The Taiwan Cake Business Is on the Rise

/　photos Chung Yung-ho

May 1983

中文

1. Models of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs form a bakery window display.

In a modern society, cakes play an important role on social occasions. In the past 20 years, the making of sponge cakes has been revolutionized in Taiwan. In particular, the vegetable oil used in the past has been replaced by a cream made from milk and fat.

The first cream sponge cake was made by the Red Leaf Food Co., 15 years ago, and instantly brought fame and profit to the company. The concoction of milk and fat is not as greasy as natural cream, and appeals to the taste of Chinese consumers, many of whom are not accustomed to dairy products. This special preparation has become a standard ingredient in Taiwan's sponge cakes.

Hsu Chien-ping, President of the Red Leaf Co. said that all the company's sponge cakes are made of flour, sugar, eggs, fat and milk, but the finished products all taste different according to the processes and recipes.

Red Leaf sponge cakes are divided into three categories--batter type, foam type and chiffon type. The batter-type cake contains a high percentage of fat, the texture is fine, and it weighs more than other types. Fruit, devil, pound and cup cakes belong to this category.

The major ingredient of foam-type cakes is eggs, and because it contains no fat, it tastes a little dry.

A chiffon cake has the qualities of both the batter-type and foam-type cakes. The addition of cooking oil makes it spongy and moist, and it is the most popular variety in Taiwan today. The Red Leaf Co. claims its chiffon cake is softer and more spongy than the products of other bakeries, mainly because more egg white is used.

The Red Leaf Co. consumes thousands of eggs a day, and at one time used to throw away the yolks. The company considered making cookies from the yolks, but its cake business was so prosperous that it could not afford to extend its business lines.

When people complained about the wasteful practice, the company decided to supply the yolks to five orphanages in Taipei. In recent years, Taiwan's cake industry has expanded so rapidly that egg suppliers can sell the whites and yolks separately. Nevertheless, Red leaf continues to buy whole eggs and donate the yolks to orphanages. "We don't like to disappoint the children," explained Hsu, who himself is an orphan.

Hsu's parents died before he was four years old and his grandmother died when he was only 15. He was brought from Fukien Province by a comb-maker and since he had little interest in making combs, he began to serve as an assistant to a Western-style chef. Later, he was employed by an American family as chef, where he learned the trade of making cakes and cookies. This experience helped him launch his present career. He owns a bakery with a 48-member staff and five trucks, thus showing that in the free society in Taiwan everyone can achieve prosperity if he works hard.

Maria's Bakery Co., which has become almost as popular as the Red Leaf, has built up its reputation through the development of an "engagement gift box." It is a custom in Taiwan that when a girl is engaged, she has to distribute cakes to friends and relatives as "a message." Maria's Bakery took advantage of this custom to develop an attractive box containing an assortment of crackers. Because the package and crackers are of high quality, the present has been adopted by an increasing number of prospective new couples.

The company was established in Kowloon in 1966 by Maria Tseng, who learned her trade from her mother. In 1958, she opened a cuisine school, and because the cakes and crackers she made were so delicious, her students urged her to open a bakery.

A year after the bakery was established, Maria was invited to preside over a TV cuisine program. The reputation of her bakery spread over the air waves, and before long, the bakery's branches had increased to more than 60 in Kowloon and Hong Kong, and six more in Taiwan. The company's mango sponge cake is the most popular among Chinese customers.

Maria's Bakery pays high wages, and raises them twice a year. A worker with five years service is given five-month bonus every year, and after 10 years, receives a gold plate. All the key officials, including the president, came up from among the ranks of the bakers. Senior bakers are often sent abroad to learn new skills.

Both the Red Leaf and Maria's Bakery are known for the quality of their products. Another cake-maker, Tang Chi, is more noted for her decorative art. She has even adapted facial paintings from Peking opera, ancient costume patterns, and Mahjong pieces as themes for cake decorations. She is the first person in Taiwan to turn cake-making into an art.

Tang Chi was once a famous TV comedienne, who quit show business 10 years ago to go and live in the United States. She was fascinated by the gorgeously-decorated cakes she saw, and decided to learn the art herself, a decision that triggered a confectionery revolution in Taiwan.

In 1979, Tang Chi's father became ill and she returned to Taiwan to take care of him. After a four-month stay, she decided to settle down, but didn't know how to support herself. She could not return to show business after so many years. After witnessing her decorative skills, several of her friends encouraged her to set up a cake shop.

She often tells her customers, "Making a decorative cake is like creating a work of art. When a customer places an order, we first try to find out why, and then who, their age, what position, and personality. We then proceed to start designing."

Tang Chi has never overlooked the "inner quality" of her beautifully-decorated cakes. She noted, "In my opinion, a fine cake is like a true beauty--pretty outside, but with supreme inner qualities. Therefore, I emphasize the raw materials. All ornamental materials, including candles, silk ribbons, sugar, chocolate and nuts, must meet the strictest food control standards."

Ms. Helen Liu, a former Miss China and now one of the partners in Tang Chi's business, disclosed, "At first, Tang Chi's insistence on perfection in raw materials caused quarrels among her partners. She is an expert at making cakes, but terrible at doing business. She is too idealistic and hasn't the slightest idea of cost. When the shop was opened, she spent a whole afternoon decorating one cake."

[Picture Caption]

1. Models of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs form a bakery window display. 2. Sponge cake made in the shape of a Teddy Bear. 3. Cartoon decorations on cakes are popular with children. 4. Wedding cakes with humorous designs. 5. Cake decorated with imitation mahjong pieces. 6. Cake to celebrate the year of the pig. 7. Ornate facade for a bakery."

1. A mixture of strawberries, flour, eggs and sugar is prepared to make a strawberry cake. 2. Eggs are an indispensable ingredient in making sponge cakes. 3. Strawberries are also used to decorate sponge cakes. 4. A birthday cake. 5. Candles add brilliance to a festival cake. 6. Red Leaf Co. president donates an ambulance to the Taitung Provincial Hospital.

1. As standards of living rise, people in Taiwan celebrate even their children's birthdays with a cake. 2-5. Chocolate cake is garnished in the following steps: Butter and black cherries are spread in the middle layer; wine is sprayed on the cake to enhance its flavor; and the topping is made with strawberries and cream. 6-8. Cakes made by Maria's Bakery are of the best quality but are also highest in price.

1. Tang Chi brought the art of cake making to the Republic of China. 2-6. Cakes made by Hua Chi: 2. Cake for Mother's Day. 4. Christmas cake. 5. Wedding cake. 6. "Puppy" cake.

The designs of Hua Chi cakes reflect the bakers' skill and ingenuity.

2. Sponge cake made in the shape of a Teddy Bear.

3. Cartoon decorations on cakes are popular with children.

4. Wedding cakes with humorous designs.

5. Cake decorated with imitation mahjong pieces.

6. Cake to celebrate the year of the pig.

7. Ornate facade for a bakery.

1. A mixture of strawberries, flour, eggs and sugar is prepared to make a strawberry cake.

2. Eggs are an indispensable ingredient in making sponge cakes.

4. A birthday cake.

3. Strawberries are also used to decorate sponge cakes.

5. Candles add brilliance to a festival cake.

6. Red Leaf Co. president donates an ambulance to the Taitung Provincial Hospital.

1. As standards of living rise, people in Taiwan celebrate even their children's birthdays with a cake.

2-5. Chocolate cake is garnished in the following steps: Butter and black cherries are spread in the middle layer; wine is sprayed on the cake to enhance its flavor; and the topping is made with strawberries and cream.