Cantonese Mooncakes (月饼)

Mooncakes are a traditional delicacy enjoyed by many East and South-East Asian countries during Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节). Read on to discover how you can make your own using our recipe for traditional Cantonese-style Mooncakes filled with salted egg yolks and lotus seed paste (蛋黄莲蓉月饼).

9 ingredients | 14 steps | 2 hr 30 min

Why You Need This Recipe

• Homemade Mooncake as a gift for mid-Autumn festival will wow your family and friends.
• This recipe is easy to make because the lotus paste filling can be replaced with store-bought one for those short on time.
• Our 50g Mooncakes are the perfect bite-sized treat.

About Mooncakes (月饼)

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) is a celebration that falls each year on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. Without a doubt, this festival brings back childhood memories of sharing a sweet treat with my mum and dad while lighting intricate paper lanterns in our backyard.

Essentially, Mooncakes are stuffed sweet pasties shaped into a full-moon with detailed patterns on top. Certainly, there are many varieties coming from different regions of China. But undoubtedly, the Cantonese-style ones are the most popular in the country and with Chinese migrants around the world.

What You Will Need

Mooncake mould

These unique moulds are essential for shaping your Mooncakes. You can either use the more traditional wooden ones or the more modern plastic ones.

Star Ingredient

Salted Egg Yolks

Salted egg yolks are a popular addition to a number of traditional Chinese recipes ranging from snacks to seasonal desserts. Actually, earliest records of this ingredient date back to the 5th century. To this day, they are made by preserving chicken egg yolks in salt, rice wine and white vinegar. The end result is a cured egg with the richness of soft cheese and a salty tang.

Scroll to the bottom to find the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe.

Prepping Tips

While you can obviously make your own, I recommend using ready-made egg yolks which you can buy from your nearest Asian grocery store. This will save you a lot of time and allow you to focus on the other components.

If you want to further save time, you can also buy the lotus seed paste to use as a filling. However, I like making my own because I can control the sugar content.

Complete Recipe Steps

Here’s a summary of the steps you need to follow to make Mooncake.

Cook the filling (you can skip this step if using ready-made paste)

1. Soak the dried lotus seeds in water overnight. Drain well and carefully remove the green bits in the centre (if any).

2. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the seeds until soft (30-40 minutes). Then, drain seeds and puree them in a food processor. You can add some water if necessary.

Scroll to the bottom for the printable recipe card

3. Transfer the filling mixture to a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat. Add sugar and oil a little bit at a time. Stir and mix regularly. Once the filling is dry and holds its shape, remove from heat to cool.

Prepare the dough

4. Mix golden syrup, oil and Kansui until uniform. Then, add flour, mix and knead briefly to form a soft dough.

5. Cover dough mixture with cling wrap and rest for 30 minutes.

Assemble

6. Put one salted egg yolk on the scale and add enough lotus seed paste filling to reach 30g.

7. Flatten the filling paste into a small round sheet. Gently wrap the salted egg yolk using the paste sheet until the egg is completely sealed.

8. Flatten 20g of the dough mixture and use it to wrap the filling. Carefully shape into a ball.

Shape the cakes

9. Coat the ball with a thin layer of corn starch. And place it in the mooncake mould.

10. Over a baking tray lined with parchment paper, place the mould with the opening facing down. Gently push the handle to shape the cake. Lift the mould and press again to release the cake.

Bake the cakes

11. Preheat your oven to 190°C (or 375°F). Repeat step above to make 20 Mooncakes. Place cakes in oven for 5 minutes. While they bake, mix the fresh egg yolk with 1 tsp of water for brushing.

12. At the 5 minute mark, reduce the oven temperature to 160°C (320°F). Remove the cakes and brush their top with a thin later of the egg wash.

13. Return cakes to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove and brush with egg wash again. Finally, bake for another 10-15 minutes until cakes are evenly brown.

Rest & store

14. Allow the baked cakes to cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, transfer to an airtight container. They will be ready to enjoy after 1-2 days.

How to Serve Mooncake

You will want to consume your Mooncakes within 1-2 days of baking. If you have to keep them for longer, you can store them in the fridge. However, make sure that you let them come to room temperature before serving.

They are ready to be served once soft to touch and appear shiny. And the best way to pair Mooncake is with a strong cup of tea.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use honey to replace the syrup?

While honey will add a similar level of sweetness as golden syrup, I don’t like to use it. The main reason for this is because I’ve found honey to make a very brittle dough.

Can I use store-bought lotus seed paste?

Yes, you can use ready made lotus seed paste to fill your Mooncakes. However, I’ve often found them to be too sweet for my own liking.

Why does my Mooncake taste bitter?

The most likely reason for this is if you use too much Kansui.

Can I store my Mooncakes in the fridge?

Yes, you can. But you will want to make sure that they get to room temperature before serving.

Printable Recipe Card