Best Baked Moon Cake Recipe – Video

It’s almost Mid-Autumn Festival and that means Moon Cakes!

Moon Cake is the traditional Chinese pastry product eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival or it is called Zhongqiujie. And the meaning behind it is to the entire family to gather to spend time together like a moon circle. Moon cakes are offered between friends or on family gathering while celebrating this festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

Therefore the general description of this special moon cake is the cake contain of a very thin, pastry, sweet dense filling and also contain with one whole egg yolks inside with the salty taste. This egg yolk symbolizes the full moon. Moon cakes are also served steamed or fried, but these method are very rarely.

The traditional moon cakes have an imprint on top consisting of the Chinese character for harmony or longevity, as well as the name of the bakery and the filling inside the cake.

Typical moon cakes are round pastries, it’s measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 3-4 cm thick. This is the Cantonese moon cake, eaten in Southern China in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. A rich thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste or red bean is surrounded by a thin crust and may contain with salted egg yolk. Traditionally, moon cakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by tea. But today, it is customary for businessmen and families to present the cake to their clients or relatives as a presents.

To make this moon cake all you need to do is cook the mung bean on the rice cooker until it’s cooked well and transferring it into a food processor with sugar and blend them until they soft and smooth. Once you have done, place the mung bean mixture to the heated pan and fold them gently on the medium heat and set aside. Next, you need to separate the egg white and egg yolk and place the egg yolk inside the mung bean mixture and shape them into balls and place them into a mold and remove them then place into a baking sheet and bake them.

And now, for those of you who you want to make this special moon cakes and bring them as a special present for someone, you now can make this moon cake at your home.

Ingredients of How to Make Moon Cake: (makes 3 moon cakes size 3 ½” x 3 ½” x 1 ½”)

Ingredients for the Dough:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon golden syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon lye water (available at Asian grocers)

Homemade golden syrup:

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoon water
• 1/5 cup lemon juice

Filling:

Ingredients for The Mung Bean filling: (makes 3)

• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup skinless mung beans
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 salted egg yolks (boiled eggs)

Ingredients for The Chestnut filling: (make 3)

• 3 salted egg yolks
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 1 can chestnuts (discard the syrup)
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Egg wash:

• 1 large egg

Instructions of How to Make Moon Cake:

1. First, we going to start the step by making the homemade golden syrup. In a sauce pan, mix together the sugar and water and set the heat on the medium and stir it until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear, cover it and bring to a boiled. Add the lemon juice and stir it again, and reduce the heat to low and cover it until the liquid turns browned. Remember do not stir it anymore just check it frequently. Once your golden syrup is done, transfer it into a jar. This golden syrup is ready to be used after one to two days. You can also store it for up to a year at room temperature.
2. Next, we’re continue to make the bean paste. In the can rice cooker, place the mung bean and add some water and cook it until they are cooked well.
3. Once the mung bean is done, transfer it into a food processor and gradually add the sugar and blend them well until you get a nice and smooth texture.
4. Heat the 1/3 oil on the pan and place the mung bean mixture on the pan. Cook it over the medium heat and add the remaining oil, and fold the dough until they combined well and remove it from the heat.
5. Next, we’re going to make the chestnut filling. Separate the boiled egg between the egg white and egg yolks and soak them in the rum syrup at least for about 15 minutes. And drain them on the paper towel.
6. Now, we are going to make the filling. Divide the mung bean mixture into three equal portions, and make the hole in the center of the dough and place the egg yolk inside. Cover it with the dough and shape the dough into ball, continue to do the same thing to the remaining 2 mung bean mixture.
7. Now, we continue to make the dough. Combine the golden syrup, lye water and the vegetable oil and mix it up until they combined well. In a large bowl, add this liquid mixture with flour, whisk it up until you get nice dough.
8. Place the dough on the flour counter, knead it up and place it into a bowl and cover the top of the bowl using a plastic wrap let it for 30 minutes.
9. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the baking sheet with the baking liner. And divide the dough you just made into three equal portions. Shape them into balls and start molding.
10. Spray the counter with flour just to make sure that your dough does not stick to the counter. And roll the dough into a very thin shape and put it on your hand. Place the filling inside the dough and wrap it up until the filling is covered completely.
11. Flour the moon cake mold, invert it and tap to remove the flour inside. Now, you can place your moon cake dough on the mold and press the top and lightly press to flatten the surface. Remove the moon cake from the mold and place them on the baking sheet and using the small stick make a few holes on the top of the cake bake it for about ten minutes.
12. While wait your cake on the oven, now you can make the egg wash by beating the egg until the egg is turning yellow.
13. After 10 minutes baking, remove the cake from the oven and let the cakes cool. Then lightly grease them with the egg wash and bake it again for about 5 minutes and remove it from the oven.

When you remove your cake from the oven after they’re cooked well. You might find that the color of your cakes does not really good yet. But let the cake for about 2 days, you will see your moon cake is turning to better look with a red colored on the edges.