Lotus Paste Moon Cake

Seems like I am in a mooncake making marathon these two days.  The snow skin mooncakes that I made earlier were a hit, which brings me to making the baked version today.  The recipe is adapted from Christine's Recipes.



Ingredients :


100g         plain flour
60g           golden syrup
1/2 tsp      alkaline water
28g           vegetable oil ( I used palm oil)
420g         lotus paste  (roll into 7 balls of 60g each)
1 egg yolk + 2tbsp egg whites (for egg wash)


 Method :

1)  Combine golden syrup, alkaline water and vegetable oil.
2)  Add in sifted flour.  Mix well but do not over mixed.  Knead lightly, cover and let it rest for 1 hour.
3)  Roll the dough into balls of 30g each. 

4)  Flatten the dough and place a portion of lotus paste in it.  Wrap to cover the lotus paste.
5)  Roll to smoothen the surface and press with the moon cake mould.
6)  Bake in pre heated oven at 180 degree Celcius for 10 - 12 mins.
7)  Egg wash the surface and remove from oven 5 mins later.
8)  Let the mooncake cool, cover and store for at least 2 days before consuming.

The ratio of the skin to filling is ideally to be 1:3 for the mooncake to have a thin skin.  However, being a beginner in mooncake making, I find it a bit tough to handle, thus, ended up with slightly thicker skin.  Should one wish to make mooncake with yolks, it should be noted that the weight of the yolk should be taken off the weight of the lotus paste filling.

The use of alkaline water in mooncake making is to neutralise the acidity of the golden syrup.  It also contributes to the browning of the mooncake's skin.  Once cooked, the mooncakes should be left for at least 2 days before consuming so that the 'return oil' process can take place.  This is a process where the mooncake gains the oil, giving it a nice shiny surface.

Every year, without fail, I will buy at least 4 mooncakes of pure lotus paste for own consumption.  Now that I can make them myself, looks like I will give it a pass this year and the years to come.   Considering the prices of mooncakes are getting ridiculously high these days, making them on our own is a real saver not to mention that it is a skill and knowledge that will last us a lifetime.