This year, I decided to try new recipes for moon cake dough and filling. There are two types of recipes for dough. One is with invert sugar syrup and less oil. One is without syrup but with more oil. Both recipes taste like the typical northern style moon cake. The second one tastes more crumbly. I personally think both taste fine, but the one with syrup and less oil is much easier to handle. So I decide the first dough recipe is my top choice.
The two filling recipes have different ratios of flour, nuts, and raisins. The second one has more nuts and also added sugar, peanut butter, sesame seeds, and a little bit of oil. My husband and I both liked second filling better.
Makes 12 small moon cakes (50g each)
Dough
| Cake Flour | 140g |
| Invert Sugar Syrup* | 95g |
| Vegetable oil or canola oil | 30g |
| Alkaline water* | 4ml |
| Salt | pinch |
Filling
| Toasted sticky rice flour* | 40g |
| Chopped freshly roasted mixed nuts | 150g |
| Toasted black sesame seeds | 20g |
| Crunchy peanut butter | 30 |
| Dried fruit (raisins/dates/prume/cranberry) | 40g |
| Sugar | 15g |
| Honey | 35g |
| Oil | 12g |
| Water | 2 tsp |
Invert Sugar Syrup*
| Sugar | 500g |
| Water | 200g |
| Lemon juice | 60g |
- Put everything in a pot that can tolerate acid. Bring it to boil, then cook for 30 minutes in low heat.
- Do not stir while cooking to avoid the sugar water stick on the side of the pot.
- Near to the end, measure the temperature. When it’s around 255F degrees, let it cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove it from the stove, let it cool.
- Wait for a day to use it.
Alkaline water*
- Bake enough amount of baking soda in 350F oven for more than 10 minutes.
- Mix the baked baking soda and water (1:3).
- Keep the rest for later use.
Toasted Sticky Rice Flour*
There are different ways to make toasted sticky rice. For a small amount, pan-fry is quick and easy. For a bigger amount, steaming is more convenient.
- Pan-fry: Stir fry the sticky rice flour in a non-stick pan in low heat until the color turns to light yellow.
- Steam: Put the sticky rice flour in a bowl that can fit in a steamer. Wrap it with plastic wrap. Poke some holes in the wrap. Then steam it for 20-30 minutes.
Shape
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Measure 30g filling and for it to a ball.
- Measure 20g dough. Gently flatten the dough. Press the center of the dough to a small bow. Place the filling on the top.
- Wrap the filling and slowly push the dough to cover the filling.
- Dust the cake with flour/rice flour.
- Use the small moon cake mold to shape the cake.
Bake
- Bake the moon cakes under 400F for 5 minutes. Brush a thin layer of egg on the surface including sides.
- Turn the heat down to 350F, bake another 5 minutes. Brush egg again.
- Put it back to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
