Cake Biscuit - Wood Log Biscuits, not Mooncakes - Alisan, Taiwan



No, these are not mooncakes

These are Wood Log Biscuits/Cakes - enjoyed with tea, up in the mountains of Alisan.

What a variety of colors, textures and tastes

Literally, 柴頭餅 (pronounced Cai Tou Bing) means Wood Log Biscuits/Cakes, due to the brown, wood-like unappealing appearance. The texture is fulfilling - from the external dense pastry (almost like chewy-type granola bars) to the inside of soft chewy mochi.

Traditionally, the first layer of flour pastry is baked (and browned) in the mild fire and heat of burning wood logs and skins of sugarcane.

The second inner "paste" layer can be made of each variety - kumquat, red bean, mountain yam

Here, the inside and center of the cake biscuit (third layer) is tea-flavored mochi.

Also read Alisan famous "railway" bento lunch here.

Tag: , ,

31 comments:

  1. I love the coffee press made into a "tea press." That is how we drink tea everyday in the house. And I thought I was the only "wierd" one doing it... :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. for sure it does not look like a mooncake. is that a soft variety?

    would love to taste those cakes. looks yummy.

    drop by my beach entry. :)

    happy week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The way you explained the layers... mmm... mouth watering! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. reminds me as a cross between lao po bing and mooncakes :D I love all these Chinese tea places in Taiwan~~

    ReplyDelete
  5. this looks similar to the mooncake in Indonesia, though it's flatter and paler. some of the fillings are chocolate, cheese, durian :)

    i miss alisan, i've been there when i was in grade school! long to be back, tigerfish :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. many layers but seems yummy.

    i hope you can visit my ws entry here. thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh gee..i think i've tasted that before long time ago..would be nice to have it again.

    ReplyDelete
  8. the biscuits looks so yummy. I luv sweet things...
    Aiyo... Penang got this biscuit or not?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Looks a lot like "wife biscuits" to me :P
    Green tea flavour?

    Want learn swimming arh? Teaching at clubs,condos,school.

    ReplyDelete
  10. eat cha tou!? hehe.... The skin looks hard. I don't like this type of biscuits sold in Singapore. Traditional but not tasty.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That looks really interesting. Certainly I will enjoy the different texture featured in this cake. Someone send me some frm Taiwan? sob sob

    ReplyDelete
  12. Looks delish! :) I wouldn't mind a green tea flavor!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yummy!! I'd love to try them one day :D

    ReplyDelete
  14. i can almost feel it in my mouth. u explained in detail.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love how everything is in layers --- beautiful and intricate. I bet they taste good too! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. oooh! yummy-looking mooncakes! miss this!

    ReplyDelete
  17. hmmm yummy, love to try it :)

    My WS Entry is HERE

    ReplyDelete
  18. All of that looks good to me!

    ReplyDelete
  19. So many layers. And the colors are awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  20. i have never seen a wood log biscuit cake before..looks delicious! so perfect for tea breaks!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I have no idea what it is but it does look very yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  22. So interesting! With mochi filling! Would love to taste it!

    ReplyDelete
  23. you really did a good job explaining the cake. I've gone on a trip to the east part of TW and I don't think I can do any better job presenting Taiwan than u did.
    what a shame..given that I am a Taiwanese!

    ReplyDelete
  24. wow! i've never seen anything like this before. looks so delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  25. wow! I love this kind of denser pastry too, love the way you explained it..seriously had me drooling my fav would be red bean!

    ReplyDelete
  26. looks quite interesting.

    i dun mind giving it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Those look so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  28. I ate these before..!! woohoo..!!! i didn't quite liked it then.. so dry eh.

    ReplyDelete
  29. those look so great! i don't recall ever tasting those. but mooncake, i really love. :D

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hello,
    Nice article for anyone who need plan for wedding. I like it very much. Thank you for writing such type article. I will arrange a wedding ceremony very soon and this site helped me.

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete