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1
Make the water dough: combine 200 g plain flour, 60 g lard, and 75 ml lukewarm water. Knead until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, then wrap and rest for 20 minutes. The surface should be supple and yield without tearing when gently stretched.
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2
Make the oil dough: combine 160 g plain flour with 80 g lard. Work together until the mixture coheres into a soft, uniform mass. It should hold its shape when pressed but leave a faint grease on the palm — no dry flour should remain.
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3
Divide each dough into 12 equal portions. Flatten a portion of water dough into a disc, place a portion of oil dough at its centre, and wrap the water dough completely around it, pinching the seam firmly closed. Repeat for all 12 pieces. The sealed ball should show no seams and feel taut.
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4
This is where the dish lives or dies. On a lightly floured surface, roll each wrapped ball into a thin rectangle, then roll it up into a tight cylinder. Rest 10 minutes, then roll out again and fold again — repeat this process at least three times in total. Too few folds produce thick, coarse layers rather than the paper-thin flakiness that defines the pastry. Each finished cylinder should show a fine, even spiral at its cut ends.
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5
Cook the filling: combine malt syrup, 40 g butter, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over gentle heat. Stir until the butter is fully melted and the mixture is homogeneous. Remove from the heat. The filling must not be cooked beyond the point where it flows slowly off a spoon — overheating produces a filling that sets too firm when cooled.
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6
Allow the filling to cool until it can be handled — it should be pliable and tacky, not liquid. Divide into 12 equal portions. Stand each laminated cylinder on its end, flatten it into a disc with the palm, and roll out to a circle approximately 8 cm in diameter. Place a portion of filling at the centre, gather the pastry edges up and around it, and pinch firmly closed. Gently flatten to a disc of approximately 6–7 cm diameter. The pastry should show no cracks at the edges.
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7
Place the discs sealed-side down on a lined baking tray. With a sharp knife or blade, score a sunburst pattern radiating from the centre of each disc — this is the signature mark of the sun cake and must be made before baking. Bake at 180 °C until the surface is pale golden and the scored lines have opened and set. The pastry should sound hollow when tapped lightly on the base.
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8
Allow to cool fully on a wire rack before handling. The finished cake should break open to reveal distinct, paper-thin flaky layers, and the filling should appear slightly soft at the centre — a correctly cooked malt sugar paste oozes faintly at the break.