These classic Chinese mooncakes shiny, fragrant, and beautifully golden brown on the outside and filled with red bean paste and salted yolks (or not if you prefer). They are perfect desserts and snacks and an even better gift for Mid-Autumn Festival!
1tablespoonmaltose syrup(optional to make bean paste more malleable)
Instructions
Day before - homemade golden syrup (if making):
In a saucepan, add the sugar, gently add the ⅓ cup of water, and the lemon juice.
Place the saucepan over medium high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer the syrup until it turns amber in color or around 295°F. Gently stir occasionally.*Be very careful! The syrup will be extremely hot. Also, as the syrup starts to darken, it can change shades very quickly. So when it starts to change color, make sure to keep an eye on it.*
While the syrup is simmering, mix together the ¼ cup of water and baking soda. Set aside until needed.
When the syrup is at the right color, immediately remove from heat and add the baking soda water solution. The syrup will bubble for a moment. Stir until well combined and the syrup stops bubbling.
Allow the syrup to cool then transfer to a sanitized container and store at room temperature overnight. The syrup may have a lot of foam on top at this point but the foam should dissipate as it sits.*Refer to the post above for more details.*
Homemade red bean paste - Instant Pot Method (if making):
Discard any adzuki beans that are black or broken. Then rinse the bean a couple times to remove any debris. Drain and transfer the beans to the Instant Pot along with the 4 cups of water.
Place the lid onto the Instant Pot and turn it to the lock position. Turn the venting valve to "SEAL" and select the "Pressure Cook" function. Set the time to 25 minutes, normal cook, and high pressure. Once done, allow the Instant Pot to natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure.
Using a mesh strainer, strain the cooked adzuki beans. Give the mesh strainer a couple of shakes to remove excess liquid but no need to press. Transfer the beans to a blender and reserve some of the liquid.
Blend the adzuki until smooth or as fine as possible. If necessary, add a little of the reserved bean liquid to help the beans blend easier, starting with 1 tablespoon at a time. Try to use a little extra liquid as possible because the more that's added the longer the bean paste will have to be cooked for.
Transfer the blended bean paste to a nonstick pan and add the oil. Using a rubber spatula, stir and cook the bean paste on medium low heat for a few minutes until the oil is absorbed. Then add the sugar and salt and cook until the paste becomes drier and resembles play-dough. Add the maltose syrup and cook until the paste no longer sticks to the pan or the spatula. Transfer the red bean paste to a plate or bowl. Spread out the bean paste and loosely cover with clinge wrap, making sure the wrap touches the surface of the bean paste.
Salted egg yolk (if using):
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Arrange the salted yolks on the prepared sheet pan, spaced about 1 inch apart. Spray each yolk with some clear liquor and bake until the egg yolks release it's oil and starts to foam, about 10 minutes for store-bought packaged ones and about 10 to 15 minutes for homemade ones.*If you don't have a spray bottle, you can also pour some clear liquor into a bowl and roll each yolk in the liquor.*
Once done baking, remove from the oven and allow the yolks to cool completely at room temperature before using.
Mooncake dough:
In a small mixing bowl, add the golden syrup, oil, lye water, and salt. Stir with a spatula until well combined. Then add flour and mix until a dough comes together and no more dry flour is visible. Cover and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.*The dough will be tacky but should not be sticky. Depending on your environment's humidity and your golden syrup, an additional tablespoon or two of flour may be needed.*
Assemble and bake:
If using a 100 gram mold:Dough: Portion the mooncake dough into 30g portions (should be 8 portions) . Roll each piece of dough in your between your palms to round them out.Filling: The filling needs to equal 70 grams total whether you are using salted yolks or not. So if you are not add salted yolks to the mooncake, portion out eight 70g red bean paste. If adding salted yolks, weight each yolk and pair it with enough red bean paste to total 70 grams. Round out each portion of the red bean paste.
If using a 50 gram mold:Dough: Portion the mooncake dough into 15g portions (should be 15 portions). Roll each piece of dough in your between your palms to round them out.Filling: The filling needs to equal 35 grams total whether you are using salted yolks or not. So if you are not add salted yolks to the mooncake, make fifteen 35g portions of bean paste. If adding salted yolks, weight each yolk and pair it with enough red bean paste to total 35 grams. Round out each portion of the red bean paste.*If you prefer, you can cut the salted yolks in half after baking so that the yolks won't be too big for the mooncakes.*
If using salted yolks in the filling:Working with one set of filling at a time, use your thumb to create an indentation in the center of the red bean paste that's large enough to fit the salted yolk. Press the yolk into the bean paste and wrap the paste around the yolk. Seal the seam and roll the filling in your palms to round it out. Repeat with the remaining pairs of filling.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mat.
Shape:With gloved hands, flatten a ball of mooncake dough into a thin disc using your palms. For 100g mooncakes, the disc should be about 3-4 inches wide, and 2-3 inches wide for 50g mooncakes.
Place the prepared mooncake filling in the center of the dough, then turn your hand upside-down to allow the dough to drape over the filling and to peel off the glove. Wrap the dough around the filling and flip it right-side up to seal the filling. You may need to mold the dough to entirely cover the filling. Roll the mooncake in your palms to round it out.*Refer to the post above for photo reference of this process!*
Dust the mooncake with some flour and use a pastry brush to dust off the excess. Also dust the inside of the mooncake mold well with flour.
Place the dusted mooncake on the prepared sheet pan. Fit the mooncake mold over the mooncake and press down the lever firmly to shape the mooncake. Gently dust off any excess flour and repeat this process with the remaining filling and dough. Make sure to spread them about 1 inch apart.*For 50g molds, you may need to shape the mooncake into an oblong shape so that it can fit into the mold.*
Bake:Once finished with shaping, lightly spray each mooncake with 1-2 spritz of water. Bake for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the mooncakes from the oven and decrease the temperature to 325°F. Lightly brush the mooncakes with the prepared egg wash. Make sure to not brush with too much egg wash or the pattern may get blurred.
When the oven is at the right temperature, bake the mooncakes for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the mooncakes to cool completely at room temperature before handling.
Once cooled, transfer the mooncakes into airtight containers, in a single layer. Allow the mooncakes to mature at room temperature for 2 days for best flavor and texture. Enjoy on their own or with tea!
Notes
Please refer to the post above for step by step photo reference, tips, storage, and FAQs!
Fluffed, spooned & leveled - To get the most accurate measurement, use a scale. The best alternative is to follow this fluff, spoon, and level technique to prevent using too much flour. This is recommended for all flour measurements.
First, fluff up the flour in your bag or canister with a spoon. Next, spoon the flour into your dry measuring cup until it overflows. Do no shake or tap. Lastly, use a straight edge, like the back of a butter knife, to scrape and level off the flour.
Red bean paste - This can be easily made at home, but you can also find it at most Asian markets and save time. Store-bought ones are usually a bit sweeter and oilier but convenient to use.
Salted duck egg yolk - You can make your own salted duck eggs (or chicken eggs!) and collect the yolks for mooncakes or buy the vacuum packed ones from Chinese markets.