Top 10 Best Cakes in Dong Thap Province

Cao Lanh Tamy Cake is a dish that enriches the culinary offerings of the lotus land capital. In Cao Lanh, this dish is most famous at the My Ngai market. The process starts with selecting high-quality rice, and the most important step is preparing the rice flour paste. The unique flavor comes from the combination of braised pork and steamed pork meatballs. The meatballs are made from minced pork mixed with green onions, garlic, finely chopped radish, and spices, then rolled into balls and steamed. When cooked, the meatballs are soft, tender, and flavorful, not dry or tough. The plate of chewy tamy cake is served on a bed of fresh bean sprouts, topped with braised pork, meatballs, crispy pork skin, fresh herbs, cucumber, onions, roasted peanuts, and accompanied by pickled vegetables. The dish is finished off with a drizzle of fish sauce, garlic, chili, and a special family recipe that brings the perfect balance of flavors to the dish.

Conical Cakes and Sesame Balls are beloved treats among children in Dong Thap, especially in Cao Lanh. In this area, it’s common to see women wearing conical hats, carrying trays of sesame balls and conical cakes, calling out their sales through the streets and alleys.

These two types of cakes are made from two kinds of flour: glutinous rice flour and rice flour, which makes them both chewy and aromatic. To enhance the flavor, sweet potatoes are added to the dough. The cakes are filled with a smooth mung bean paste mixed with golden sugar. After preparing the dough, it is rolled out, cut into small round pieces, filled with mung bean paste, shaped into balls, and rolled in sesame seeds before being deep-fried to a golden crisp. Unlike the sesame balls, the conical cakes are unfilled, simply shaped into circles, fried golden, and coated with sesame seeds and a sugar syrup. These cakes are named after their circular shape, which locals refer to as 'còng' (ring), a term used in the Mekong Delta region.

If you visit this area, don't miss the chance to try these sesame balls and conical cakes that are deeply tied to the culture and memories of the Southern region.

Sweet Lotte Cake - A must-try dish when talking about Cao Lanh's culinary delights. On a hot summer day, a scoop of chilled Lotte cake, with its soft yet chewy texture, the fragrant pandan aroma, and the sweet syrup combined with the creamy coconut milk, will refresh you and erase all the heat and fatigue of the day.

The ingredients for Sweet Lotte Cake include rice flour mixed with tapioca starch in a 1:5 ratio (100g of tapioca starch to 500g of rice flour), along with about ½ liter of cold water. The flour mixture is then cooked over low heat, stirred constantly by hand to prevent burning, until it thickens. Once cooked, it is placed in a strainer over a bucket of cold water. The dough is pressed through the strainer holes, forming small noodle-like pieces that fall into the water (adjust the length of the pieces as desired). Once the dough cools, it's ready to be served. The perfect Lotte cake has sharp ends, a skill that showcases the craftsmanship of the maker.

Sesame Cake - A street food staple, serving the daily culinary needs of the people in this region. With affordable prices, sesame cake has become an essential part of the daily lives of students, workers, and office employees.

There are two types of sesame cake: savory and sweet. The savory version often includes beef or pork, while the sweet version is made mainly from flour, sugar, and sesame. The ingredients for sesame cake include wheat flour, yeast, white sesame, and sugar. Once prepared, the cakes are fried to a perfect golden brown, without burning. The result is a fragrant, soft cake with a light sweetness, complemented by the rich, toasted flavor of sesame, making it impossible to stop eating.

It’s truly wonderful to walk through a street or village alley, catch the smell of these cakes wafting through the air, and even better when you're hungry and can enjoy them fresh, made by the skilled hands of a humble, honest baker.

If you visit Cao Lanh and are looking for a gift to bring home, sticky rice cake is an excellent choice. What makes Cao Lanh's sticky rice cake special is its soft, fragrant texture with a hint of banana leaves, the creamy coconut taste, and the filling of mashed mung beans, creating a simple yet delicious gift for loved ones.

