Hong Kong's Best Wife Cakes Haven't Changed for 30 Years

With their flaky crust and sweet chewy filling, wife cakes are a popular pastry in southern China. And this bakery in Hong Kong has been making them fresh, by hand, every day for over 30 years.
William Cheung, who appeared in the Netflix series "Restaurants on the Edge," shows us how his family's bakery, Kee Tsui Cake Shop, makes their famous wife cakes and why they've stuck to the traditional way of doing things.
0:00 What are wife cakes?
0:30 Meet the chef
1:05 Why's it called a wife cake?
1:35 How they're made
3:28 The best ones are made by hand
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Producer: Gavin Huang
Videographers: Hanley Chu and Nicholas Ko
Editor: Hanley Chu
Mastering: Joel Roche
Music: Audio Network

[@cgf1973]

"... that just sounds wrong in English..." The guy is the best!!!

[@Scarsofevil]

"no wives were harmed in the production of wife cakes"

[@mailamakua602]

Best line 🙌🏻🤣

[@youngmasterzhi]

NO IT’S NOT!!!

[@rebeckyc1401]

Love his gentle humour. These have to be the BEST and I can imagine winter melon filling-not mushy

[@sgiang]

I think a better translation would be handmade touch

[@Kwijiboi]

This guy is hilarious. I love the jokes he worked into the interview 🤣. Man I miss Hong Kong.

[@sallykeng248]

I saw him in one of the episodes in Netflix~ that one super hilarious too! And now saw this video and I’m moved to HK now~ really have to go visit his shop one day haha

[@babyyT]

“ I don’t see it...... That’s why my pastry falls apart.” LMFAOOOO!!

[@ketmateo]

This guy as an absolute natural. Someone needs to get him his own channel!

[@davidho9238]

Not to mention he studied overseas and earned college degree. He went home to cont. family business. He is so easy going and focus on carry on the family business.人情味＝human kindness?

[@ShinAlive]

The Dutch use the word 'Ambachtelijk' quite a lot which literally translates to "Artisanal". I guess that's not really a marketing term in English. I would say the most understood translation, especially on food, would probably be "Made by hand", so people know it's not a concoction of machinery pumping out millions.

[@yakitatefreak]

"Rustic, Artisanal, and Handmade" are probably the rough equivalents in English to "人情味" for marketing purposes. If I were to describe the food item, there's no precise machinery churning/mass producing these pastries. There's a soul/human to each of the items that are made.

[@janem3575]

I think it is more passion. Always makes food taste better

[@TheLuja11]

Such a nice guy, great interview!! I wish one day I get to go there and try a wife cake, it looked so good 😍

[@coquitlamfalcons3976]

You must try it- such a great pastry, even though I haven't been to that particular bakery! And no, haven't found one as good outside HK.

[@yujaii]

​@@coquitlamfalcons3976 There is a very good one in Vancouver ;) The owner is one of the most popular wife's cake bakery in hk

[@Shinjiwwl]

@@yujaii Just wanred to reply that Vancouver had nice wife cakes XD

[@rf8343]

@@coquitlamfalcons3976 that shop is in Fa Yuen Street ( garden street ) nest to east mong kok station !! He is right, as we go there , we just look for the traditional cakes , not the moncha ...... , so they just focus on their strength is fine !! But I don't know why he didn't mention " siu pand " ( fried sticky rice cake ) , people always line up for " siu pand" , and " kai jai pand " ( kai ( chicken ) Jai (son) pand ( cake ) , all together means chicks cake !! HAHA ! ) , very traditional cake but a bit oily , very popular since 30's I think !! I hope u could try if you go there or try other shop if they have it !! Taiwan got a lot of traditional cake shop , much more than HK , especially the traditional cake shop !! U could find anywhere in Taiwan and very popular, maybe , taiwanese like the traditional cakes better than HKers !! That's true !! Try if u would visit Taiwan !!

[@annielin9053]

this guy is amazing lolol

[@XimenaZhaoArchive]

I love his humility and his dry, sarcastic sense of humour! What a cutie pie.

