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About Aruna:
“Aruna, from Inner Mongolia. She travels by motorcycle, runs a roadside coffee stand, bakes, and manages a restaurant. She is a free-spirited, kind, passionate, innocent, and independent woman. When you see her at work, she is energetic, focused, and incredibly infectious. Guests often call her ‘the all-capable Aruna.’ She drives a white camper van. Specialties: flower cake baking, camping, stream tracing, light hikes on Cangshan, rural trips in Eryuan, and Huoshan. She independently runs her own coffee shop: Ayaa Coffee and Homestay. She speaks Mongolian and English.”
Rose Flower Cake Making:
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The first time I met Aruna, she was working at Pirate Wine Castle. At that time, our two shops shared a space on Yeyu Road. She was cheerful and gentle, always smiling, and got along well with everyone. Later, she moved to Chiang Mai, Thailand, for work.
When Honghong traveled to Thailand alone, she had a bicycle accident and lost her bank card. Aruna took care of her, took her out to eat, and lent her money. They weren’t very close at the time, which shows that Aruna is a warm and kind person.
Later, Aruna returned to Dali and converted a camper van into a coffee truck, selling coffee on a quiet roadside. During the two years of the pandemic, she opened a baking studio, making bread, brunch, and teaching baking.
Recently, she rebuilt a baking studio by the fields in the village, handling everything from design to renovation. This studio is mainly used for teaching baking. In early 2023, she joined our Cangshan Hiking Family, responsible for the rose flower cake making experience. When free, she also leads hikes and trips.
In these months of cooperation, we occasionally chat, but not much, nor deeply. From these conversations—whether about work in Thailand, the bakery, the coffee truck, life, or relationships—the difficulties and setbacks she faced seemed to dissolve through personal growth.
Making rose flower cakes with Aruna lets you experience the process of making Dali’s specialty food and learn about the life of this young Dali woman in the village, with fields right outside the door.
Jason
About the Rose Flower Cake Baking Experience
Author: Aruna
“I remember the first time I came to Dali, passing by a flower cake shop on Renmin Road, the fragrance hit me. The cakes were freshly baked. I bought three flavors, ate one, and when I returned to the inn and ate the other two, the aroma was not as strong, and they were not as crispy.
Later, I settled in Dali and started baking. I often missed the taste of freshly baked flower cakes, so I got the idea to make this flower cake experience.
Rose flower cake is a unique pastry in Yunnan, made with edible Dianhong roses. The whole process from kneading dough to baking takes about 2 hours. Adults like to shape the dough into petals, while children enjoy making animal shapes. From the shapes they make, you can see that children observe many animals—piglets, hedgehogs, fish, etc.
Sometimes adults get impatient and want children to make traditional petal-shaped cakes, but I think children’s cakes should reflect their own ideas and creativity. After all, the ingredients are the same; making their own unique cake is also part of the fun for children.
The process of making flower cakes is not complicated; the key is to participate in the whole process. All ingredients are handled by you. When the cakes are freshly baked, I believe participants will feel the delicious taste, crisp texture, and aroma.”
Experience Content:
Make flower cake filling: Prepare fresh rose petals as filling.
Make flower cakes: From rolling dough to filling, shaping petals, and baking.
Make rose jam: Rose jam made from fresh petals. You can take it home to make rose jam tea.
Target Audience: Adults or children aged 4 and above.
Duration: 2 hours
Experience Environment:
Located 2 km from the ancient town, in an old house by the fields. This baking studio was designed and renovated by Aruna herself. The surroundings are quiet, with convenient parking and private leisure space. It is in Xiaocen Village, 3 km from the ancient town.
Tea, coffee, and fruit snacks will be provided.
Now she is doing more hiking and camping work. Please see here:
Guide Introduction - Aruna
Photos and videos
