Moon Cake

• During the Chinese August Moon Festival, moon cakes are often given as gifts. These small round cakes are typically filled with sweet bean paste surrounded by a golden, flaky crust. Creation of the bean paste filling is very time-consuming and preparation takes from two to four weeks, so many people prefer to purchase their moon cakes from a bakery rather than making them at home. Moon cakes can also be filled with lotus seed paste and salty duck egg. The tops of moon cakes are often embossed with the baker's insignia.
  
  

Chinese New Year's Cake

• Also known as Nian Gao, these cakes are found in almost every Chinese restaurant and store during the Chinese New Year season. Nian Gao are made from rice and brown or white sugar and are sticky and very sweet. The sticky texture is said to represent the closeness, or "sticking together" of a family. Offered in a variety of shapes and sizes, these celebratory cakes come in different flavors and are eaten as a symbol of good luck.
  
  

Engagement Cake

• This cake is also called "Double Happiness Cake" and it is customary in Chinese culture for an engaged man to give these cakes to the family of his future bride. They are generally both sweet and savory and there are several varieties with mixes of dates, nuts, azuki paste, or lotus seed paste. One of the most popular fillings is a mixture of pork floss and winter melon.
  
  

Green Bean Cake

• This cake is traditionally eaten in the summer during the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. Green bean cake is made with rice flour, sugar, oil and green bean powder and is cooked by steaming, rather than baking. As with many other desserts in China, this cake is stamped with a Chinese character on top with the makers' name or the symbol for "safety."