【舌尖上的江苏(南京)】梅花糕

Meihua Gao

梅花糕

Meihua Gao (Plum Blossom Cake) is Nanjing's most photogenic street sweet: a flower-shaped mould of cast iron, filled with batter and fillings, then baked over charcoal until the edges caramelise into crispy petals and the centre blooms with red bean, osmanthus and a single candied jujube.
梅花糕是南京最上镜的街头甜品：铸铁梅花形模具，灌入面糊与馅料，炭火烤至边缘焦脆成瓣、中心绽放红豆、桂花与一颗蜜枣。

The batter is a blend of rice flour, wheat flour and yeast, left to ferment overnight so it puffs into airy honeycomb; when poured into the pre-heated mould, it sizzles and rises, forming five crisp "petals" around a molten core of sweet red bean paste.
面糊以米粉、面粉与酵母调和，隔夜发酵至蓬松蜂窝状；倒入预热模具，滋滋作响膨胀，在熔化的红豆沙芯周围形成五片酥脆"花瓣"。

Toppings are added in layers: first a spoonful of osmanthus sugar for fragrance, then a candied jujube pressed into the centre like a flower's heart, finally a sprinkle of sesame seeds and coloured sugar that melts into stained-glass patterns on the golden crust.
配料层层叠加：先舀桂花糖添香，再压一颗蜜枣作花心，最后撒芝麻与彩糖，在金黄酥皮上熔成彩玻璃纹。

Flipped onto a bamboo skewer, the cake is eaten while walking: first bite is the crackle of caramelised edge, then the soft steam of sweet bean, then the lingering perfume of osmanthus that clings to your fingers for hours — proof that in Nanjing even a simple snack can be folded into a flower.
以竹签挑起边走边吃：第一口焦糖边缘脆响，继而豆沙软热，最后桂香沾指久久不散——印证在南京，连简单零嘴也能折成一朵花。

Today, vendors still use the same cast-iron moulds passed down through generations, heating them over charcoal braziers on street corners; buy one at dusk and you hold a warm, edible plum blossom that tastes of 100 years of Nanjing winter evenings.
如今小贩仍用世代相传的铸铁模具，在街角炭炉上烘烤；黄昏买一只，手中便握着一朵温热可食的梅花，尝尽百年南京冬夜的滋味。

（备注：资料源自网络，仅供学习交流，侵权即删）