Nourishing Gelatin Cake 固元糕
This is a very easy recipe if you can get all the ingredients. I’m able to find all the ingredients at my local Chinese grocery store. However, you’ll likely find better quality if you can get them at a Chinese herbal store. Since there are many health benefits in the ingredients, it may be worth it to get better quality ingredients.A good quality dried longan meat will make a big difference in taste and texture of your cake. At the time of writing this recipe, I bought 1 pound of dried longan meat for $16 CAD. It can be eaten in dried form, so if the store can offer you a sample, pick the one that is most aromatic and has a natural sweetness. This is usually the most expensive one.The most daunting task to this recipe is peeling the skin off the walnuts. I think there might be already peeled walnuts out there somewhere, but I haven’t found it yet. You can choose to leave the skin on but there will be a slightly bitter aftertaste and it will affect the texture somewhat. I usually buy the big bag of shelled walnuts from Costco. I have tried every method I could find to easily remove the skin, but there is no easy way, only easier. The easiest way that I have tried, if you want to remove ALL of the skin is to boil it for 5 minutes and then submerse in cold water. This will loosen the skin so you can peel it off with a pointy tweezer. You will need to completely dry the walnuts after peeling by toasting and/or air drying. The prep time for processing the walnuts is approx. 45 minutes.
Approximate cost (CAD) $8
Ingredients
- 2 packets Knox gelatin powder (approx. 14g)
- 250 ml Water
- 80 g Brown sugar
- 80 g Shelled walnuts
peeled walnuts recommended - 100 g Black sesame seeds
- 80 g Dried pitted red dates
- 100 g Dried longan meat
- 30 g Dried goji berries
- ½ tsp Oil
Instructions
- Soak 100g of dried longan in cold water for 15 minutes soaking will help soften it. Drain and set aside
Do not soak for much longer than 20 minutes to retain as much flavour as possible - Toast peeled walnuts in a pan on low heat until they are completely dry. Set aside and let cool
- Toast black sesame seeds in a pan on low heat until you can smell the slightly sweet aroma and each sesame should have expanded slightly to a rounder shape. This will take approx. 5-8 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
You can skip this step if you bought roasted sesame seeds, however, lightly toasting it again can bring out more flavour 
- Rinse goji berries in cold water. They do not need to be soaked
- Toast longan with goji berries on low heat until most of the moisture has evaporated. Set aside and let cool
- Remove pits from red dates and set aside
I usually cut the meat off with kitchen shears - In a pot, add 250ml water and mix 2 packets of Knox gelatin powder into the water, stir well
- Add 80g brown sugar to the gelatin water. Cook until gelatin and water have dissolved and let cool
- Pour the cooled gelatin mixture through a sieve and into a mixing bowl, pan or pot
- Add the walnuts, black sesame seeds, red dates, longan and goji berries. Mix well
- Grease the container that you want the cake to be set in with ½ tsp oil. Use a small piece of kitchen towel or a brush to spread the oil evenly in the container
- Pour the entire contents into the container
- Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and set in the fridge for approx. 6 hours or until the cake has completely solidified
- Remove the cake from the container
You may need to use a knife to help loosen the sides 
- Slice into desired shape and serve. This cake can be stored in the fridge for a week. Can be served cold or at room temperature.
I seal and package each piece individually in food-grade wrappers which look nice and can help preserve them in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. I bought “machine seal biscuit bags” on AliExpress along with a mini impulse sealer. 
Nutrition
Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 7mgPotassium: 215mgFiber: 3gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 4IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 145mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!