V Sparkle

Soft Meal Bridal Cake Trial by Kee Wah & Youth College 

As Hong Kong’s population continues to age, social awareness and demand for soft meals have been rising steadily. In recent years, a number of catering groups have introduced a variety of soft meal products to meet this growing need. In response to this trend, Youth College, under the coordination of the VTC Community Engagement Unit (CEU), and with the support of renowned local brand Kee Wah Bakery (Kee Wah), launched a trial development project on soft meal bridal cakes. Members of Kee Wah’s management team also visited the campus to sample the products and provided valuable professional feedback to help further refine the recipes.

The collaboration between Youth College and Kee Wah began in November last year. Students and teachers from the Diploma of Vocational Education (Food Technology and Nutrition), together with representatives from CEU, visited Kee Wah Production Center at Tai Po Industrial Estate to learn the traditional craftsmanship behind bridal cakes. Under the patient guidance of Mr FONG, Chinese Pastry Supervisor of Kee Wah, three students learned how to prepare pastry layer in different colours, wrap fillings, and carry out baking and tasting. They also toured the production lines to gain first‑hand understanding of the manufacturing processes for various pastries, as well as professional sterilisation procedures and quality control measures. The visit provided the students with invaluable industry exposure.

Building on their experience in producing traditional bridal cakes, the students subsequently embarked on the development of soft meal versions. Over several months, they repeatedly tested and adjusted the ratios of ingredients and gelling agents, striving to preserve the original flavour and texture of bridal cakes while ensuring compliance with the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) Level 5 – Minced & Moist standard. A total of four soft meal bridal cake varieties were successfully trial developed, namely Bridal Lotus Seed Paste with Yolk Cake, Bridal Mung Bean Paste with Yolk Cake, Bridal Red Bean Paste with Yolk Cake, and Walnut Cookie. We would like to extend our special thanks to Kee Wah for its continuous support through the provision of raw materials throughout the development process. In addition, students from the Diploma of Vocational Education (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics) applied 3D printing technology to create customised mould stamps. Using red edible colouring, they reproduced the iconic patterns of traditional bridal cakes on the surface of the soft meals, bringing their appearance even closer to the original pastries.

Last month, CEU invited a delegation led by Mr Mark WONG, Executive Director of Kee Wah Bakery, together with Mr Wing WONG, Principal of Youth College, Mr Patrick CHU, Principal of Youth College International, and other Youth College teachers to attend a tasting session on campus. Youth College students and the CEU team thoughtfully recreated the traditional bridal cake packaging and prepared a Chinese Betrothal Ceremony gift set, making the tasting experience more immersive and culturally meaningful. CEU also specially prepared appreciation cards to express gratitude for the industry’s support. Mark spoke highly of the students’ dedication and creativity, suggesting that the pastry layer could be made thinner to further enhance the filling’s flavour. He also reaffirmed Kee Wah’s commitment to continuing its support for the students’ ongoing research and development.

Following the tasting session, the students have further refined the recipes based on the feedback received and have begun engaging with charitable organisations equipped with soft meal production facilities to explore the feasibility of collaborative development. This project is one of the shortlisted projects of the second “CommunityQuest”, VTC Community Engagement Rewards Scheme.

[Photo 1] Three Diploma of Vocational Education (Food Technology and Nutrition) students — LAI Yin-ting (left), LAM Ho-yeung, and AN Ka-pui — visited Kee Wah Production Center in November last year to learn the making of traditional bridal cakes in preparation for the soft meal development project.

[Photo 2] Soft meal bridal cakes developed by the Youth College team include Bridal Lotus Seed Paste with Yolk Cake (Red), Bridal Mung Bean Paste with Yolk Cake (Yellow), Bridal Red Bean Paste with Yolk Cake (White), all meeting the IDDSI Level 5 texture standard.
 
[Photo 3] Mr Mark WONG (fourth from right), Executive Director of Kee Wah Bakery; Mr Wing WONG (third from right), Principal of Youth College; and Mr Patrick CHU (first from right), Principal of Youth College International, participate in a tasting session of the student developed soft meal bridal cakes.

[Photo 4] Mr Mark WONG commends the students’ efforts and pledges continued support through the provision of raw materials to further enhance the texture and flavour of the soft meals. 

Powered by Froala Editor