It’s mooncake time again: the Mid-Autumn Festival! Lotus Mooncakes with Salted Egg Yolks are so popular that many readers requested a recipe after seeing my Savory Mooncake post. To my understanding, this filling combination is the top choice for most Cantonese folks––Bill included––when it comes to mooncakes.
I originally posted this recipe in September of 2016, but after re-testing it and gaining more knowledge about mooncake making over the last 5 years, we’ve updated the post with new tips, tricks, and insights as well as updated metric measurements!
What Are Mooncakes?
A mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten around the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is the second most important holiday of the year in China (after Chinese New Year/the Spring Festival). It’s a holiday for worshipping the moon for a bountiful harvest, giving thanks, and gathering with family.
Mooncakes come in many shapes and sizes, with both sweet and savory fillings. Some (like these) are pressed into molds with intricate designs, while others can be made from flaky pastry.
Why You Should Make Your Own Mooncakes
Okay, for some of you with super-human memories, you’ll remember that I messed up the folklore story for this holiday in the Savory Mooncakes post.
Thanks to many knowledgeable readers (and no thanks to my mother), I am ignorant no more!
Instead of talking about folklore, l want to focus on why exactly you should go through the trouble of making your own mooncakes.
Firstly, for anyone who has purchased mooncakes before, you know a box of four typically starts at around $30-$40, and can go all the way to $50 or more!
Prices vary by brand, fillings, and the number of salted egg yolks inside. Needless to say, it is a very expensive food item. All frugal Chinese spenders dispense with their daily logic and think to themselves, “Ohhhh, it’s only once a year, and it’s symbolic.” That’s how I usually talk myself into it, anyhow.
Secondly, lotus seeds are expensive, to the point that more and more brands are adding white beans in large portions to help reduce costs. Of course, there is nothing wrong with using white beans, but what IS wrong is that the package still claims it’s a lotus seed filling! When you see a box of lotus mooncakes priced at around $20.00, beware!
Lastly, but certainly not least: preservatives. Most (if not all) of the mooncakes on the market in the States come from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.
Considering the ocean freight time plus the inland transit time, I am pretty certain that the mooncakes that you buy in stores were made at least two to three months prior and pumped full of preservatives.
Ok, did I convince you to give this recipe a try yet? No? Here is one more reason: Sarah claimed that these homemade lotus mooncakes are the best mooncakes that she’s ever had.
Homemade mooncakes are fresh, soft, and a lot more flavorful. My first experience with fresh mooncakes was during our three-year stay in Beijing.
I was quite shocked with how superior the freshly-made mooncakes were compared with the store-bought ones that I’ve known all my life, and it had never crossed my mind that I could make them myself before that moment. Truly—TRULY—it’s time to find out what you’ve been missing.
A few important cooking tips to remember:
- I ordered my mooncake mold from Amazon. If you don’t have Amazon as a resource and can’t find an ideal mold, just shape the mooncake into a disc that’s about 3” in diameter and 1” in height. It’s still a mooncake without all the fancy patterns, and it will DEFINITELY still taste good!
- It is very important to weigh everything: the individual amount of filling per mooncake, the egg yolk, and the dough. Get your kitchen scale out, and click the “Metric” toggle under the list of the ingredients in the recipe card.
- Be sure to remove the green center of the lotus seeds, as they are very bitter. Even if they are hollowed out lotus seeds, go through them to pick out any green centers that may have been left behind. In my experience, there are always some that need to be picked out by hand. It’s best to buy the lotus seed halves (if you can find them) and save yourself this tedious step.
- The mooncake mold must be completely dry before you begin. It can be difficult to get the mooncakes out of the molds in the best of times. Thoroughly flouring the molds is also very important!
- It’s worth investing in a natural bristle pastry brush to brush the egg wash onto the mooncakes. Silicone brushes aren’t as absorbent, and won’t apply egg wash as evenly. You may end up with egg pooling on top of the mooncake, which will fill in and distort the mooncakes’ intricate designs.
