Taiwanese Suncake (Taiyang Bing)

Nov 3, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pastries doughnuts Medium

Suncake is a flat, flaky round pastry wrapped around a soft, sticky malt-sugar center. This classic uses a laminated water-and-oil dough and a simple maltose filling. Makes 10 pastries in about 2 hr 14 min.

Prep 75 min

Cook 14 min

Cooling 45 min

Total 2 hr 14 min

Yield 10 pastries

Ingredients

Adjust yield

pastries

14 tbsp (110 g)all-purpose flour, for the water dough
1 ½ oz (40 g)lard or vegetable shortening, for the water dough
1 tbsp (15 g)granulated sugar
¾ tsp (6 g)maltose or honey
3 ½ tbsp (55 ml)warm water, for the water dough
1 pinch (1 g)fine salt
⅔ cup (75 g)all-purpose flour, for the oil dough
1 ½ oz (45 g)lard or vegetable shortening, for the oil dough
⅔ cup (80 g)powdered sugar
¾ oz (20 g)maltose, slightly warmed
3 tbsp (25 g)all-purpose flour, for the filling
1 ½ tbsp (20 g)unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ tsp (8 ml)warm water, for the filling
1 (50 g)egg, beaten with 5 ml water

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Instructions

Water dough: knead all water dough ingredients for 5 minutes until smooth. Oil dough: rub the flour and fat together until it forms a soft paste. Wrap both and rest 30 minutes.
Filling: mix the powdered sugar, flour, butter, maltose and water until a thick sticky paste forms. Chill 15 minutes, then divide into 10 balls of about 13 g.
Divide the water dough and oil dough each into 10 equal pieces. Flatten a water dough piece, wrap it around an oil dough piece, and pinch closed.
Roll each wrapped piece into a thin oval, roll up like a small Swiss roll, rotate 90 degrees and roll out and up once more. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
Flatten each roll into a disc, place a filling ball in the center, and pinch the dough closed around it so there are no tears.
Place seam-side down and gently roll or press into a disc about 7 to 8 cm (3 inches) wide, taking care not to let the filling break through. Heat the oven to 390 F (200 C).
Place on a parchment-lined tray, brush with the egg wash, and bake for 11 to 13 minutes until golden and the layers show at the edges.
Cool on a rack for 15 minutes; the filling is molten when hot and thickens as it cools.

Tips

Pinch the seam tightly; a leaking filling scorches on the tray.
Keep the doughs covered while working so they do not dry out.
Wrap leftovers well; a warm oven for 3 minutes revives the crisp layers.
Good with oolong tea.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make taiwanese suncake (taiyang bing)?

Plan on 75 minutes of prep and 14 minutes of cooking, plus 45 minutes to chill. The recipe makes 10 pastries.

How should I store taiwanese suncake (taiyang bing)?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Can I make taiwanese suncake (taiyang bing) ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

A flaky round pastry from Taichung, Taiwan, filled with a sticky maltose sugar filling. Serve it with oolong tea.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 10 servings this recipe makes.

258 Calories / serving

18.2g Fat

21.7g Carbs

2.0g Protein

11.2g Sugar

Whole recipe (10 servings): ~2580 cal · 182g fat · 217g carbs · 20g protein · 112g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.