The ingredients for making the cake include glutinous rice flour, banana leaves, mung beans, and grated coconut cooked with sugar. The cake filling is stir-fried before being carefully wrapped in fresh banana leaves, and its shape can vary by region. In the South, the cake is often shaped like a pyramid, wrapped in fresh banana leaves. When it's ready, the cake is soft and does not stick to the teeth. With each bite, you taste the sweetness of the sugar, the fragrance of the rice, and the richness of the coconut...

Steamed banana cake with coconut milk has long been a traditional dish that carries the distinct flavors of the Mekong Delta, especially from the people of Cao Lanh. It is a common street food here and often served as a beloved family treat.

To make this cake, bananas are peeled and sliced into thin rounds. The banana slices are then arranged in a steaming tray, covered with a cloth, and steamed for 30-40 minutes. Every 10 minutes, a towel is used to wipe off any condensation from the lid to prevent water from dripping onto the cake. Once steamed, the cake is served with a drizzle of creamy coconut milk.

Anyone who has tasted this cake will easily be charmed by its flavor. Each bite offers a chewy, slightly sticky texture, balanced with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas, the richness of coconut milk, and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds or crushed peanuts, creating an incredibly delightful taste.

If you're visiting Cao Lanh City in Dong Thap Province and haven’t tasted the rich and aromatic pork skin cake, your trip is incomplete. Many visitors become so enchanted by this treat that they seek to learn how to make it themselves, so they can share it with their loved ones back home.

The ingredients for this cake include finely shredded coconut, pandan leaves for color and fragrance, mung beans soaked in water, tapioca flour, rice flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla.

In the Mekong Delta, pork skin cake is often enjoyed as a dessert following a meal, or served to guests. It’s also a popular snack during breaks on the rice fields. Its soft, green texture and creamy, fragrant flavor make it a beloved treat, deeply appreciated for its simple yet comforting taste.

Cao Lanh Sizzling Pancakes are a proud culinary symbol of the Mekong Delta and particularly of Dong Thap. Made from finely ground rice, mung beans, and coconut milk, these pancakes are filled with a variety of ingredients such as shrimp, duck, pork, taro, bean sprouts, and onions. The best time to enjoy bánh xèo is when it's hot, paired with fresh herbs and dipped in a sweet and sour sauce, which awakens the taste buds with the perfect balance of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet. This street food delicacy costs just 20,000 to 30,000 VND per serving.

Visitors to Cao Lanh can visit My Phu ward, a local hotspot for bánh xèo, where many seasoned chefs serve their own versions of this delicious dish.

Bánh Cống is a popular street food in Cao Lanh. Around 5 PM each day, the local bánh cống vendors along Tôn Đức Thắng street begin their work.

The key ingredients for bánh cống include rice flour mixed with wheat flour, while the filling consists of boiled mung beans, shrimp, duck eggs, taro, and onions, all seasoned to perfection. The ingredients are placed in molds and fried in hot oil until golden and crispy. The crispy cakes are served with fresh herbs and a dipping sauce made with chili, garlic, and sugar.

The golden, crispy bánh cống is best enjoyed while hot, delivering a satisfying crunch and delicious flavor. It's not only a tasty treat but also an affordable one, costing just 4,000 VND per piece.

A visit to Cao Lanh would be incomplete without trying the delicious bánh khọt, known for its fragrant, coconut milk-infused flavor. Resembling bánh bèo but cooked in a small, oiled mold, bánh khọt is made with a simple mix of rice flour, minced pork, fresh shrimp, eggs, and coconut milk.

While making bánh khọt is not a complex process, it requires skill and attention to detail. When done right, the golden-brown cakes are bursting with savory fillings, served with shredded carrots, daikon, fresh herbs, and a dipping sauce. You can find this local delicacy at Cao Lanh's night market, where a serving of 10 cakes costs between 30,000 to 40,000 VND.