Mooncake
Mooncakes are round pastries with a thin, tender crust and a dense sweet filling of lotus seed paste, red bean or nuts, often with a salted egg yolk in the middle. They are cut into wedges and shared.
Mooncake 3-4, lotus seed paste: Fanny Schertzer, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Where it comes from
Mooncakes are a traditional treat given as gifts at autumn family gatherings and eaten with tea. Regional styles include Cantonese, Suzhou-style flaky and snow skin.
Explore the cuisine of China.
Recipe
Make Mooncake at home
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup golden syrup
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon alkaline water (or 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in water)
- 1 1/2 cups lotus seed paste
- 4 salted egg yolks, baked
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- Mooncake mold (optional)
How it's made
- Mix golden syrup, oil and alkaline water, then stir in the flour to form a soft dough. Rest 1 hour.
- Divide the paste into 8 portions and wrap each around half a salted yolk.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces and flatten each into a disc.
- Wrap each paste ball in dough, sealing all around.
- Press into a floured mold or shape by hand and place on a baking sheet; bake at 350 F (175 C) for 10 minutes.
- Brush with egg wash, bake 15-20 minutes until deep golden, and rest a day to let the crust soften.
Variations
- Snow skin mooncake: chilled, soft rice-flour skin
- Five-kernel nut filling
- Custard-filled mooncake
Cook’s tip: Resting the baked mooncakes for a day lets the crust turn glossy and tender.
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About this page
Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.
Photo credit
- Mooncake 3-4, lotus seed paste: Fanny Schertzer, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)