This year I decide to try making baked mooncakes. I didn't really go and look for recipes this time. After looking at all the delicious mooncakes posted by Ann, Ann recommend me her traditional mooncake recipe and I just settle on this.
Got all my mooncake ingredients from Kwong Cheong Thye. You got to make a trip there if you haven't. They have so many different types of mooncake pastes that you will take a long time to decide. They have samples for you to try and you can buy the paste in packets of 500g. I also got all the other ingredients here.
I did a small batch first. A bit nervous before sending the mooncakes into the oven.
Luckily my first batch turned out looking good! Except for a few errors here and there, like not wrapping the dough evenly, flouring too much and didn't brush the egg yolk well. The hello kitty one cracked, there was no filling inside as I used the leftover dough.
I did a short 15 seconds instagram video during the process. A bit too fast, haha! The video sequence also got messed up by IG, so sad. :(
This was how my mooncakes looked like after waiting for 2 days for it to soften and 'return oil' (回油).
I did a second batch on another day to finish all the paste. Here are my first homebake mooncakes. I bought the black sesame paste and coffee paste. Both of them taste great! Thanks Ann for the great recipe. It is very delicious and easy to make. I don't have to buy mooncakes next time. :) I didn't make any snowskin this year. Next year, promise!
Traditional Baked Mooncakes
Ingredients:
(*self-note: I make 30 pieces of 60g mooncakes, with 210g dough left)
450g Hong Kong flour (sifted)
270g Sugar syrup/golden syrup
9g Alkaline water
113g Peanut oil (I added a bit more to 120g)
1/2kg black sesame paste
1/2kg coffee paste
4 salted egg yolks
Method:
1. Remove salted egg yolk whites and rinse under gentle running water. Place yolks on a steaming plate, add 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine and a drop of sesame oil, mix well with the yolks. Steam at high heat for 5 mins and leave yolks to cool. Divide each yolk into 4 pieces (I'm using a small mould).
2. Weigh lotus paste to 35g and wrap the steamed salted egg yolk in the center and roll into a ball.
3. Mix sugar syrup, alkaline water and peanut oil together - combine well. Sift Hong Kong flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center and pour in the sugar syrup mixture. Using a rubber spatula to mix and form to a soft dough. Cover and let it rest for 20 mins (I rest for more than 1 hour).
4. Lightly dust some Hong Kong flour on table and knead dough again till smooth. Measure dough to 20g each.
5. Wrap the lotus paste with the soft dough then dust some Hong Kong flour on it and place inside the mooncake mold, flatten dough to conform to shape of mold. To dislodge the mooncake, gently push out the unbaked mooncake on the lined baking tray, about 10 pieces on one tray, not too close for even baking.
6. Baked in preheated oven 180C for 5 mins and rest to cool down (about 10 mins) before egg wash mooncake with a soft brush and bake for another 10 mins at 175C (I use 170C).
7. Remove mooncakes from oven and brush some glaze on mooncake. Leave mooncakes to cool and store in airtight container.
Kitchen note: Egg wash - one egg yolk + 1 tbsp water mix well and pass through a sieve. Add little egg yellow coloring and mix well.
Recipe from: Anncoo Journal
Wishing everyone Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
祝大家中秋节快乐！