Takao Cake of the Kaohsiung Cake Shop / 打狗餅鋪─打狗餅；Sixty Years of Deliciousness Jin Hua Flakey Pastry Shop / 一甲子的好味道─金華酥餅
Takao Cake of the Kaohsiung Cake Shop
◎English written by Chen Kuan-chun
◎Photos by Pao Chung-hui
Huang Zihsyue was a single mom who knew nothing about making pastry. One day, her deceased son came to her dream and asked her to make "Takao Cake" for other kids from single parent families. Though confused as she was, she committed herself to learning pastry making ever since. She not only learned from 70-year-old Master Chen, but also went to Japan to acquire advanced skills. In 2004, she finally created the hand-made Takao Cake, which now has a great reputation and a daily selling record of 4000 pieces.
Considering both tradition and innovation, Ms. Huang's secret weapon is to use a slightly thinner, yet delicate and creamy crust for the cake, in stead of the traditional thick pastry skin. The cake's chewy sweet fillings are made of local fruits, such as Dashu's pineapples and longans or Pingtung's coconuts. The most surprising quality of the cake is that you can even taste the chucks of fruit in the filling.
Ms. Huang hires teenagers from single parent families or drop-outs to help at the Kaohsiung Cake Shop. She also teaches them everything she knows about pastry. Many of them left the store after learning the skill. Ms. Huang admitted that the high turnover of employee did pose a challenge to the employee management, but she believes she is helping people in need to learn a professional skill.
The little Takao Cake has given a mother the sense of closure and opens another door for these drop-outs and teenagers from single parent families.
打狗餅鋪─打狗餅
◎文／侯雅婷
◎攝影／鮑忠暉
從壓根不懂製餅的單親媽媽，到意外去世的獨子在夢中要她去學做「打狗餅」給單親的小孩吃，儘管有著許多問號，「打狗餅鋪」老闆黃姿學卻就此義無反顧地投入做餅。黃老闆從拜70幾歲的製餅老師傅陳仲全為師，中間還曾一度赴日本學藝，終於在2004年推出純手工製作的「打狗餅」，建立好口碑，最高紀錄一天可賣出3~4千顆打狗餅。
黃老闆希望打狗餅能兼顧傳統與新意，因此她以較薄、口感細緻而綿密的餅皮，取代傳統大餅的厚餅皮，黃老闆笑說：「這是秘密配方」。而打狗餅內餡QQ 的，其中水果口味精選本地農產品，比如運用大樹的鳳梨和龍眼或是屏東的椰子，還嚐得到水果果肉，是相當令人驚喜的上乘之作。
打狗餅鋪的員工都是單親家庭或中輟生，黃老闆不藏私地傳授製餅的功夫。黃老闆說，學徒學會之後總會另謀高就，她坦言，人員流動率高，也確實增加管理的困擾，但她認為這樣反而讓更多需要幫助的人有機會能學習到一技之長。
圓圓的一顆打狗餅，圓滿了一位母親的心願，更開拓了單親家庭和中輟生的一片天。
Sixty Years of Deliciousness
Jin Hua Flakey Pastry Shop
◎English written by Peng Hsin-yi
◎Photos by Pao Chung-hui
There is something magical about cupping your hands around a piping hot pastry, freshly baked at Jin Hua Flakey Pastry Shop. Jin Hua features two kinds of pastries, a savory pastry baked with minced pork filling, full off rich meaty juices infused with fragrant scallions and a sweet pastry generously sprinkled with cane sugar, creating layers of warm, delicate sweetness. Savory or sweet, these flakey pastries are undeniably delicious.
Jin Hua has been operating in Zuoying for more than sixty years. Current owner, Mr. Chen Siaochun inherited the shop from his father and runs the business with his wife. They begin their workday at 5 a.m., with the first batch of pastries emerging from the barrel-shaped charcoal oven at 8 a.m. Using only the best ingredients from the local market, all pastries are made from scratch. The shop produces five batches a day, each containing 90 pastries. Due to a lengthy preparation, the first batch takes the longest, with the following batches taking only two hours each. He mixes the dough, puts the fillings in and places it in the barrel-shaped oven. Instinctively Mr. Chen knows when the pastries are ready to be removed. This has taken over a decade to master, with Mr. Chen demonstrating his years of hard work by removing his oven mitts and revealing scared fingers.
The savory pastry is enjoyed best when it's hot and doesn't taste the same after being reheated. However, the sweet ones can be enjoyed both hot and cold, with slightly different texture. Remember no preservatives are used, so pastries must be kept in the freezer if not consumed immediately. Jin Hua also does not accept telephone orders, so advance orders must be made in person. Most pastries however, are usually claimed while they are still in the oven.
一甲子的好味道─金華酥餅
◎文／侯雅婷
◎攝影／鮑忠暉
手裏捧著剛出爐的「金華酥餅」，熱氣混著餅香從紙袋飄出，有種紮實的幸福感。左營這間飄香超過一甲子的知名老店，老闆陳小通傳承父親的家鄉口味至今，儘管店裏不提供電話預約，只開放現場預購，但往往未到出爐時間，就被預訂一空。
木炭烘烤的「金華酥餅」有鹹、甜兩種口味，酥脆的餅皮，一口咬下，香氣滿溢，鹹酥餅內餡豬肉和蔥完美的結合，而甜酥餅以白砂糖調製而成，甜而不膩、層次豐富的口感，令人吮指回味。
為了在早上八點烤出第一爐餅（一爐有90個餅），老闆夫妻倆早上五點就開始工作，一天能烤五爐的餅。老闆說第一爐準備時間較久，之後每爐包括製餅，約需二小時。這過程從製餅、把餅貼附於烤爐上的功夫、乃至觀察餅的火候，每一道程序全憑老闆的經驗拿捏。當被問到工作是否辛苦，老闆脫下手套，從手指關節明顯變形，有了答案。
老闆娘說，鹹的餅要趁熱吃才好吃，再加熱味道就不一樣了；而甜的餅，無論是熱的、冷的都很好吃，且因為不添加防腐劑，吃不完的餅一定要冷凍。