The origin of trough cake

Trough cake, a popular traditional cake in northern China, is called "trough cake" because it is shaped and baked with trough mold. The production history of trough cakes is very long, even dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is said that both Emperor Qianlong and Empress Dowager Cixi love to eat cake, especially at breakfast. According to the documents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Qing Dynasty, the cakes carefully made in the pastry room (later merged into the imperial dining room) in the palace at that time were not only for the palace to eat, but also as special offerings for ancestor worship.