Mooncakes (Yuebing)
月饼 yuèbǐngSay it: yweh-BING
Mooncakes are the round, richly patterned pastries at the heart of China's Mid-Autumn Festival, when families gather to share them under the full moon. The most classic kind has a thin, tender golden crust wrapped around dense lotus seed paste and a salted duck egg yolk at the centre, standing for the moon. Each cake is pressed in a carved mould, baked, and left to soften for a day or two until the crust turns silky. Rich, faintly sweet and deeply savoury at the yolk, they are eaten in small wedges with tea.
Mooncakes (Yuebing)
月饼, yuèbǐng
Pronounced yweh-BING
- Serves
- 8
- Prep
- 1 hr
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr 35 min
- Level
- Medium
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Filling
Crust
To finish
Method
If using salted duck egg yolks, brush them with the Shaoxing wine and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 5-6 minutes, until just set and no longer wet. Let cool, then cut each yolk in half.
Divide the lotus seed paste into 8 portions of about 1 3/4 oz (50 g). Flatten each into a disc, press half an egg yolk into the centre, and roll the paste back into a smooth ball around it.
In a bowl, whisk the golden syrup, oil, alkaline water and baking soda until smooth and slightly pale. Add the flour and stir to a soft, sticky dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces of about 3/4 oz (22 g). Flatten one in your palm, set a paste ball in the centre, and ease the dough up and around it until fully enclosed. Repeat with the rest.
Dust a mooncake mould (about 3 1/4 inches / 8 cm) with flour and tap out the excess. Press each ball into the mould, then turn it out onto a lined baking tray, giving a firm, even press so the pattern is sharp.
Chill the pressed cakes for 20 minutes to help them hold their shape. Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Bake for 8 minutes, until the crust is pale and set. Remove, cool for 5 minutes, then brush lightly with the egg glaze, taking care not to fill the grooves of the pattern.
Return to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes more, until deep golden brown and the sides are firm. Cool completely on the tray.
Store the mooncakes in an airtight container for 1-2 days before eating, so the crust softens and turns glossy. Cut into wedges to serve.
Regional variant: Snow Skin Mooncakes (Bing Pi Yuebing)
Skip the oven entirely. Replace the baked crust with a dough of 1 cup (120 g) glutinous rice flour, 1/4 cup (30 g) rice flour, 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar and 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk, steamed for 20-25 minutes until translucent, then kneaded with 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil. Wrap chilled lotus paste (no yolk needed) in the cooled skin, press in the mould, and chill before serving.
Cook's notes
- Weigh the dough and filling portions; even sizes give the sharpest moulded patterns.
- Brush the glaze sparingly and only on the raised surface, or the pattern will blur.
- The cakes look pale and dry straight from the oven; the resting day is what makes the crust tender.
Serve with
Cut into thin wedges with strong Chinese tea such as oolong or pu-erh.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week; refrigerate for longer and bring to room temperature before eating.
