Red date cake is a dim sum dessert made with dried what?

Red date cake is a dim sum dessert made with dried jujubes.

Jujubes are the fruits of Ziziphus jujuba, a plant also known as the Chinese date, Chinese jujube, or red date. Although they are commonly called dates, they are not the same fruit as the familiar date palm fruit. When dried, jujubes become wrinkled, chewy, and naturally sweet, with a flavor that can suggest apple, caramel, or a mild date.

In the dim sum version, the dried fruit is softened and incorporated into a cake mixture, often with tapioca flour. The result may be steamed into a tender, slightly sticky dessert with a deep reddish-brown color. Recipes and restaurant preparations vary: some use a jujube purée, while others include chopped fruit or jujube paste.

The name can cause two common mix-ups. “Red date” does not mean raisins, apricots, or figs, and it does not indicate the Western date palm. Jujubes are also used in Chinese teas, soups, sweets, and fillings such as mooncake paste.