Sun cakes

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Spread 75 g cake flour for the filling on a parchment-lined tray and toast it in a 150°C oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Toasted flour loses its raw taste and makes the filling smooth and chewy instead of pasty. The flour is ready when it's dry and loose, ivory in color and smells faintly like cookies.

   Bake at 150°C for about 10 to 12 minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Warm 75 g maltose in the microwave for about twenty seconds to soften it, mix it with 75 g powdered sugar, 15 g softened unsalted butter and 15 g water, then add the cooled toasted flour and knead until even. Warm maltose blends with the sugar and flour much more easily than when it's cold and stiff. The filling is ready when it forms a smooth, pliable mass that stretches without tearing and is slightly sticky.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Divide the filling into ten pieces, roll them into balls and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Chilled maltose filling firms up, so it's easier to wrap and doesn't run while you work. The filling is ready when the balls hold their round shape and give only slightly when pressed.

   Suggested time: about 20 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Knead 150 g all-purpose flour, 15 g powdered sugar, 50 g lard and 65 g water into a smooth dough, then wrap it in plastic and let it relax for about 20 minutes. The rest calms the gluten so the dough rolls thin without shrinking back. The water dough is ready when it's soft and smooth and stretches thin without tearing.

   Suggested time: about 20 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Rub 110 g cake flour together with 55 g lard into a mass as soft as butter, divide it into ten portions and divide the water dough into ten portions as well. Dividing both doughs into the same number of pieces gives every cake the same balance of crust layers. You're done when you have two sets of ten evenly sized balls.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Wrap each ball of oil dough in a ball of water dough, roll it into a long strip, roll it up, turn it lengthwise, then roll it out and roll it up once more, cover with plastic wrap and wait about 15 minutes. The second roll doubles the number of layers, creating the signature paper-thin crust. The dough is ready when the rolls have softened again and don't spring back when flattened.

   Suggested time: about 15 minutes.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Flatten each roll of dough, roll it into a round, set a ball of filling in the center, seal it completely, then turn it seam side down and roll it very gently into a round cake about ten centimeters across, and prick a few holes in the top with a toothpick. The holes let steam escape so the tops stay flat instead of blistering. The cakes are ready when they're evenly thin and nicely round, with the filling spread almost to the edges.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Arrange the cakes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 180°C for about 25 to 30 minutes, flipping them once after fifteen minutes so both sides bake flat and even. Sun cakes bake at a moderate heat so the crust stays ivory instead of turning deep golden. They're done when the edges show distinct layers, the tops are dry and the bottoms are only lightly golden.

   Bake at 180°C for about 25 to 30 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Let the cakes cool completely on a rack for about thirty minutes before eating or packing them away. The maltose filling needs to cool to set into its chewy texture; eaten right away, it will run and be very hot. They're ready when they feel light in your hand, the crust is crisp and the tops are no longer warm.

   Mark step 9 as done