Fruit Mooncake 水果月餅
For Mid Autumn Festival this year we decided to experiment with infusing the flavors and gorgeous colors of fruit into white bean paste fillings to make Homemade Fruit Mooncakes 水果月餅 that are out of this world: tender golden crusts beautifully imprinted with traditional mooncake patterns wrapped snuggly about brilliantly hued fruit infused fillings.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 9 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 15.5oz white bean paste, 440g (check out our homemade white bean paste recipe)
- 0.63oz freeze dried mango, 18g
- 0.63oz freeze dried red dragon fruit, 18g
- 2 cups flour, 250g
- 6oz golden syrup, 170g (see our recipe for homemade golden syrup, scroll to bottom)
- 3.5 tbsp lard (or peanut oil), 50g
- 1 tsp lye water 鹼水
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp water
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the filling: Split the white bean paste in half. Process the freeze dried fruits into powder form and mix with the white bean paste until completely incorporated, making one mango flavored paste and one dragon fruit flavored paste.
- 2
Weigh the fruit infused paste into 0.63oz/18g portions and roll into balls. Cover and chill in fridge while making the mooncake skin.
- 3
Prepare the mooncake skin: Add flour, golden syrup, lard and lye water into a mixing bowl and mix until an oily, smooth, non sticky dough is formed. If too dry add a bit more lard or oil. If too wet add more flour, one tbsp at a time. Cover and let rest for 15 mins.
- 4
Preheat: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- 5
Wrap the mooncake: Weigh out wrapper dough into 0.63oz/18g portions and roll into balls. Take one ball and roll out to a 3 inch circle.
- 6
Place one fruit filling ball on the wrapper. Place all onto palm, then gather the dough up and around the filling using a gather, turn, gather turn motion until filling is entirely wrapped inside. Please see our How to Wrap a Mooncake post for tips and great cheats on the perfect mooncake wrapping method. Roll the wrapped mooncake gently to return to a nice round ball shape. Dust generously with flour all around.
- 7
Press mooncake mold: Lightly flour mold with an old toothbrush. Drop wrapped and floured mooncake into mold. Try to drop the side with more thickness of wrapper facing down. Press gently so that the mooncake completely fills the mold. Turn mold upside down and tap the end once or twice while holding a hand below to catch the mooncake as it falls out. Repeat for all the mooncakes.
- 8
Place molded cakes onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet with an inch inbetween cakes. Use a pastry brush to brush off any excess flour.
- 9
Bake the mooncake: Bake for 10 mins. While baking prepare the egg wash by mixing the egg yolk with 1 tsp water.
- 10
Remove mooncakes from oven at 10 min mark and brush egg wash over the tops and sides. Make sure that the egg wash doesn't puddle in the top patterns.
- 11
Place back into the oven to bake another 5-10 mins (depends on mooncake size) or until the mooncakes are a golden yellow.
- 12
Let cool completely before putting into an airtight container for 2 days for a 'rest phase' to allow the skin to soften. After the resting phase your fruitiliciously delicious mooncakes are ready to eat. Enjoy and happy moon gazing to all!