Taiwan Food Atlas

Keelung Temple Street Wheel Cake (Che Lun Bing)

A round pastry baked in cast-iron molds — the moment the red bean paste hits your tongue is the simplest and most memorable part
📍 Keelung · Renai · Around Temple Street🗂️ Collector's pick · Sweets🔖 Freshly baked red bean cake in cast-iron molds

Wheel cake is a round pastry baked in cast-iron molds and filled with red bean paste or other fillings, originating from Japan's Edo-era imagawayaki and introduced to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. At a narrow lane near Temple Street, the vendor works at a row of neatly arranged cast-iron round molds — pouring in the batter, filling in the paste, pressing the lid shut, flipping — and a few minutes later, a golden, perfectly round wheel cake emerges. The earliest documented reference to imagawayaki dates to 1777; when it first arrived in Taiwan, red beans had to be imported, making it an expensive treat, and it only became a widely affordable national snack after red bean cultivation succeeded in Wandan, Pingtung, in the 1960s. It can now be found around Keelung Temple Street as well as in the traditional markets of Nuannuan and Qidu.

Wheel cake originates from imagawayaki, which emerged near the Imagawabashi bridge in Kanda, Edo, during the mid-Edo Anei era, with the earliest documented reference dating to 1777. When it arrived in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, red beans had to be imported and the treat was expensive; only after Wandan, Pingtung successfully cultivated a native Taiwanese red bean variety in the 1960s — becoming the area's main secondary crop within three years — did wheel cake become widely affordable thanks to the newly local red bean supply.

What is Wheel Cake

Wheel cake uses a thin batter made from low-gluten flour, poured into two symmetrical half-circle cast-iron molds. A pre-made filling is added, the molds are sealed, and the cake is baked. The classic filling is red bean paste — a smooth, dense purée of cooked adzuki beans with a natural sweetness. Other common fillings include cream custard, taro paste, and peanut. Because the exterior is in direct contact with the cast iron, the bottom develops a thin, crispy, toasted crust while the top stays soft. Eaten immediately after unmolding, the contrast between the crispy outer layer and the warm filling is at its most pronounced. In Taiwanese, it's called tshia-lián-piánn, meaning "wheel cake," a name that comes from its round shape.

Wheel cake originated from the Imagawayaki form introduced during the Japanese colonial period and is widely distributed at markets and night markets across Taiwan — it is not a Keelung-exclusive item. It can be found around Keelung Temple Street as well as in the traditional markets of Nuannuan and Qidu. Within the Temple Street scene, wheel cake serves as a closing sweet — the dessert option after savory snacks. The Council of Agriculture's rice food promotion materials and traditional pastry culture records include wheel cake as a representative traditional market sweet in Taiwan, but there is no Keelung-specific version; it is a nationwide item that has taken root locally in Keelung.

How to eat like a local

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Start with the traditional red bean pasteWheel cake comes in many creative flavors, but for the first one, choose traditional red bean paste: it's the best way to evaluate the stall's fundamentals — the sweetness and smoothness of the paste, and the skin-to-filling ratio.
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Eat within three minutes of leaving the moldWheel cake is best straight from the mold, when the skin is toasty and the filling is still flowing. Once it cools, the skin softens and the filling firms up — a noticeable difference.
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Think of it as a closing sweetAfter finishing savory Temple Street items like shrimp rolls and hei lun, one wheel cake as a sweet finish is the natural rhythm of a Temple Street snack walk.
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Try a few stalls to compare the fillingThe sweetness and smoothness of the red bean paste vary slightly between stalls around Temple Street. If you're particular about it, trying a couple of different vendors is worth it to find your preferred version.

Local knowledge

Objective credentials

  • Taiwan's traditional pastry culture records include wheel cake as a common sweet at Taiwan's markets, with support from food culture research literature.
  • Wheel cake stalls are available around Keelung Temple Street and in the traditional markets of Nuannuan and Qidu, making it accessible throughout Keelung.

Visitor tips

  • Wheel cake stalls near Temple Street are found in the lanes off Ren 3rd Road, not among the main Temple Street stalls themselves — you'll need to wander a bit into the surrounding area to find them.
  • Wheel cake stalls generally operate all day, unlike other Temple Street items that have defined opening hours — afternoon visits work fine too.
  • Wheel cake is an inexpensive sweet, usually sold in minimum units of 3 to 6 pieces. Buy according to how many you want.

Sources: Taiwan traditional pastry culture records; survey of traditional snacks around Keelung Temple Street. Photos pending Dio's on-site shoot for exclusive channel footage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was wheel cake invented in Taiwan?

No — it originates from Japan's Edo-era imagawayaki, first documented in 1777, and only arrived in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period.

Why was it once a luxury treat?

Because Taiwan didn't grow red beans early on, the ingredient had to be imported and was expensive, until Wandan, Pingtung succeeded in cultivating it locally in the 1960s.

Is wheel cake exclusive to Keelung?

No, it's common at markets and night markets across Taiwan, including around Keelung Temple Street and in the traditional markets of Nuannuan and Qidu.

What's the best way to eat it?

Eat it within three minutes of coming out of the mold, when the skin is still toasty and the filling flows — once it cools, the texture noticeably declines.

Sources

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