Selena Wong’s lychee cake was recently featured in the New York Times.
Renowned Jamaican baker Selena Wong told the newspaper that the inspiration for her famous lychee cake was born out of the desire to create a special dessert to commemorate Chinese New Year (1998).
Borrowing from her Chinese- Jamaican heritage, Wong fused lychee (litichi) with a butter cream frosting and a soft, light sponge cake.
“I was riffing on the idea of strawberry shortcake, which has always been popular in Jamaica, even though strawberries aren’t native to us,” Wong told the Times.
Wong explained that the ‘lychee cake’ was a hit among her family with the self -taught baker’s fruit fused cake soon becoming one of Kingston’s most sought-after desserts, gracing birthday tables and big diplomatic events.
Lychee cake has been popularized by the Jamaican diaspora in places such as South Florida, New York, Toronto and London.
Though not native to Jamaica, lychee, were brought to the island by the Chinese.
There is an abundance of the fruit trees in the cooler parishes of Manchester and St Mary, where the fruit tends to thrive.
Seen as a luxury fruit, lychee has inspired a host of cocktails, ice creams and other culinary delights.