- We prefer a silicone spatula for scraping the ingredients cleanly from mixing bowls (to avoid waste), and for their nonstick properties.
- You must set a timer when baking. These little cakes are a lot of work, and I’d hate to see your efforts foiled by a few minutes too long in the oven!
- And lastly, this is a six-part recipe! You need to soak the lotus seeds overnight. Also, you must fully cool both the lotus filling and mooncake dough in the refrigerator. Be sure to read the full recipe carefully before moving forward, and plan in advance! Beginners, maybe start with our Milk Bread if you’re looking for a sweet Asian treat. Intermediates and Pros, step up to the plate!
Finally, you may notice that our process photos are looking a bit…rough in this post. Sarah wasn’t home to photograph this process as I went through it, so I ended up taking most of the pictures. They may not be pretty, but they’re informative!
You’ll find the step-by step instructions with photos below, along with the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
A NOTE ON METRIC MEASUREMENTS
In the step-by-step instructions below, we use standard US customary measurements, but you can access their metric equivalents by clicking the “metric” button below the list of ingredients in the recipe card.
Okay, let’s get started.
Lotus Mooncakes Recipe Instructions
Lotus Mooncakes Part I: The Syrup
You can buy this syrup online (search for “Lyle’s Golden Syrup“), but it’s so simple to make that I suggest that you save the $9.
It’s also ideal for making ahead of time–you can store it in the fridge for months. The right consistency of the finished product is similar to honey.
- ½ pound granulated sugar (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- ½ cup water
- Juice of ½ a lemon
Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Once it’s boiled, add the lemon juice, stir, and immediately turn the heat down to low.
Keep the lid off, and let the syrup simmer for about 60 to 70 minutes until the sugary liquid turns a light amber color. Do not stir during this time frame!
By now, the liquid might look too watery, but it will thicken once cooled. Try not to overcook it, because it will become thick like caramel.
(Just in case you do overcook the syrup, and it’s too thick, add a few drops of hot water to thin it out. Keep adding the hot water until you get the right consistency.)
Now pour the sugary liquid into a heatproof container, and let it cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator.
Side note: I used organic sugar, so my syrup is slightly darker in color compared with syrup made with regular granulated white sugar.
Lotus Mooncakes Part II: The Lotus Filling
- 12 ounces dried lotus seeds (pre-halved is ideal if you can find it; we used whole)
- 4 to 4 1/2 cups water
- 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar (aka icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar)
- 1¼ cups peanut oil or corn oil
- 1/3 cup maltose
Using a butter knife, gently split the lotus seeds in half through the top opening. Remove and discard the green center, which is very bitter.
Rinse them and transfer to a large bowl. Cover with at least 2 inches/5 cm of water, and soak them overnight.
The next day, wash and drain the lotus seeds. In a pot, add the lotus seeds and 4 cups of water (the water level should be above the lotus seeds).
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once the water reaches a boil, turn the heat to low, and let the seeds simmer for 30 minutes.
It’s done once the lotus seeds are softened but have maintained their shape. Turn off the heat, let cool, and then drain the liquid in to a separate bowl. (Set this liquid aside.)
In a food processor, puree the cooked lotus seeds (it’s best to do this in two batches). Slowly add some of the reserved cooking liquid until the puree is very smooth but not too runny (a hummus-like consistency).
Transfer the lotus puree to a non-stick pan (or a well-seasoned cast-iron pan).
Turn the heat to medium/medium-low (it shouldn’t be so high that it generates steam or smoke at any point). Stir/flip/fold the puree constantly using a silicone spatula for about 30 minutes to avoid crusting. During this process, add the oil in 3-4 batches. Then stir in the sugar in 3-4 batches. Lastly, add the maltose in 2 batches. When adding each batch of material, make sure the last batch was well incorporated (2-3 minutes) before adding the next batch.
The lotus filling is done once the lotus paste is slightly firmer/can hold its shape.
Let it cool completely before storing in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can make this one day ahead of time, and I found that it’s easier to work with after chilling.