[@liannevictoria]

I grew up on these, from this shop in MK! my mum still gets them when I visit - so nice with they are warm. nomnom

[@ntsiko4537]

No wifes were harmed...

[@bribotran6121]

This is china theres no guarantee

[@Ebbsy08]

@@bribotran6121 nah this is Hong Kong, way different than China

[@omgnetwork5231]

this guy deserves his own show! haha he'd be a great host!

[@angm7660]

No pumpkin spice! Haha that cracked me up. He has cute sense of humour.

[@ZoeIp17]

My auntie literally lives next to this street where the store is located and every time my family go to Hong Kong and we stay with her or visit her we always go to this place and get the pastries there. Always my favourite place to go.

[@christinaky2564]

I came for the wife cake recipe and was charmed by the golden errand boy 😊 effortlessly funny

[@weirdcoincidence]

Ahhh glad to see another video of him after seeing him on Restaurants on the Edge! He is a real funny guy!

[@thihal123]

Love the errand boy :)

[@pontian16]

How to better describe this guy, charisma? Respect for his knowledge 👍

[@user-oz4ts5mv5h]

"No wives are harmed during the production of wife cakes" haha

[@rebeckyc1401]

These look the best...want NOW! Seriously I love his character, how “Errand Boy” explains the craft.

[@lekwanduh]

This guy is hilarious. Saw him on an episode of Restaurants on the Edge. Comedic timing always on point.

[@tammydeplata2526]

This guy should audition for the big screen - he's hilarious.

[@celineshady4998]

14 people disliked because their wife left them oof xD

[@wisecanadianwoman]

Loved this piece. I really like your channel it is so informative, fun and very well done!

[@Onisasu]

One of my absolute favourite pastries🤩🤩🤩 I love seeing how much work and dedication is put into making these!!

[@normanryan9145]

This cute and witty "errand boy" is a mood~

[@maryngshwuling9916]

Thanks for sharing 🌻

[@fatdoi003]

wife cake, my favourite chinese pastry.... still can remember its texture, sweetness from my early childhood... 2nd is chicken biscuits, the crunchy and savoury taste from the nam yue.... so nice

[@kevinkuok9131]

Hmmm, I love Chicken Thins. Don't see them in Chinese Bakeries in London.

[@cindyling5790]

Everything he mentions above is my favorite. I can't wait to get some when I visit Chicago when this craziness over.

[@jellyluver22]

looks so good!

[@reneet0163]

This guy deserves his own show. He is hilarious 😂

[@infiresman5876]

this looks so good i want to try it! also the guys seems super funny lol

[@nategjesdal4405]

so excited to visit Hong Kong again next year!

[@platystrophia]

Dude needs a promotion to platinum, he’s awesome!

[@annhans3535]

That guy is funny. "No wife was harm in the making of wife cakes", that is always good to know. i wouldn't want to eat anyone's wife.🤣

[@joiemilaor3784]

Thank you for making content that is relevant, authentic, and relatable. I know that because of cultural differences it's hard for China to break into the mainstream unless it's about politics or tech. I'm not Chinese but I think you guys did a good job in highlighting these little nuggets of joy that are usually overlooked lol. Keep doing you.

[@angcharmine7871]

Ah my favourite! It's so good!

[@patriciawong1924]

The manager a.k.a. Errand boy is very entertaining. I love traditional cakes. Hope after the world rids Covid, I would love to travel to HK and visit all the lovely food shops I found on this channel and have a great feast tour in HK. Cheers!

[@renee8302]

omg everytime my mum and i go to mongkok we always make sure that we get something from this bakery, it's so good!!

[@azerul1055]

Very well spoken and articulated guy! Kudos man!!🙏🙏

[@fanofpencils-cleo774]

I watched the whole video just to admire the humble yet hilarious "errand boy", haha, smart and funny man!

[@jeaniellw]

aww I want to visit the shop, I miss much of the traditional chinese pastry!

[@missgidimay4397]

#nowivesrhardduringtheproductionofwifecakes!🤣🤣🤣🤣 Such a lovely video to watch

[@cookbook800]

wow...... very cool, looks yummy!

