Fukure-Gashi, a traditional steamed brown sugar cake from Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The adapted version was introduced by Chen Ke-chang, a local baker from Magong City, who studied Japanese confectionery-making techniques.
During the colonial era, a Japanese-owned bakery called Suiyuedō in Magong employed both Japanese and local apprentices, including Chen. Chen learned traditional Japanese and Okinawan baking methods through collaboration with neighbouring bakers, including Ryukyuan artisans at a nearby bakery named Maruhachi. After the defeat of Japan in [World War II], Japanese residents left Taiwan, and Chen established his own bakery, Yuejintang, where he refined and localised the Okinawan-style brown sugar cake to better match Taiwanese tastes.

Variations

Originally steamed in round bowls using Japanese-style steamers, the cake was soft and moist, with a deep molasses flavour. In the 1990s, the cake's shape was adapted to rectangular blocks to better suit the growing souvenir trade, leading to its current form.
In recent years, Penghu’s brown sugar cake industry has embraced innovation while preserving traditional methods. One notable example is a well-known local baker who, despite suffering from severe vision loss, pioneered several new developments in black sugar cake production. Among these innovations is the use of microcrystalline freezing technology, which significantly extends the cake’s shelf life and flavor stability to up to six months when stored frozen. This advancement makes it easier to ship the cakes over long distances while retaining their signature taste and texture. Additionally, the same baker has experimented with fusion flavors, incorporating Western ingredients such as fruits, dark chocolate and cheese into the traditional brown sugar cake. These variations are designed to appeal to a broader audience, including younger consumers and tourists. When heated in a microwave, these new versions develop a softer and chewier texture, enhancing the overall sensory experience. These creative adaptations were strategically released in time for the Lunar New Year season, catering to the festive market demand.