Lotus Mooncakes Part III: the Salted Duck Egg Yolk (it must be salted)
There are a couple of ways to go about preparing the salted duck egg yolk:
- You can buy raw salted duck eggs, crack the eggs open, and take out the yolks. Gently rinse the yolks under a small stream of running water to wash off any residual egg white. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Dip each yolk in baijiu (白酒, a clear Chinese liquor made from sorghum grain), just briefly to coat it, then put the egg yolks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes, let them cool completely, and they are ready to use. You can also prepare this ahead of time…just make sure to store them in an airtight container and in the fridge.
- You can buy pre-extracted, cooked salted duck egg yolks, like the ones I bought. I have found these to be slightly drier than I would normally like, but they are convenient. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F/175°C for 8 minutes. After cooling completely, they’re ready to use.
- You can also buy whole cooked salted duck eggs, and extract the whole yolk. These are ready to use, no baking needed.
a note about Pre-cooked salted duck egg yolks!
In the past I said pre-extracted, pre-cooked salted duck egg yolks (option 2) were ready to use as is, but after a recent taste test with my mother (Sarah and Kaitlin’s grandmother), we came to the conclusion that it is really best to bake them to extract extra oil and create that signature grainy egg yolk texture.
Lotus Mooncakes Part IV: The Dough
This part is the easiest! (I figured you’d be in need of a bit of good news at this point! Ha!)
- 140 ml sugar syrup (that you made or bought)
- ⅓ cup peanut oil or corn oil
- 1 teaspoon lye water (available at your Chinese grocery store)
- 1 ⅔ cups flour (about 250 grams) and more for dusting
First mix the sugar syrup, oil, and lye water together.
Then add the mixture to the flour, and use a rubber spatula to fold and combine everything into a soft dough.
Do not overwork the dough. This step should only take about a minute or two.
Cover the dough in an airtight container or with an overturned plate. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Chilled dough is much easier to work with.
(Side note: you may also leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight if you’d like to make it ahead of time.)
Lotus Mooncakes Part V: Assembling the Mooncakes
While the dough is resting, let’s start assembling the filling. My mooncake mold is marked 100 grams, which means each mooncake should weigh about 100 grams after assembly.
Here’s the breakdown for each component, by weight, that I used:
- Dough: 25 grams
- Salted Duck Egg Yolk: about 22 grams (I bought cooked salted egg yolks that come 12 in a pack)
- Lotus Filling: 58 grams if you are using the salted duck egg yolk; 70 grams if you are not using the salted duck egg yolk
This recipe makes 18 mooncakes total: 12 mooncakes with salted duck egg yolks and 6 mooncakes without.
Separately weigh out twelve 58g scoops of lotus filling and six 70g scoops of lotus filling. Shape each portion of filling into balls.
Next, take one of the 58g lotus balls, make a deep well in the middle, and insert one salted duck egg yolk into the middle. Then close the top and re-shape it into a ball. Repeat for the remaining 11 pieces. It’s good to separate the “with” and the “without.” It’s also a good idea to put them back into the refrigerator, covered, until you are ready to assemble the rest of the mooncakes.
Once the dough has finished resting, it’s time to prepare the mooncake mold. My mooncake mold came with four pattern plates. One plate should be attached to the mold itself and locked in place.
Wrap another one with clear plastic, because we will use it to press the mooncake from the bottom;, Now dust the inside of the mold with plenty of flour and shake off the excess.
You’ll need to repeat this process before pressing every mooncake to avoid sticking.
Divide and weigh the dough into eighteen 25g pieces, plus 1 smaller dough ball for scraps/mending, which I will get to. Shape each piece into a ball.
It’s also best to keep most of the dough balls in the refrigerator while assembling and only take out a couple pieces at a time.
Lightly dust the dough balls with flour. Take one dough ball and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 4-inch/10 cm round.
Put one piece of filling in the center. Carefully lift it up and turn it upside down, and gently press out the air bubbles around the lotus ball, without breaking the dough.
