Rose Flower Cake

Rose flower cake is made with Yunnan's distinctive edible rose petals worked into a floral filling, wrapped in a water-and-oil flaky crust and baked - a hallmark of Yunnan-style confectionery.

Its method dates to Qing-court pastries; the modern Yunnan version is traced to the cakes made by Kunming Guanshengyuan in 1945, which grew its own edible roses nearby.

Best eaten warm and freshly baked when it is tender and crisp with a wave of floral aroma, it is a year-round Kunming tea pastry and travel gift.

When the edible roses bloom each April and May the filling is at its freshest, embodying the classic Yunnan school of mooncake making.