An impregnated food in which a solid edible material is impregnated with a liquid food having a viscosity of 10,000 to 100,000 mPa.Math.s at 35 C. has a good taste of the liquid food, has nevertheless a not hard texture, and achieves a sense of unity between the solid edible material and the liquid food. The impregnated food can be produced by a process for producing an impregnated food, wherein in a hermetically closed system, the system is pressurized in a state where a solid edible material is made contact with a liquid food, and then, the pressure in the system is returned to the atmospheric pressure.

A product conveying and coating system includes at least first and second, sequentially arranged conveyor belts, with at least the second conveyor belt being a solid belt. Interposed in a gap between the first and second belts is a dispenser head of a coating manifold. The dispenser head spans a gap between upper surface portions of the first and second conveyor belts, with an elongated side wall outlet portion of the dispenser head being exposed, in a downstream direction of the conveyor unit, to the upper surface of the second conveyor belt. The system provides for dispensing of coating material directly onto the second, solid conveyor belt and enrobing at least bottom and partial side portions of food products upon the solid belt. Provisions are made for scraping from the solid belt, removing from the food products and recycling excess coating material.

Mechanisms and methods for producing a baked or fried cake product are disclosed herein that include: a mold, wherein the mold comprises a top half, a bottom half and an end opening and wherein the mold is designed to hold a raw dough or batter product, a product handle insertion mechanism, wherein a handle is inserted into the raw dough or batter product, a heating element, wherein the heating element is designed to bake the raw dough or batter product or heat oil to fry the raw dough or batter product to form a baked or fried cake product, a dipping tray, wherein the dipping tray is designed to hold a plurality of the baked or fried cake product, a robotic tool, wherein the tool is designed to grab the handle in the baked or fried cake product and move the baked or fried cake product to the dipping tray, an open container of a liquid coating material, a robotic dipping tool, wherein the dipping tool is designed to place the full dipping tray into the container of the liquid coating material and then remove the full dipping tray from the container after the baked or fried cake product is coated, and a drying station, wherein the drying station is designed to secure the full dipping tray until the coated baked or fried cake product is dried.