Guilin Moon Cake (Yueliang Baba)

Guilin Moon Cake (Yueliang Baba) is a "street sweet cake" in Guilin people's memories, named for its full-moon shape, one of the most common snacks in old Guilin streets. Made by mixing glutinous rice flour and sticky rice flour into batter, adding white or brown sugar for sweetness, pouring into a round iron spoon to spread into thin cakes, with optional fillings like crushed peanuts, sesame, or red bean paste. It's baked on a charcoal-heated iron plate until golden and slightly charred on both sides. The crust is slightly crispy, the inside soft and chewy, sweet but not cloying, with peanut or sesame aroma escaping — it even stretches slightly when eaten hot. In the past, vendors pushed ovens through Guilin alleys, shouting "Moon Baba — sweet and glutinous!" Now, it's still popular at breakfast stalls. Foreign visitors are touched by its simple, rustic sweetness, especially the warm, charcoal-kissed taste when fresh, feeling the street warmth of old Guilin.