Onion cake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Onion cake

Sugar onion cakes
Type	Savoury or sweet cake
Associated national cuisine	China, Germany, Korea, Switzerland, Wales
Main ingredients	Onion
Ingredients generally used	Other cake ingredients
Variations	Laobing, pajeon, the scallion pancake, teisen nionod and zwiebelkuchen

An onion cake is a yummy dish that can be either savory (not sweet) or sweet. It's made mainly with onions. People enjoy different kinds of onion cakes in many countries. These include Canada, China, Germany, Korea, Switzerland, and Wales. Some popular types are laobing, pajeon, the scallion pancake, and zwiebelkuchen.

What is Onion Cake?

Onion cake uses onions as its main ingredient. It also has other things you'd find in a regular cake. Boiling the onions first can make their taste less strong. This makes the cake milder. Sometimes, people add potatoes or bacon to their onion cakes. Other tasty additions might be cottage cheese or sour cream. You can find different onion cakes in places like China, Germany, Switzerland, and Wales.

In Chinese cuisine, onion cakes often use spring onions. These are also called scallions. A simple Chinese onion cake usually has flour, lard (a type of fat), spring onion, and salt.

Different Kinds of Onion Cakes

Edmonton-style Green Onion Cake

A special kind of Chinese spring onion pancake is very popular in Edmonton, Canada. A chef named Siu To made it famous there. There are two main shapes for this cake. One looks like a regular pancake. The other has a hole in the middle, like a donut. Many people from Taiwan living in Edmonton helped make these green onion cakes popular.

Laobing

Laobing is a traditional Chinese pancake made with flour, salt, eggs, and green onion.

Laobing is a type of pancake from Chinese cooking. It's a flatbread that doesn't use yeast. It's made with flour, water, and salt. Sometimes, scallions are added as a main ingredient. Scallions are also often served on the side with laobing.

Pajeon

Pajeon is a savory (not sweet) pancake from Korean cuisine. It's made with a batter of flour, eggs, and green onions or leeks. Sometimes, people use rice flour too. Other ingredients like seafood, pork, or beef can be added. Dongnae pajeon is a specific type made with green onion and seafood.

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  Haemul pajeon is a Korean pancake with scallions and seafood.

Scallion Pancake

Scallion pancakes are a popular Chinese dish.

A scallion pancake is a Chinese pancake or flatbread. It uses scallions as a main ingredient. It's usually made from a dough, but some are made from a batter. The scallion pancake is a traditional food in Shanghai, China. It's a common dish all over the country. In China, fresh scallions are usually used. The scallions might be fried before they are mixed into the dough.

Teisen nionod

Teisen nionod is a Welsh onion cake. It's made with onion, potato, butter, beef stock, salt, and pepper.

Zwiebelkuchen

Zwiebelkuchen is a German onion cake or tart. It's made with steamed onion, bacon, cream, and caraway seeds. These ingredients are placed on a dough that uses yeast.

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  Zwiebelkuchen baked in a large pan.

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  A deep-dish style Zwiebelkuchen.