Now turn the opening facing up, and slowly press the dough together to close the opening, keeping the distribution of the dough as even as possible.
The dough feels like Play-doh, so it’s easy to break, but it’s also easy to squish back together. These instructions might sound confusing, but follow along with the pictures and keep in mind that the chief goal here is to close the dough around the filling without capturing air inside.
Now lightly dust the assembled ball with additional flour.
Place it inside the mooncake mold with the mold opening facing up.
Now press in the bottom piece (with the clear plastic-wrapped plate that you prepared). With some pressure, gently press it inward until it stops giving.
Quickly sit the mold down, and press the mooncake out with the top pressure bar. The bottom piece will come out no problem, but use your other hand to VERY GENTLY guide the mooncake out of the mold.
When and if a small piece of dough gets stuck and does not come out, get a small piece of the “scrap”/“mending” dough to patch up the area. Then clean the mold and dust it well with flour again.
Then gently flatten all sides of the mooncake to make it smaller, so it can go back in the mooncake mold for re-shaping.
Use slightly more flour for dusting if this becomes a persistent issue.
Place the mooncakes on a baking sheet as you make them. Repeat until you’ve assembled all 18 mooncakes. Note that they will not change size during baking.
Lotus Mooncakes Part VI: Baking the Mooncakes
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons water
Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C when you are almost finished assembling the mooncakes. Once the oven is preheated, gently mist the mooncakes with a food-grade spray bottle (if you have one) filled with water. But since I didn’t have one, I just used my fingers, and it worked fine! Dip your fingers into a bowl of water, and fling the water on your fingers onto the mooncakes a couple of times. This prevents the dough from cracking.
Then, immediately put the mooncakes in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. (Remember to set the timer!) Now prepare the egg wash by whisking the egg yolk and water together.
After the mooncakes have been baking for 5 minutes, take them out of the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 300°F/150°C. Now lightly brush each mooncake with egg wash, and put them back in the oven.
(Ignore the silicone brush in these photos. We’ve found that natural bristle pastry brushes work better for this step, as they don’t cause egg wash to pool in the crevices of the mooncakes.)
Bake them for another 15 minutes and remember to set the timer. When the time has elapsed, take them out and let them cool completely.
When the mooncakes first come out of the oven, the dough will look dry rather than shiny. This is normal.
Cool them completely. Once fully cooled, store the mooncakes in an airtight container for 1-2 days, and the outside will get that nice shiny sheen that you recognize and love.
After this last step, any uneaten mooncakes can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or up to 10 days.
Better yet, give them out as gifts to your family and friends! They will be so impressed!
(Then show them this recipe, so that they can be REALLY impressed.)
These lotus mooncakes are definitely a labor of love, but we think they’re worth it.
The most exciting part is cracking one of these lotus moon cakes open:
They’re lightly sweet and delightfully crumbly, just like a good mooncake should be. The salty bite from the egg yolk goes really well with the sweetness of the dough and the filling.
We like having our lotus mooncakes with a cup of hot tea.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Lotus Mooncakes with Salted Egg Yolks
Ingredients
Part I: The Syrup
- 8 ounces granulated sugar (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup water
- Juice of ½ a lemon
Part II: The Lotus Filling
- 12 ounces dried lotus seeds (pre-halved is ideal if you can find it; we used whole)
- 4 cups water
- 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar (AKA icing sugar or confectioner's sugar)
- 1 1/4 cups peanut oil or corn oil
- 1/3 cup maltose
Part III: the Salted Duck Egg Yolk (it must be salted)
Part IV: The Dough
- 8.75 tablespoons sugar syrup (that you made or bought)
- 1/3 cup peanut oil or corn oil
- 1 teaspoon lye water (available at your Chinese grocery store)
- 1 3/4 cups flour (plus more for dusting)
Parts V & VI: Assembling and Baking the Mooncakes
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
Making the Syrup:
- Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Once boiled, stir in the lemon juice, and immediately reduce the heat to low. Let the syrup simmer uncovered for 60-70 minutes (do not stir!), until the sugary liquid turns a light amber color.
