Moon cake is traditionally eaten during the Mid-autumn Festival. This year its on Thursday 1st October 2020.
The moon and moon cake is traditionally round in shape, round signifying family reunions and best wishes. The origin of moon cake was to send messages (rebel communications) so this is why we buy/send/exchange moon cake to our friends and family, communicating to them how we feel about them and our best wishes.
This recipe is a vegan version as I use a ball of lotus paste in place of salted duck egg yolk. The traditional egg yolk/water glaze has also been replaced by a milk glaze in this recipe. I recommended soy or almond milk.
Ingredients (makes 8 large mooncakes)
75g golden syrup
30g oil
10ml lye water
150g cake flour
500g red bean paste
200g lotus paste
1T non-dairy milk
1T water
*you can use other pastes like black sesame or red lotus paste. The stiffer the paste the easier it will be to manage. If your pastes are too wet, you may need to use flour like potato starch or lotus seed flour to help stop the pastes sticking to your hands
Method
Whisk in a bowl golden syrup, oil and lye water
Add 150g cake flour gradually
Whisk/Knead so that it is evenly mixed
Cover with glad wrap
Rest 1 hour
(This is the moon cake skin)
Divide lotus paste into 8 x 25g balls
Divide red bean paste into 8 (If you get a 500g pack, this is 62.5g each)
Roll pastes into balls
Flatten red bean paste into a disc
Wrap each lotus ball in the red bean paste and shape back into a ball
Divide rested mooncake skin dough into 8 portions (roughly 30g - pinch off excess if it's too much when you are wrapping)
Wrap each ball of filling in dough
(Cold hands are good. Wearing plastic gloves also helps a lot. You need to gently press out on your palm, then wrap over the lotus ball. You can then push the dough around to bridge any gaps and re-roll before stamping)
Dust balls with potato starch
Shape into a ball and place onto tray lined with baking paper
Ensure mooncake mould has been dusted with potato starch
Put 100g mooncake mould on top
Flatten press to stamp
After pressing, spray with water to set and get rid of any potato starch marks
Bake at 200C FF (fan forced) for 5 mins
Prep glaze of
1T non dairy milk
1T water
Glaze mooncakes with a brush
Bake again at 160C FF for 5 mins
Glaze again
Bake again at 160C FF for 5-10 mins (I baked for 8 minutes - check colour and please note that your mooncakes will continue to darken due to the lye water, so do not bake too dark)
Cool
Place in a sealed container for 2-3 days for skin to develop soft texture before eating
About Lye Water
Lye water is used to soften and darken the mooncake skin. Please use food grade lye water. It is available from most Asian grocers but you may need to ask for it. Sometimes it is helpful to show them a photo.
Video link (watch for shaping technique)
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