Sin Fu Chen Bakery

Review

Sin Fu Chen Bakery is at No. 6 Beimen Street in Hsinchu's North District, right beside the City God Temple near the corner of Zhongshan Road and Dongmen Street. Supertaste and China Times both say it was founded in 1898, the 24th year of the Guangxu reign, is certified as a fine century-old business by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and is regarded as the inventor of the Zhuqian cake. Founder Wu Zhang-huan first sold rice dumplings near the temple; because they did not keep well, he folded the dumpling filling into a pastry and created the Zhuqian cake. The fourth generation runs it today.

The signature Zhuqian cake is filled with Hsinchu black-pig pork, red shallots, candied winter melon, sesame, maltose and scallion, with a flaky crust and soft filling that balances sweet and savoury. Reports say the early cakes were fist-sized and rich in lard; the fourth generation lightened the recipe and halved the size. Other staples include garlicky, sweet-savoury chaishu cakes, mung bean pastries in vegetarian and braised pork versions, sweeter walnut pastries, egg yolk pastries, pineapple cakes and a citrus confection; a limited moist cake appears around the Ghost Festival.

Fans praise the century-old heritage and the layered savouriness of the Zhuqian cake, calling it the Hsinchu taste to buy when going home or giving gifts; many say relatives elsewhere ask for this shop by name. Critics note that some pastries use lard and can feel greasy or heavy, find prices not exactly cheap, and say parking at the door is awkward.

Hours vary by source: Google lists 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, while Supertaste says 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., both open every day. Current prices are rarely published online, so check the in-store price list or ask about gift box combinations. There is a paid car park nearby, it is about fifteen minutes on foot from Hsinchu Station, and it is easiest to pick up on your way out of the temple.

Ideal for anyone wanting an authentic Hsinchu gift or curious about traditional Taiwanese pastries. First-timers can buy a single Zhuqian cake to try, then take the four-in-one gift box to sample the Zhuqian cake, chaishu cake, mung bean pastry and walnut pastry; vegetarians should choose the vegetarian mung bean pastry.