- After 60-70 minutes, the liquid might look a bit watery, but it will thicken once cooled. Try not to overcook it, because it will become thick like caramel (it should be the consistency of honey). If you do overcook the syrup and it’s too thick, add a few drops of hot water to thin it out. Keep adding hot water until you get a honey-like consistency.
- Pour the sugary liquid into a heatproof container, and let it cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator.
Making the Lotus Paste:
- Using a butter knife, gently split the lotus seeds in half through the top opening. Remove and discard the bitter green center. Rinse and soak them overnight in a large bowl, covered with at least 2 inches/5 cm of water.
- The next day, wash and drain the lotus seeds. In a medium pot, add the lotus seeds and 4 to 4 1/2 cups of water (the water level should be above the lotus seeds). Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Once the water reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. It’s done once the lotus seeds are softened but have maintained their shape.
- Turn off the heat, let cool, and then drain the liquid in to a separate bowl. (Set this liquid aside.) In a food processor, puree the cooked lotus seeds (it’s best to do this in two batches). Slowly add some of the reserved cooking liquid until the puree is very smooth but not too runny (a hummus-like consistency).
- Transfer the lotus puree to a non-stick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan). Turn the heat to medium/medium-low (it shouldn’t be so high that it generates steam or smoke at any point). Stir/flip/fold the puree constantly using a silicone spatula for about 30 minutes to avoid crusting. During this process, add the oil in 3-4 batches. Then stir in the sugar in 3-4 batches. Lastly, add the maltose in 2 batches. When adding each batch of material, make sure the last batch was well incorporated (2-3 minutes) before adding the next batch.
- The lotus filling is done once the paste can holds its shape while also being pliable. Remove from the heat and cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can make this 1 day in advance, as it’s easier to work with when the filling has been completely chilled.
Making the salted duck egg yolks:
- There are a few ways to prepare the salted duck egg yolks: 1. You can buy raw salted duck eggs, crack the eggs open, and take out the yolks. Gently rinse the yolks under a small stream of running water to wash off any residual egg white. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Dip each yolk briefly in baijiu (白酒, a clear Chinese liquor) just to coat it, then put the egg yolks on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, let them cool completely, and they are ready to use. You can also prepare this ahead of time. Just make sure to store them in an airtight container and in the fridge.2. You can buy pre-extracted, cooked salted duck egg yolks, like the ones I use in this recipe. I have found these to be slightly drier than I would normally like, but they are convenient. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 350°F/175°C for 8 minutes. When they're cooled completely, they're ready to use. You can also buy whole cooked salted duck eggs, and extract the whole yolk. These are ready to use. No baking needed. You can also prepare this ahead of time…just make sure to store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Making the dough:
- First mix the sugar syrup, oil, and lye water together. Then add the mixture to the flour, and use a rubber spatula to fold and combine everything into a soft dough. Do not overwork it. This step should only take about a minute or two.
- Cover the dough in an airtight container or with an overturned plate. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Chilled dough is much easier to work with. (Side note: you may also leave the dough in the refrigerator overnight if you'd like to make it ahead of time.)
Assembling the mooncakes:
- While the dough is resting, start assembling the filling. My mooncake mold was marked 100 grams, which means each mooncake should weigh about 100 grams total after assembly. This recipe makes 18 mooncakes total: 12 mooncakes with salted duck egg yolks and 6 mooncakes without.
- Separately weigh out twelve 58-gram scoops of lotus filling and six 70-gram scoops of lotus filling. Shape each portion of filling into balls. Next, take one of the 58 gram lotus balls, make a deep well in the middle, and insert one salted duck egg yolk into the middle. Then close the top and re-shape it into a ball. Repeat for the remaining 11 pieces. It’s good to separate the “with yolks” and the “without.” Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the rest of the mooncakes.
