Celebrate Chinese New Year with a Prosperity Cake

MANILA, Philippines — If the Italians have their Panettone and the Germans have their Stollen, the Chinese have their Prosperity Cake named Huat Ke (or Huat Kueh) to celebrate their holidays with. 

And now that Chinese New Year is just a day away, Chinese-owned bakeries and deli shops are now offering Huat Ke in big and small variants. They are everywhere in Chinatown, so much so that you can buy them off the streets as well during this time of utmost festivities.

Huat Ke, which literally translates to “grow cake” and therefore means “prosperity or fortune cake,” is a steamed cake that banks on its own sweetish flavor and is sans all the nitty-gritties like glazed fruits, nuts and dried fruits often associated with European and Western holiday bakes. Basically made of flour (usually rice flour) with a leavening agent such as yeast, plus sugar, it is wrapped in a red paper base (red, too, symbolizes prosperity or fortune) and is steamed until the top beautifully splits open to resemble a blooming flower.

Known as Fa Gao in Mandarin Chinese, this Chinese Prosperity Cake is traditionally eaten not just during Chinese New Year but also during other auspicious occasions such as weddings. It traditionally comes in a big, for-sharing size, which families and friends can share by slicing or simply pulling off portions from it. These days, it is also baked in cupcake size for individual servings but is also steamed the same way—only for a shorter steaming time because of its size.

Huat Ke usually comes in a natural yellowish white color, although the addition of palm sugar can give it a nice brownish shade. Some bakers also like to give it a blush pink hint, and more experimental ones do not hesitate to dye it with bright colors for the Chinese New Year.

If you have not tried it yet, now should be the best time to do so.