How Lychee Cake Became a National Obsession

During the Lunar New Year of 1988, Selena Wong wanted to create a special dessert for her family in Kingston, Jamaica. Ms. Wong, whose ancestors came to the island from China in the 19th century, was a self-taught baker who occasionally sold goods from her home.Knowing the importance of lychees to the Chinese Jamaican experience, she made a light sponge cake that featured the canned lychees and their syrup. “I was riffing on the idea of strawberry shortcake, which has always been popular in Jamaica, even though strawberries aren’t native to us,” she said.Her creation, which she…