- Once the dough has finished resting, it’s time to prepare the mooncake mold. My mold came with four pattern plates––one plate should be attached to the mold itself and locked in place. Wrap another one with clear plastic, because we will use it to press the mooncake from the bottom. Dust the inside of the mold with plenty of flour and shake off the excess. You’ll need to repeat this process before pressing every mooncake to avoid sticking. Divide and weigh the dough into eighteen 25-gram pieces, plus 1 smaller dough ball for scraps/mending. Shape each piece into a ball, and lightly dust the dough balls with flour. (It's best to keep most of the dough balls chilled in the refrigerator while assembling, and only work with a couple at a time.)
- Take one dough ball, lightly dust it with flour, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 4 inch/10 cm round. Put one piece of filling in the center. Carefully lift it up and turn it upside down, and gently press out the air bubbles around the lotus ball, without breaking the dough. Now turn the opening facing up, and slowly press the dough together to close the opening, keeping the distribution of the dough as even as possible. The dough feels like Play-doh, so it’s easy to break, but it’s also easy to squish back together. Keep in mind that the chief goal here is to close the dough around the filling without capturing air inside.
- Now lightly dust the assembled ball with additional flour. Place it inside the mooncake mold with the mold opening facing up. Now press in the bottom piece (with the clear plastic-wrapped plate that you prepared). With some pressure, gently press it inward until it stops giving. Quickly sit the mold down, and press the mooncake out with the top pressure bar. The bottom piece will come out no problem, but use your other hand to VERY GENTLY guide the mooncake out of the mold.
- If/When a small piece of dough gets stuck and does not come out, get a small piece of the “scrap”/“mending” dough to patch up the area. Then clean the mold (a toothpick helps get the dough out of any nooks and crannies in the mold) and dust it well with flour again. Then gently flatten all sides of the mooncake to make it smaller, so it can go back in the mooncake mold for re-shaping. Use slightly more flour for dusting if this becomes a persistent issue. Place the mooncakes on a baking sheet as you make them. Repeat until you've assembled all 18 mooncakes. (Note that they will not change size during baking.)
Baking the mooncakes:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C when you are almost finished assembling the mooncakes. Once the oven is preheated, gently mist the mooncakes with a food-grade spray bottle (if you have one) filled with water. You can also dip your fingers into a bowl of water, and fling the water on your fingers onto the mooncakes a couple of times. This prevents the dough from cracking.
- Immediately put the mooncakes in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. (Remember to set the timer!) Now prepare the egg wash by whisking the egg yolk and water together. After the mooncakes have been baking for 5 minutes, take them out of the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 300°F/150°C. Lightly brush each mooncake with egg wash, and put them back in the oven. Bake for another 15 minutes (remember to set the timer!)
- When the mooncakes first come out of the oven, the dough will look dry like bread, and not oily like what you are used to when opening packaged mooncakes. This is normal. Cool completely, and then store the cooled mooncakes in an airtight container for 1-2 days, and the outside will get that nice shiny sheen you recognize!
Will making the moo cakes from your recipe be too muck work if we started to make 150 of them one week prior to the wedding date? On a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the hardest, what would you score it for a family of Medicare experienced chefs? I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi Florence, I’d say 4. I think wooden molds instead of plastic molds would be better—less tricky. The most difficult part is the shaping in my opinion: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=wooden+mooncake+mold&crid=269FW6J3E4MNL&sprefix=wooden+mooncake+%2Caps%2C144&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_16
Great recipe! I had never made these before as I thought it would be too tricky. I have always loved mooncakes and they came out really well! Mooncakes were very scarce in London, UK for the Mid-Autumn Festival 2021 so I ended up making 3 batches of mooncakes to give to family and friends. Everyone was so happy to receive them and loved them. Thank you so much for the detailed steps, you made a lot of people very happy!
