Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival!
Mooncakes are the beloved, traditional pastry of the Mid-Autumn Festival, symbolizing completeness and reunion. These rich, dense cakes are typically filled with sweet red bean or lotus seed paste, often containing salted duck egg yolks representing the full moon.
Ingredients
- 200 g plain flour
- 140 g golden syrup
- 50 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp lye water (kansui)
- 600 g lotus seed paste (or red bean paste)
- 4 whole salted duck egg yolks (optional)
- 1 whole egg yolk for egg wash
Instructions
- Combine golden syrup, vegetable oil, and lye water in a bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Gradually add the flour to the wet mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide the lotus seed paste into 15 small balls (about 40g each). If using egg yolks, flatten each paste ball, place a yolk in the center, and wrap the paste around it.
- Divide the mooncake dough into 15 equal portions (about 25g each). Flatten a piece of dough, place a paste ball in the center, and carefully wrap the dough around the filling, ensuring no air bubbles.
- Dust a mooncake mold with a little flour, then press a wrapped mooncake firmly into the mold. Invert and gently tap out the mooncake onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Preheat oven to 170°C (340°F). Bake mooncakes for 10 minutes.
- While mooncakes are baking, prepare the egg wash by whisking one egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water. After 10 minutes, remove mooncakes from oven, let cool slightly, then brush lightly with egg wash.
- Return mooncakes to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
For best results, let mooncakes rest for 1-2 days after baking. This allows the oil from the filling to seep into the crust, creating a more tender and flavorful texture. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.