1. Origin

In a certain year, the troops of Li Xiucheng, the loyal king of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, marched toward Changshu in mighty force, opening warehouses to release grain and relieve the poor along the way. But there was an old man named Wang who was selling snacks. He was running a small business. Due to government raids and extortion by local gangsters, his business could no longer continue. Fortunately, the Taiping Army came and distributed the grain. He was able to save what he had worked so hard to do and start making pastries again. . While he was working, he raised his voice and sang a song praising the Taiping Army: "The Taiping Army is really good, and it only supports the poor. When the Taiping Army arrives, the poor take ingots." As Mr. Wang sang, since the Taiping Army came, After arriving in Changshu City, the weather was smooth, the grain was plentiful, the people lived and worked in peace and contentment, there were no more corrupt officials plundering people's wealth, and the gangsters no longer dared to act tyrannically.

In the blink of an eye, the year Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty came to the throne, the Qing army dispatched from the Jiangnan camp to massively attack the Taiping Army stationed in Changshu. In order to defend against the attack of the Qing army, the Taiping Army built military facilities in the East Ridge of Yushan Mountain. It is said that according to the Eight Diagrams of Zhuge Liang's Stone Array, they were all built with yellow stones, and the project was huge. To this day, there are ruins left on Changshu Mountain, called the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Stone Camp. At that time, the common people were eating pots of pulp to reward the Taiping Army. When Old Man Wang learned about this news, he thought to himself: The Taiping Army has been so kind to me, but now that the Qing demon has invaded and a bloody battle is ahead, what should I do to express my feelings? After discussing with his family, he decided to make cakes overnight and pick them up to express condolences the next day.

The whole family was busy. Even his youngest son, who was a few years old, was helping by the side. He pinched the cake randomly and said, "Dad, give this to Uncle Taiping Army." When Uncle Wang saw it, he saw The cake made by my son was big at both ends and small in the middle, like a gold ingot. He suddenly remembered the words sung in the folk song and said: "Okay, when the Taiping Army arrives, the poor will take gold ingots. I think I will change the way today and make this gold ingot cake." Let's go!" So the whole family worked all night and made thousands of Yuanbao cakes. At dawn, Mr. Wang picked up his burden and ran to Shiying. When I arrived at the construction site, I rested my load and saw how grand the stone camp was. The natural barrier built by the yellow stone took advantage of the winding mountains to seal the military camp tightly. One man was in charge and no one could open it. Thousands of soldiers have been fighting at night for many days. The internal work has been completed and they are busy on the outside. Uncle Wang's Yuanbao cakes were delivered to the sergeant in pairs. Everyone was eating this strange-shaped cake. It was fragrant, sweet and really delicious. When they were about to ask what kind of cake it was, Mr. Wang disappeared.

It turned out that out of curiosity, Mr. Wang ran into the stone camp to see what was going on. Little did he know that this was a military secret. What’s more, there were many twists and turns inside, like a trance formation. Outsiders could get in and get out. Not coming. Uncle Wang wandered around inside for a while, unable to get out, and was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He was so anxious that he opened his voice and sang again: "The Taiping Army is really good. They only come to support the poor. When the Taiping Army arrives, the poor will take ingots." This song floated out of the stone camp and was finally heard by the sergeant, who hurried in to lead him out. . It was a matter of great importance. Some civilians broke into the stone camp. The sergeant reported it to the general, who then reported it to Prince Zhong's Mansion in Suzhou. The loyal king Li Xiucheng understood everything clearly and believed that Mr. Wang only wanted to support the army and just broke into the stone camp by mistake, so there was no need to hold him accountable. The Taiping Army stationed in Changshu held a banquet to entertain Old Man Wang. During the dinner, everyone said that Old Man Wang sang well and even invited him to perform at the Taiping Army Theater! The former site of the Taiping Army Theater Building is in the Linggong Hall at the bottom of Zijin Street in Changshu City, east of Yanyuan in Xinfeng Lane. In the 10th year of Xianfeng Dynasty (1860), the Taiping Army occupied Changshu and renovated the building in Linggong Hall. They performed dramas here to encourage officers and soldiers. Mr. Wang was the only person from Changshu who went to the theater to perform.

So, why is this Yuanbao cake called Dingsheng cake again? There is another story. Later, the Qing soldiers attacked Changshu vigorously, and the Taiping army retreated to Shiying. The Qing soldiers could not attack for a long time, so they wanted to find someone who knew the terrain of Shiying. A ruffian betrayed Mr. Wang, saying that he was the only one who had entered Shiying and would know. Inside story. The Qing soldiers arrested Mr. Wang and asked him to tell the true situation in Shiying. Mr. Wang didn't say a word. The soldiers of the Qing Dynasty hung him up, roasted and beat him until he was dead, but Mr. Wang just gritted his teeth and said nothing. Finally, before the decisive battle with the Taiping Army, the Qing soldiers said to Mr. Wang: "As long as you say that the officers and soldiers will win and Changmao will lose, I will spare your life.

"(Langmao is a word used by the Qing court to slander the Taiping Army) Wang Laobo suddenly spoke and said loudly: "The Taiping Army will win, and the Qing Yao will lose! "The Qing soldiers became angry because of shame and killed Old Uncle Wang. In this decisive battle, the Taiping Army really won a great victory. The Qing soldiers were defeated and fled away. In order to commemorate Old Uncle Wang, everyone called this ingot-shaped cake Dingsheng cake.

2. Introduction

There is a popular pastry in Changshu that is shaped like an ingot, called Dingsheng cake. Folks still retain the habit of giving Dingsheng cake to relatives every time they move into a new house. It means auspiciousness and celebration. Speaking of its origin, it is also related to the Taiping Army.

3. Ingredients: japonica rice (600 grams) and glutinous rice flour (400 grams)?

Seasoning: red yeast (5g) white sugar (200g)

4. Production method

Put the japonica rice flour and glutinous rice flour into a container, add red Mix the koji powder, white sugar and a little water and let it rise for 1 hour?

Put the rice flour into the Dingsheng cake mold, press it firmly, smooth the surface with a knife, and put it on the basket over high heat. Steam for 20 minutes, until the cake is firm and mature, take it out and turn it over on the chopping board.