Absolutely incredible. Came out amazing! My mooncakes came out paler than the pictures because of the syrup being a lighter color (I used regular white sugar). The lotus seed filling alone is incredible tasting. It’s nutty, slightly sweet, with a slight roasted flavor. It had such full flavor as if there was vanilla in the recipe, but there wasn’t! I did have quite a bit of lotus seed filling left over I need to put to use. It tastes like a completely different dessert than something store bought. I think it’s worth a go for a completely unique and beautiful experience.
I’d advise to split the work up across multiple days to make it easier! Assembling the mooncakes for the final step was the longest part. Took me about two and a half hours. This made about 25 50g mooncakes for me with no egg! Perfect snack for my Friday night happy hour, none of who had tried one before. Felt very special to bring them this experience!
Wow, what a lovely comment. Thank you so much :-)
Hi Judy, your blog is really my favorite. As a daughter of a Chinese-German couple I always lived in Germany without much opportunity to learn about the more tricky traditional Chinese recipes. Thanks to your blog this seems to become more tangible now :-) .
My first mooncakes were a real success: The dough was great, even with gluten-free flour, and did not crack at all. I used a large French „ bread brush“ with very soft bristles to wipe off the flour. I admit that I left out the egg yolks for my first batch as this is an unusual ingredient here. Herzliche Grüße aus Deutschland, Karina.
You are so welcome! Thank you for taken on this tough recipe.
I made these and they came out beautifully. My lotus filling was a little dry, which I thought when I was cooking it. Would you add more oil to it, do you think? Thank you so much for the amazing recipe!
I just noticed in the explanation, there is 1/3 cup maltose which is not in the ingredients in the recipe, so I missed that. I think that would account for my dry filling.
I also missed the maltose syrup :(
Is it too late, I have had the filling in the fridge overnight. Could I rewarm the filling and add the maltose? :(
Hi Steph, maltose is not essential if you don’t mind the filling being slightly flaky.
Yes, that would do it. I will have Sarah correct the post. Thank you so much for pointing it out.
You can definitely add (cook in) more oil if you’d like.
would 100%wheat flour/and or bread flour works and how about for the savory ones too? ty lmk
That’s tough to say without actually trying it.
Can I sub maltose with the same golden syrup in the recipe? Or omit it?
You can omit it. FYI, maltose helps to bind and make the paste creamier/smoother.
Great recipe! I had never made these before as I thought it would be too tricky. I have always loved mooncakes and they came out really well! Mooncakes were very scarce in London, UK for the Mid-Autumn Festival 2021 so I ended up making 3 batches of mooncakes to give to family and friends. Everyone was so happy to receive them and loved them. Thank you so much for the detailed steps, you made a lot of people very happy!
Yayyy! That makes me so happy :-) Thank you for your lovely comment, Bridget.
Hi Judy, I love this recipe! This year though, my mooncakes crust are too sticky after 24 hrs. Should I bake them again to try to dry them out?
Is “sticky” means that some crust sticks to your fingers when you hold it? If so, the dough might be a little too wet, but the real problem might come from the oil in the lotus filling. You might have to serve them chilled to avoid the “sticky” problem. Try that :-)
As someone baking mooncakes for the first time this was an absolutely treasure trove of information. They came out great. I ended up using a bit more than 25g for the dough as I found it tore easily and didn’t fully wrap the lotus paste. Thanks for the great write up!
Thank you, Olivier! I love our readers for taking on difficult recipes, and not only the easier ones :-)
I just made these tonight. I’ve wanted to make these since you first posted the recipe but was intimidated by all the steps. These turned out really well -thank you for the recipe! The only things to note are check your mold size. My mold was 125 grams, and this recipe used a 100 gram mold, so I adjusted everything proportionally. I found it easier to close the dough over the lotus filling when I reduced the filling by about 10 grams. I also rolled the dough on Saran wrap, which made it much easier to peel off. Instead of maltose, I added most of the leftover caramel to the lotus filling. You can taste and adjust to your liking. The best part was watching the moon cakes emerge from the mold. They’re so pretty!
Wow, a big accomplishment! Congrats, Jessica. Hope it was not as difficult as you imagined to be.