[@lovelydeath04]

Ooohhh!!! All their baked goods sounds so yummy!!! I wanna see their walnut cookies next!!!

[@TheEberdz]

This guy is HILARIOUS if he had a channel I'd watch it

[@Xanctus]

this must taste amazing!

[@Reeferology]

A nice glimpse into Chinese culture and cuisine :)

[@niabiii]

This is a little random and completely unrelated but the background music is very nice! I feel like a lot of the time I find myself getting annoyed by or clicking off of a video that has really loud and brash and upbeat music but multiple times throughout this video I would catch myself vibing to the music without realizing, it's not too distracting but I feel like once you notice it you get even more relaxed unlike most videos.. thank you for the great video !!

[@katiekkwk]

this shop is so well known in the area!!! i will always get at least a few when i'm nearby :)

[@VIsTheMusic]

I just LOVE this thank you everyone and I'm so happy you do not use butter and other dairy ingredients !!! Bravo bravo !!! His sentiments towards the end: "gives a sense of yun ching mei" in English would be more along the lines of hearty or sentimental feeling when it comes to food and the feels it makes us experience a nostalgia something so sentimental and whole hearted perhaps yeah ??? LOVE from Vancouver BC Canada xx

[@stingraytingvideo]

They don't use butter but they use lard (which is animal fat)...one of the secrets to making the pastry super flaky

[@seinooo]

dang, the angle whenthe baker puts the tray in the oven and turns it around is so cool

[@Emily-9005]

I haven’t eaten a 老婆饼 in so long but I feel like my tastebuds still remembers how it tastes like. I don’t remember the last time I ate one from a Chinese bakery but my mom tried to make some I think during 2020 she really experimented with making Chinese baked goods. All from the internet btw😂

[@paulinewqi]

This Manager/Errand boy has command of language in describing his wife's cakes, very precise, yet methodical recipe...I will definitely enjoy eating every wife cake now, even if it's not from his shop...😋 Tqtq for sharing....💖💝💐

[@Mystiqa]

Best video and comments threads I've seen in a looooong time 🤣🤣

[@ameliabee2003]

Wow I'd love to go there and learn this first hand 😍 what a dream come true

[@jamiehaenisch8190]

This shop is right below my grandparents apartment - whenever I go back to HK each year, I always buy a preserved egg pastry (pei dan sou). So good .. AND I'VE SEEN WILLIAM THERE, I'VE BOUGHT PEI DAN SOU FROM HIM A WHILE BACK

[@makeupbycarlcapellan]

Reminds me of Hopia herein the Philippines. Same exaxt bread with wintermelon custard filling..

[@kimmulakshmi]

I have tried this in my hometown, it's so yummy!!!

[@janem3575]

Oh my. Mr Golden Errand Boy. You are well versed in comedy. Love your sense of humor

[@troutstalker4744]

Omg, ..one of my all time favorite . Gatta get some now

[@notimportant3932]

im gonna stick to the other origin stories like when the man's wife sells herself to buy medicine and he invents these pastries to make enough money to buy her back cause that one sounded funky

[@opalfruitcake]

They look delicious!

[@KeungTo4ever]

One of my favorite bakery in Hong Kong, traditional Chinese pastry

[@alexthai2456]

my favorite is wife cake............love it very very much

[@s.n.t.richer1973]

I love it.👍😍

[@invisi-bullexploration2374]

I just spied some of these at an international market. I figure I will do a review of them and of course they probably won't even compare to the fresh ones. But they look fiiine. Think I will enjoy this one.

[@media-fiend]

This video is amazing. What type of camera/lens/stabilization is being used inside the bakery to get these shots?

[@yung-mingman2918]

Love them.

[@kAdRaKeS]

Love it

[@weRarmy_weRBL]

This guy is great...I really wish I can go there , say hi, and try one!...one day...

[@whytho2841]

High-key the guy's voice is really cute

[@jinngeechia9715]

Hi Goldenthread. It will help if you put in the Google Map link to the shop. Some foodcentric videos do that. Helps us get over there in a jiffy!

[@ianlaw4333]

its called 奇趣餅家 its in 35 Fa Yuen St, Mong Kok, Hong Kong. hahha hope it helps, i am also a great fan of this pastry shop !

