When Wang Gen Sheng couldn't clearly describe the specific kind of sweetness or identify the ingredients used, asking about the color was a good way to filter options.
Jujube paste is dark, coconut is white, and red bean paste is dark black. Sweet fillings are actually a direction; even in Tang Dynasty desserts, there were only a few types of sweet fillings, and fewer than we have now.
Wang Gen Sheng tried to recall and said, "It seems... it was purple."
Qin Huai: ?
Purple?
If it's purple, Qin Huai's first reaction would be rose-flavored flower cakes because rose filling, when cooked with sugar and lard, turns purple.
Could it be that Xu Nuo made flower cakes, then convinced Wang Gen Sheng that it was Red Silk Cake to make his good friends happy? After all, Red Silk Cake has better significance, being a cake bestowed by the Emperor to new scholars as a blessing for higher education.
