Traditional Baked Mooncake (传统烘月饼)

Method21 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Sift the 200 g pastry flour into a bowl.

   Uses 200 g Hong Kong wheat flour, for the pastry

2. 2

   Step 2: Make a well in the flour, add the golden syrup (125 ml), 50 ml pastry peanut oil and food-grade alkaline water (¼ tbsp), then fold with a spatula until well combined.

   Uses Sifted pastry flour · 125 ml golden syrup · 50 ml peanut oil, for the pastry · ¼ tbsp food-grade alkaline water, for the pastry

3. 3

   Step 3: Cover the pastry bowl and leave the egg-free dough at room temperature for 2–3 hours. Check after 2 hours that it has settled into a workable dough; keep covered while preparing the filling.

   Rest the mooncake pastry · 120 minUses Mixed egg-free mooncake pastry

4. 4

   Step 4: After the dough has rested, remove any salted charcoal coating from the nine raw salted duck eggs. Clean the shell exteriors thoroughly and dry them before cracking.

   Uses 9 raw salted duck eggs, to obtain the 9 salted yolks for the filling · Clean water, as needed to clean the charcoal coating from the salted-egg shells

5. 5

   Step 5: Crack the salted duck eggs and separate the nine yolks from the whites. Refrigerate the unused salted whites promptly for another cooked recipe.

   Uses Only cleaned raw salted duck eggs, excluding shell-washing water

6. 6

   Step 6: Gently blot excess white from the salted yolks with clean kitchen paper, keeping the yolks intact.

   Uses Only the nine separated raw salted duck yolks, excluding unused whites and shells

7. 7

   Step 7: Grease a heat-safe plate lightly with the separate plate oil and arrange the salted yolks on it. Bring the external steamer water to a full boil, then steam the yolks for 2 minutes from steady steam. Let them cool just enough to handle and proceed directly to assembly; the final bake must finish cooking the egg filling.

   Briefly steam the salted yolks · 2 minUses Prepared raw salted duck yolks · A little cooking oil, to grease the salted-yolk steaming plate · Water, enough for the external steamer; replenish as needed

8. 8

   Step 8: Mix the 50 g ready toasted melon seeds evenly into the 1 kg ready lotus-seed paste. Use an already seasoned mould suitable for a 180 g cake, the author’s 50 g pastry plus 130 g filling size.

   Uses 1 kg ready lotus-seed paste (lian rong) · 50 g ready toasted melon seeds

9. 9

   Step 9: Weigh out 50 g of the rested pastry for each cake. Make up to nine cakes only while the pastry and filling stocks permit complete portions. Keep remaining dough covered; stop rather than making an incomplete cake if less than a full portion remains.

   Uses Measured 50 g portions drawn from the rested pastry batch

10. 10

    Step 10: For each available 50 g pastry portion, take one prepared salted yolk and enough of the prepared lotus-and-seed mixture that their combined weight is exactly 130 g. Keep that yolk and its measured paste portion together for the following filling steps.

    Uses One prepared salted duck yolk for each complete cake · Enough prepared lotus-and-seed mixture to bring each yolk-plus-paste portion to 130 g

11. 11

    Step 11: Roll the measured lotus-and-seed paste portion into a ball and make a central indent large enough for its reserved yolk.

    Uses Only the measured paste-and-seed portion, excluding its reserved yolk

12. 12

    Step 12: Put the reserved yolk in the indent and enclose it with the paste. Seal and roll into a ball, keeping the yolk centred.

    Uses Shaped measured paste-and-seed portion · Only the reserved single prepared yolk for this filling portion

13. 13

    Step 13: Roll a measured 50 g pastry portion into a ball, flatten with your palms and wrap it around a 130 g filling ball. Seal the pastry completely without cracks.

    Uses Only a measured 50 g pastry portion, excluding the covered remaining batch · Prepared 130 g filling ball

14. 14

    Step 14: Roll the enclosed cake gently into a ball and dust lightly with the separate dusting flour.

    Uses Enclosed raw mooncake · Additional Hong Kong wheat flour, as needed to dust the cakes and mould

15. 15

    Step 15: Dust the already seasoned mooncake mould generously with the same dusting-flour allowance and tap out excess.

    Uses Additional Hong Kong wheat flour, as needed to dust the cakes and mould

16. 16

    Step 16: Press the cake into the floured mould, working from the outside toward the centre until the mould spaces are filled evenly.

    Uses Only flour-dusted raw mooncake, excluding excess dusting flour · Only the dusted mould’s flour coating, excluding shaken-out excess

17. 17

    Step 17: Tap the mould on the table on each side to loosen and release the cake. Repeat the measuring, filling, wrapping and moulding steps for up to nine complete cakes as the stocks allow. Keep unused paste and yolks refrigerated promptly and any unused dough covered and chilled.

    Uses Moulded raw mooncake

18. 18

    Step 18: Preheat the oven to 160°C. Space the completed raw mooncakes on a baking tray, spritz lightly with the separate spraying water and bake for 15 minutes.

    Bake the mooncakes before glazing · 15 minUses Only completed moulded raw mooncakes, excluding unused dough, filling and yolks · Clean water, as needed to spritz the shaped mooncakes

19. 19

    Step 19: Take the cakes out and let their surfaces cool so the glaze will not cook on contact. Beat the two fresh egg-wash yolks with the separate one fresh egg white and strain. Brush a thin, even coating over the cooled imprints without flooding them; refrigerate and reserve or discard unused wash promptly.

    Uses Only first-baked mooncakes, excluding unused spray water · 2 fresh egg yolks, for the egg wash · 1 fresh egg white, for the egg wash

20. 20

    Step 20: Return the glazed cakes to the 160°C oven and bake for another 10 minutes, checking occasionally to prevent burning, until golden brown and the egg filling reaches 71°C (160°F). Continue as needed to cook the centre through.

    Finish baking the glazed mooncakes · 10 minUses Only first-baked glazed mooncakes and adhering wash, excluding unused egg wash

21. 21

    Step 21: Cool the fully baked cakes promptly, then refrigerate covered at 4°C (40°F) or below within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C. Keep them refrigerated for the author’s 1–2-day oil-redistribution period before serving; this improves the pastry’s gloss and texture.

    Uses Fully baked cooked-egg mooncakes