[@jessieeyy908]

love it

[@MrsBluehappiness]

Love both the cakes and the cute guy!

[@AngelaRMFerrer]

Like hopia? It looks super good💕💕

[@bobbelcher678]

Bro wife cakes are the bomb! There is another variant I think called sun cake and the only difference is that one’s pastry thicker and one is thinner.

[@phuongnguyen-yd3bn]

In the next day (I mean today) I have bought wife cake from Hong Kong market and enjoyed it a lot. It’s not so sweet but smoothly dough, about 120 calories each only. Really good and cheap.

[@TW-akatim212]

That guy is very articulate and smart and humorous.

[@robertgreene2621]

Can you have him host a segment for Hong Kong?

[@uuuu-ov6xi]

Yes, please!

[@mannymartinez4017]

charming !

[@JC-vr9zx]

I hope HK is pretty much the same after the pandemic. I really want to go there to eat and enjoy the city again.

[@laurine9061]

This guy didn't need subtitles. Love it

[@StellariumSound]

I know that place in Wong Kok. I go every time I visit family.

[@suehonglee5107]

日思夜想的味道😋😋😋👍👍👍

[@iramsavir5631]

Good thing he cleared that up, about the cakes not being made out of wives. Look much tastier than Hotteok. 😋

[@karaokeandrandomclips]

I personally prefer hotteok. Wintermelon paste tastes weird

[@Sonia-fr1vp]

I eated it, it was really good that always give me a sense of deja vu i really miss that delicious cake

[@suegoveste9805]

Yummy😍😍😋😋

[@somewhereovertherainbow3643]

We have the same thing in Suriname (a South-American a country above Brazil) we call it Blacka Eye (Black Eye). It was imported to Suriname by immigrants. It looks completely the same only ours is filled with red bean paste. It's really delicious. It's my favourite pastry which reminds me of my childhood.

[@aaronleung8809]

This is other staple we have in Hong Kong too red bean filling is very common red bean pastry

[@Obscurai]

Learned how to make these and other Cantonese pastries as a kid. Never did get a good explanation of the name. As with most pastries, they are best fresh when they are flakey. After an hour or two, they can get soggy.

[@XimenaZhaoArchive]

I put them in the toaster oven when I get home, because I don't like them softened up.

[@lizzychase740]

this guy is so sweet

[@glynislailann9056]

Geez I wish I had known of this shop when I last visited HK.

[@jkdsteve2465]

Man, I miss those fresh pastries from Hong Kong. Ahh, those freshly , just came out of Niven are the best. Love the egg custard tarts (don-tot) in HK. They’re so good & yummy yet, so bad for you😂😂.

[@laurak-e8797]

OMG, I could one every day and not get sick of them. The story behind these is super sweet too. But the One I heard wasn't the one this guy told. lol

[@justme8108]

Love the guy who is the Errand Boy (Manager)

[@MadameRosaFortuneTeller]

what a charming errand boy

[@Mihawk1848]

I think his real aspiration is to do stand up comedies, but mom just couldnt let an errand boy go free.

[@uuuu-ov6xi]

Lol

[@docw3140]

Sense of humour 👍🏾

[@Bonnieli888]

good taste 😍😍😍

[@gaugaumeowmeow]

Cool

[@nn-ym8qn]

I first had this a decade ago when I went to a collage in a small city in Malaysia. There was a hidden chinese bakery around 30min walk from my college. I remembered buying it because I found the name to be funny and of course because it's dirt cheap and I can buy more than one compared to other pastries. It's very delicious and the price was also a good deal for a poor student like me! I frequently walked to that bakery whenever I am craving for some pastry for around 3 years of my college life. It was such a good memories and I wish to have a taste of this cake again

[@wnmaisarah]

do you perhaps know where we can find a halal version of this in malaysia? looks so good

[@nn-ym8qn]

@@wnmaisarah a friend of mine told me she had this back in her hometown in kota bharu. Im not sure where but she said it's from a local bakery that sold halal pastry Edit: she told me the bakery is called Muhibah Bakery