The Moon Festival - an excuse to eat cake?
- Xin Liu
- Oct 4, 2017
- 4 min read
As the only Chinese member of the myBaker team, I want to introduce you to one of the most exciting traditional Chinese festivals...The Moon Festival. The Moon Festival (otherwise known as the Mid-Autumn Festival) takes place on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, meaning that this year it falls on the 4th October. According to the ancients, the roundest full moon will always appear on this day. The full moon symbolises family reunion, and no matter how far away from home, everyone must go back and celebrate with their parents.
To celebrate the Moon Festival, families have their second most important meal of the year together (the first one is in Chinese New Year). The centerpiece of this meal is a traditional Chinese bake, moon cake, so called because it is circular like a full moon. Moon cake is mainly made with lard or vegetable oil for the crust and filled with red bean or lotus seed paste. The cake comes in endless flavours to satisfy food lovers: red bean paste, five kernel (filled with mixed nuts and seeds), roast pork, ice cream, fruit and vegetable, egg custard and even seafood, to name a few. My personal favourite is egg yolks wrapped in lotus seed paste – the sweetness of the lotus seed paste perfectly balances our the saltiness of the egg yolks, and the hint of lotus flower scent adds more chemistry to the combination. In recent years, ‘snow skin’ moon cake has become fashionable. Snow skin moon cake broke tradition because it is not baked, and is best served chilled. The crust is made of frozen sticky rice, and juices are often added to the fillings to enhance the flavours.
Moon cake has gradually become the most important part of the festival – so much so that these days it is also known as the Moon Cake Festival!
Want to have a go at making your own moon cake? Here’s a recipe for you to try.
Black sesame and egg yolk moon cake
Makes 10 mini moon cakes
Note: you will need a mini moon cake mold (fitted with a patterned lid) and a silicon brush
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 140g raw black sesame seeds
- 45g confectioners sugar
- 55g unsalted butter
- 40g glutinous rice flour
- 5 salted egg yolks (these can be made beforehand using this recipe)
For the dough:
- 56g Chinese golden syrup (this can be purchased in Asian supermarkets or online)
- ½ teaspoon kansui (this can be purchased in Asian supermarkets or online)
- 20g peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 100g plain flour
- 1 large egg yolk
Method:
To make the filling:
Spread the black sesame seeds in a large skillet and put on a medium heat. When the skillet gets hot, turn to medium low heat. Stir every 3 to 4 minutes. Cook until you smell a very strong nutty aroma and hear the sesame seeds sizzling. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Transfer the seeds to a food processor. Blend until they start to seep oil and thicken (about 2 minutes). Using a spatula, scrape the paste from the walls and bottom of the food processor and blend again until a fine paste is formed.
Add the sugar and butter. Blend again until everything is mixed. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the glutinous rice flour. Fold with a spatula until the flour is fully blended and the paste forms a dough.
Divide the dough into 10 balls (20-30g per portion).
To shape the mooncake filling, flatten one black sesame ball with the hands. Place half a duck egg yolk in the middle. Wrap the sesame paste until it fully covers the egg yolk. Roll with hands to shape a ball. The ball should be slightly smaller than the opening of the mold.
Place the moon cake filling in the fridge to cool and harden.
To make the dough:
Combine the golden syrup and kansui in a large bowl. Mix with a spatula until emulsified.
Add the peanut oil and mix again until blended.
Sift the cake flour into the bowl. Gently fold the dough with a motion of scraping from bottom to top, like you are folding a cake batter.
When the flour is fully combined, shape the dough into a ball. The dough should be soft and a bit sticky but still hold its shape. Slowly add more flour if the dough is too difficult to handle. Gently knead the dough a few times with hands with a folding motion. Seal with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Gently knead the dough a few more times and place it back in the plastic wrap. Let rest for another 20 to 30 minutes.
To assemble the moon cakes:
Work on the mooncakes one at a time. Scoop 2 teaspoons dough (I love to use a medium-sized cookie scoop for this) and place between two pieces of parchment. Press it into a flat disc. Roll into a small round sheet.
Place the black sesame ball in the center of the dough sheet. Carefully wrap the dough around the filling. Spread the dough until it seals the filling in completely. Try to wrap the filling in a thin, even layer of dough.
Dust both hands and the dough with a bit of cake flour. Roll the dough between your hands so the surface will be dusted evenly.
Carefully place the mooncake into the mold. Place the mold on the parchment and press the handle until you cannot move it any further. Pull the handle up and release the mooncake.
To cook the moon cakes:
Preheat oven to 180/c
Place moon cakes on a large tray, 2cm apart. Spray a thin layer of water onto them to stop the dough cracking.
Beat the egg yolk with a pinch of salt in a bowl.
Bake on the middle rack for 8 to 9 minutes, until the dough toughens and the edges of the mooncakes start to turn golden
Remove the mooncakes from the oven. Brush a thin layer of egg wash on the surface of the mooncakes. Only brush the top surfaces, not the vertical surfaces. Place the cakes back in the oven and continue baking until the egg wash turns golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Let the cakes cool on the tray before gently removing using a spatula.
Store in an airtight container. The cakes can be served after 24 hours, but will look and taste better after 3 days.
(Source: https://omnivorescookbook.com/traditional-mooncake)