Cantonese-Style Lotus Seed Paste and Salted Egg Yolk Mooncake
Mooncakes are a famous traditional Chinese snack deeply loved by the people of China. Their round shape symbolizes unity and harmony, making them a must-eat during the Mid-Autumn Festival. In ancient times, mooncakes were used as offerings during the festival. The custom of eating mooncakes during Mid-Autumn is said to have started in the Tang Dynasty. By the Northern Song Dynasty, they became popular in the royal court and later spread among the common people, where they were referred to as "small cakes" or "moon circles." During the Ming Dynasty, they became a nationwide tradition. Today, mooncakes have become even more diverse, with regional variations in flavor. Cantonese-style mooncakes, characterized by thin skin and rich filling, are especially loved across the country! This recipe is created in collaboration with the KitchenAid stand mixer. Please do not use it without authorization. Thank you!
Ingredients
Steps
First, add shortening, golden syrup, flour, and lye water into the mixing bowl of the stand mixer.
Then attach the bowl to the KitchenAid stand mixer and mix on speed 4.
The dough should be smooth and non-sticky, and the mixing bowl should be clean. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for an hour.
Soak the salted egg yolks in vegetable oil to remove any unpleasant odor, then pat them dry with kitchen paper. Place them on a baking sheet, spray with cooking wine, and bake at 180°C until slightly golden. If using vacuum-packed egg yolks, you can skip this step and directly encase them with filling.
Encapsulate the egg yolks in the lotus seed paste, ensuring the yolks are in the center. Seal tightly. For 50g or 63g mooncakes, avoid oversized yolks (recommend around 10-12g). For 63g mooncakes, use 43g filling and 20g skin.
Weigh the rested dough into 20g portions. Cover both the dough and prepared filling with plastic wrap.
Take a piece of dough, knead it repeatedly in your hands, then wrap it around the filling. Ensure the dough adheres tightly, maintains consistent thickness, and seals properly.
Adjust the filled dough balls in your hands to achieve even skin distribution. This will prevent leakage when pressing the mooncake into shape.
Lightly coat the raw mooncake dough with flour (do not overdo it), then press it into shape using the mold.
Place the shaped mooncakes onto a baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 200°C with both top and bottom heat. Use a spray bottle to lightly mist the mooncakes from a height (avoid over-spraying to preserve patterns), and bake on the middle rack for 5 minutes.
Let the mooncakes cool, then brush them with egg wash. First, dab the brush on the edge of the bowl to remove excess egg wash. Apply a very thin layer across the patterns.
Adjust the oven temperature to 180°C and bake on the middle rack for about 15 minutes. You'll have a tray of beautiful mooncakes!