Moon cakes are traditional Chinese pastries that are prepared during the typical mid-autumn festival celebrated not only in China, but also in Vietnam and other Asian countries. Generally, they are molded using a special round mold and filled with a sweet filling; the most common filling is based on lotus seed or red bean paste. The doses indicated by the following recipe should allow you to prepare 12 moon cakes.
Ingrediants
Dough
- 100 g of flour
- ½ teaspoon of water
- 60 g of molasses
- 30 g vegetable oil (peanut, sunflower or corn)
Stuffed
- 420 g lotus seed or red bean paste (the latter is known as anko)
- 1 teaspoon of wine flavored with rose petals
- 6 egg yolks (half for each moon cake)
Egg Glaze
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon of egg white
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Making Traditional Moon Sweets
Step 1. Assemble the ingredients of the dough
Mix the water, molasses and oil, then add the flour very slowly by sifting it through a colander. Once blended, these ingredients should form a dough. Cover it with cling film, then let it rest for at least 3 hours.
Step 2. Prepare the marinated egg yolks
Separate them from the egg whites, then steam them for about 10 minutes on low or medium heat. Salt the egg yolks, then set them aside to cool. Make sure they are completely cold before continuing with the preparation of moon cakes. Cut each yolk in half.
Once they are dry, you can put them in a bowl and add the rose flavored wine. Take them out and let them dry; you can speed up the process by dabbing them with kitchen paper
Step 3. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C
Meanwhile, divide the lotus seed or red bean paste into 12 identical portions. Shape each portion with your hands giving it the shape of a ball.
Step 4. Also separate the dough into 12 equal parts
Form as many balls, just like you did with the filling. Now squeeze them evenly to form discs.
Step 5. Assemble the moon cakes
Each sweet will consist of a disc of dough, a ball of lotus seed or red bean paste and half a marinated egg yolk. First you need to insert half a marinated yolk into each of the filling balls. Create a central hollow with your fingers, insert the yolk, then close it inside the ball by reshaping it around it.
- Now wrap the disc of dough around the filling (with the half yolk inside).
- Repeat the whole process for each moon cake. At the end you should have 12 cakes ready to be cooked.
Step 6. Grease the mold with a little oil
Gently shape each candy by pressing it with the mold. Peel the dough carefully, then transfer the moon cake to a baking sheet. Bake the sweets and cook them for about 10-12 minutes.
- While the moon cakes are baking in the oven, prepare the egg mixture that you will need to brown them on the surface. Mix the egg yolk and egg white in the indicated quantities, then sift them through a colander.
- After about 5 minutes of cooking, take out the moon cakes to brush them with the egg mixture. Put them back in the oven immediately and cook them until they are golden brown.
Method 2 of 3: Prepare Moon Sweets in a Modern Key
Step 1. Use a different filling
You can fill moon cakes in a number of different ways. In addition to the traditional recipe, in which the heart of the sweet is composed of a marinated egg yolk (representing the moon) wrapped in a ball of lotus seed or red bean paste, you can experiment with one of these tasty variations.
- Five Stone Filling: Consists of five types of nuts and seeds, which can vary but generally include walnuts, pumpkin seeds, or peanuts.
- Jojoba Paste Filling: A sweet pastry made with the ripe fruits of the jojoba plant.
- Stuffed with mung bean or black bean paste.
- No yolk in the center; the filling is composed only of a paste, for example of red beans.
- Fruit filling: for example with melon, pineapple or lychee (also called Chinese cherry).
- Stuffed with fish: for example with abalone (shellfish also known as abalone) or shark.
Step 2. Prepare the variant of the moon cake called "snowy skin"
In this case, what changes is the way the dough is prepared. You will need to mix 100 g of glutinous rice flour with 90 g of sweet icing, 30 g of fat (choose a solid fat, such as butter, cocoa butter, lard or margarine) and 50 g of cold water, the latter added so gradual. If you want, you can decide to color the dough with a food coloring of your choice. The result will be different from the traditional one, because it will be softer, very similar to mochi (a typical Japanese dessert).
Step 3. Use a different mold
It is not necessary to use the typical Chinese moon cake mold. You can give free rein to your creativity by giving a personal and modern touch to the preparation. You can find a wide variety of different molds online and in kitchenware stores. If you want, you can shape the sweets in many different shapes to be able to use multiple types of molds.
Method 3 of 3: Serve the Moon Sweets
Step 1. Put them in an airtight container
After allowing them to cool and dry on a rack, transfer them to a container with an airtight lid. At this point, you will have to wait a day or two before eating them. They should be soft and have a shiny appearance.
Step 2. Enjoy them with a cup of Chinese tea
Moon cakes go particularly well with tea. You can also try combining them with a flavored tea, for example vanilla.
Step 3. Eat them as a dessert
Moon cakes have a sweet and ancient taste, therefore they are perfect to be enjoyed at the end of a meal. If you want, you can cut them in half or into slices to make smaller, lighter portions.
Step 4. Offer them as a gift
Tradition has it that moon sweets are often packaged in small boxes and given as gifts, even homemade ones. Purchase small containers at a DIY store or online and then give them to family and friends.
