Mooncakes are heavy, dense, and sweet, a popular food item to consume during the mid-autumn festival in Chinese culture to celebrate the harvest season and the fullest moon, which takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar every year. Unlike homemade dumplings, which are often made in the company of family and friends for Lunar New Year, mooncakes are rarely homemade due to how labor- and time-intensive they are. Growing up, my mom would always buy a tin straight from the store. Because of how complex they are to make, a tin of four mooncakes can run you anywhere from $20 to $60 (or more!) each! (Tip for the more budget conscious: If you wait after the holiday passes, many of these cakes will go on sale, much like Easter candy.)
If you do decide to make these at home, be ready to take on A Project, capital A, capital P. Much like sourdough bread and homemade ramen, DIY mooncakes will take a lot of time as well as a lot of ingredients to source. This is not a food for the noncommittal cook: You must have patience and interest to enjoy the process! Many fillings for mooncakes exist, though most tend to be sweet pastes made of either red bean, lotus seed, black sesame, or a mixture of fruit and nut. The most classic is also my favorite: lotus seed paste with a salted duck egg yolk embedded in the middle, meant to symbolize the full moon.
This recipe takes you through the steps for homemade red bean paste and homemade lotus seed paste, which gives you control over how sweet your pastes are, but if you are short on time, feel free to use store-bought versions instead. In order to make a smooth and creamy filling, you must use a pressure cooker—such as the Instant Pot—for optimal results: Cooking your beans or lotus seeds on the stovetop will yield a chunkier consistency that can be hard to work with during assembly.
Traditional mooncakes with a golden, egg-washed pastry crust are normally the size of your palm. To make it more feasible for the home cook, this recipe yields mini mooncakes about 2" across. To create the intricate patterns on top, you will need to buy a mooncake mold in order to stamp on the signature designs. As an alternative, you can also use a 2" round cookie cutter to help you create a plainer-looking cake.
If you don’t have a scale to measure out your balls of filling and pastry dough, use a tablespoon as your guide: 1 tablespoon is about 15 grams, so a rounded tablespoon will be 18 to 20 grams. The most important thing to keep in mind is to dust your assembled balls and mooncake mold with ample cornstarch to ensure a clean release from the mold. If your cake sticks to the mold, use a gentle and even grip to help it detach.
Do you dare try your hand at this project? If you do, drop us a comment down below and let us know your tips and tricks!
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- Yields:
- 19
- Prep Time:
- 15 mins
- Total Time:
- 2 days 12 hrs 30 mins
Ingredients
Filling
- 4 oz.
adzuki beans or lotus seeds
- 3/4 c.
granulated sugar
- 4 tbsp.
salted butter
Pastry Dough
- 1 tbsp.
water
- 1/2 tsp.
baking soda
- 1 1/4 c.
all-purpose flour
- 1/4 c.
cornstarch
- 3 tbsp.
peanut oil
- 1/3 c.
honey
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
Assembly
- 10
salt-cured duck egg yolks, halved
Cornstarch, for dusting
Egg wash, for brushing
Directions
Filling
- Step 1Cover beans or seeds with 4" water. Let soak overnight or up to 12 hours.
- Step 2Drain beans or seeds and transfer to an Instant Pot. Add 2 cups water and lock lid. Set to Pressure Cook on High for 30 minutes. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for a natural release, then remove lid. Drain and discard liquid.
- Step 3Transfer cooked beans or seeds to a large pot and add granulated sugar and butter. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to a paste and releases from sides of pot, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to refrigerator to chill until completely cold, at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
Pastry Dough
- Step 1In a small pot over low heat, bring water and baking soda to a boil and cook 10 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Step 2In a large bowl, combine flour and cornstarch. Stir in oil until evenly distributed, then stir in honey, salt, and baking soda solution. Knead with your hands until a dough forms. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Assembly
- Step 1Portion chilled filling into 19 balls (about 20 grams each). Working one at a time, using your thumb, create a divet and place an egg yolk half inside. Enclose with filling, rolling between your palms to smooth into a ball. Repeat with remaining filling and yolks.
- Step 2Portion pastry dough into 19 balls (about 18 grams each). Sprinkle balls with cornstarch. Working one at a time, roll ball between parchment into 4" rounds. Place a portioned filling in center of round and enclose with dough, rolling between your palms to smooth into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough and filling, then sprinkle a light layer of cornstarch all over.
- Step 3Preheat oven to 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment. Place one ball inside a mooncake mold and gently press down on mold, holding in place 10 to 15 seconds to imprint design. Carefully release mooncake from mold and arrange on prepared sheet, spacing at least 1" apart.
- Step 4Bake mooncakes 8 minutes, then remove from oven and lightly brush all over with egg wash. Continue to bake 8 minutes more, then remove from oven and lightly brush with egg wash again. Continue to bake until mooncakes are golden brown, about 8 minutes more.
- Step 5Let cool slightly, then transfer mooncakes to an airtight container, arranging in a single layer with no sides touching. Let rest at room temperature 2 days before consuming.
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